Voting not worth hassle if candidates not up to par

“after months of research. I eventually began toying with the idea of voting for the “lesser of the two evils”
And at no point in those months did your research turn up the fact that their were more than two candidates?

“I voiced my true opinion about the direction of this country by voluntarily and enthusiastically rocking the nonvote.”
Yes, if you don’t like something the best way to make it better is to do nothing. I guess, at least, you’re enthusiastic about it.

Seriously…if after months of research you still can’t find even a 3rd party candidate that more closely matches your viewpoints….you’ve got some issues. Heck, there are probably even 3rd party candidates that weren’t even on the ballot.

Methinks that maybe you should have written yourself in, as you’re the only person who apparently thinks the way you do!

I’m with Pete on this one. You should have voted third party or wrote someone in. The whole lesser of two evils bit is put out there by the Democrats and Republicans to scare you into voting for one or the other. You not voting legitimizes the system just as much as voting for the major parties in this country because it shows that you’re nothing more than some complacent, sorry excuse for a man. You might think its a protest again the system, but how can it be if no one hears you? Answer me that you spineless worm!

As an American it is your right to not vote.
It sounds like you made a well thouht out decision.
Dont let your friends tell you differently.

Arthur- you are ignorant.

Move to another country where you don’t have the right to vote.

does this mean you did the same research on every local race, including the nonpartisans, every ballot measure, and every millage? contrary to popular belief, elections don’t just happen every four years, and there was certainly more than one position up for grabs here. i agree with the above posters – third party candidates sound like the way to go for you (and every educated voter should investigate them anyway) – but what about the rest of the ballot?

I ABSOLUTELY agree with you! There is WAY to much emphasis on just voting, and not enough on voting for a candidate you actually believe in.

However, I think you should have been able to find a candidate who stood for your beliefs in Ralph Nader (very Liberal), Bob Barr (Libertarian), McKinney (Green/Environmentalist), or Chuck Baldwin (Strict Constitutionalist).

Great article!

As was pointed out above, there are numerous issues beyond the Presidential vote which deserved your time and attention. In your months of research, did you not read at all about House or Senate races or Proposal 1 or 2? How about the importance of Chief Justice Taylor losing his seat on the Michigan Supreme Court? Maybe you did vote on these issues/positions, but your letter certainly doesn’t make that clear.

Art, there were about two dozen votes to cast. Not voting because you didn’t like the top of the ticket meant you neglected state races, judicial races, school and county milage decisions and others. I would have thought you might have at least cast a vote for MSU Trustee, something that effects a student daily.

For Arthur, and all those who chose not to vote this year, you have no right to complain then during the next 4 years. You cannot complain about anything- economic policies, foreign policies, taxes, healthcare, etc.- because you did not go to the polls to put in your say. It absolutely PEEVES me when people complain and b*tch about a person in office (whether it’s the President, Governor, or even Senators or Represenatives) and then when asked who they voted for, they reply, “I didn’t vote.” If you didn’t vote, that’s your decision but keep your mouth shut for the next 4 years!!!

Even if you make the decision (a stupid one at that) to not go out and vote, don’t just sit there in between the elections and expect great thigns to happen if you really have such “different” opinions about public policy. (Which I highly doubt because you didn’t even have the forthought to look into any other issue besides the presidential one). Why not get up and make your voice be heard in a different way, there are plenty of non-profit and advocacy groups whose goals are to change things because they don’t like the way things are right now. Or here’s a thought, serve your country.

How can your voice be heard if you sit in your room lake a lazy little b*tch and whine about how the country isn’t meeting your expectations with its MANY candidates. You are complaining about the system itself, not the candidates, and if you don’t like the system, help change it or LEAVE

I didn’t vote either, I was watching Sportscenter and Food Network

Arthur, Officially you now have no credibility to complain about anything politically for the next four years.

“Arthur, Officially you now have no credibility to complain about anything politically for the next four years. “

I love when people make this kind of laughable statement.

Let’s suppose you’re voting on the cafeteria menu. Your choices are liver and onions or roasted squid. They both sound terrible. Okay, so let’s throw three more in for fun: raw sushi, haggis, and mixed field greens. Different yes, but still not appetizing. So when you’re asked (or more or less forced) to vote, which do you choose? Personally, I’m not choosing any of them. And I absolutely have every right to complain when one of them gets picked, because I WAS AGAINST ALL OF THEM! The same is true here. The only people who have no right to complain for the next four years are Obama voters. Everyone else, whether they voted for McCain, Barr, Nader, or none, was against him. And they have every right to complain about the president that Obama voters put there.

It’s sad that we look at someone and demand them to compromise their morals and integrity to vote for one of FIVE PEOPLE OUT OF 250 MILLION+, rather than challenge the system to provide us with a larger breadth of candidates. Of course, that would take some organizing and broader media coverage, which we all know your typical lazy American is not interested in.

Actually, field greens sound kinda good. Get some fresh veggies, grilled chicken, and salad dressing and it’s a pretty good meal!

And no, people have no right to complain if they didn’t step up to at least make a decision. If you don’t like the cafeteria menu, write something else in. Even if it doesn’t happen- you’ve stated your opinion and made a decision. The same applies for voting- you don’t like the candidates running? Write in your selection. Sure, they won’t win, but you made your voice heard. By sitting back and excercising “the right not to vote” you’re also excercising your right to keep quiet for however long the term is for the position being voted on.

Let’s suppose you’re voting on the cafeteria menu. Your choices are liver and onions or roasted squid. They both sound terrible. Okay, so let’s throw three more in for fun: raw sushi, haggis, and mixed field greens.

Ah, the palate of a unadventurous mind! I mean squid come on! Calamari is some good shit. And sushi? Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. And haggis? Come on its like a huge sausage made with organ meat. It’s not that bad!

But I digress. Alex your attempt at an analogy sucks because your basically just puppeting back to us Mr. Manoli’s “I didn’t vote because I didn’t like anyone and therefore I protested stand”. Yeah okay, you didn’t vote for president. Big deal. Just realize you’re not protesting a damn thing by sitting on your ass and doing nothing. Additionally as other have pointed out, you morons missed out on voting for House, Senate and local races in addition to two statewide proposals and for a handful of judges. In short you guys really dropped the ball on this one.

And by the way Mr. Uninformed Non-voter we had six candidates vying for the presidency in Michigan not five!

Ok so you didn’t like the presidential candidates. You said you did a lot of research, doubtful at best. You mean you had no opinion on Props 1 or 2 or that neither position was what you wanted??? I mean it was yes or no, what other option do you propose? Didn’t care about who would be a MSU Trustee? No opinion about any millage proposals at all huh? Sounds like you thought the only thing being decided was for president, ever participated in an election before? If you don’t like the choices offered for president then leave it blank or write in Elmer Frickin Fudd for that matter but there were lots of other things to vote for or against. You sir are either lazy and trying to justify yourself or clueless. Either way you are one of the real losers in this election, those who didn’t vote.

“Just realize you’re not protesting a damn thing by sitting on your ass and doing nothing. Additionally as other have pointed out, you morons missed out on voting for House, Senate and local races in addition to two statewide proposals and for a handful of judges. In short you guys really dropped the ball on this one.”

Wow, it’s almost like you weren’t standing over my shoulder when I voted in Howell (my home city). Oh, that’s right, you weren’t. I voted for every item on the ticket, so your assumptions about me and my voting record reflect your limited intellect and arrogance.

Just because I voted doesn’t mean I can’t understand why someone else wouldn’t, and defend their right to do so. I respect the person who makes a conscious effort not to vote for the lesser of two evils more than the uneducated simpleton who votes for the person with the nicer name or for the straight ticket. And the original post talked only about the presidential race. How do you know he didn’t vote on the rest of the ballot?

And I can’t believe people even suggested putting in a write-in vote. Here are the rules in Michigan:

“The candidate needs to submit a “Write-In Candidate Declaration Of Intent” form to the Bureau of Elections by September 5, 2008. This form must be accompanied by a document which lists the Vice-President’s name, and the names and addresses of 17 electors pledged to the Presidential candidate from the state of Michigan.

The “Declaration of Intent” form must be notarized.”

Hardly a way to pick your own candidate.

Oh, that’s right, you weren’t. I voted for every item on the ticket, so your assumptions about me and my voting record reflect your limited intellect and arrogance.

I was directing my comments towards all the nonvoters like Arthur out there not at you specifically. You’re right I don’t know your voting record and never said I did. The biggest issue I have with people like Arthur is they they think their somehow protesting, making a stand and so on. If you re-read Arthur’s letter he very clearly states “I decided to reject the choices I was given Tuesday, and by doing so, I voiced my true opinion about the direction of this country by voluntarily and enthusiastically rocking the nonvote.” While he may gain some sort of peace of mind from his decision, it’s hardly voicing his opinion. He simply didn’t vote. No one is going to take notice if he just does nothing.

You are an idiot.

You are a douche-fag

Not voting is not “taking a stand” but the opposite, validating whatever politics is currently in place. The author says that he’ll “do well” under any president. Really. How well would he do if we had a president who started another war, re-instated the draft, and started lobbing nuclear warheads at Iran or Pakistan? How “well” would he do in a nuclear holocaust? He’s just theorizing his laziness, a startling public performance of abject ignorance.