Voting Time!

[Aliotroph?]

That's, right. It's time for our American friends to go vote. They really ought to considering how much of an influence America is on almost everything.

I think in 2008 we should have a trick whereby we get every non-voter around to vote for an independent. Elections would be way more fun if more people did that.

Oh, and does anyone know if those crazy high-tech voting machines play DooM? ;)

[FATAL]

You fool, we need a POLL to VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111

I vote democrats because republicans are conservative and even more capitalist pigs.

[Nomad]

That's, right. It's time for our American friends to go vote. They really ought to considering how much of an influence America is on almost everything.

This is true. We should all go at least vote for our House Reps and Senators. I wish the government would try to influence voting during the midterms as much as they try during the Presidential elections. The damn president doesn't mean shit when you have a legislature full of assholes.

Oh, and does anyone know if those crazy high-tech voting machines play DooM? ;)

We don't have those here in Wyoming. We have to fill out old fashioned paper ballots. I doubt the counting machines would be able to play Doom, though.

You fool, we need a POLL to VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111111

I vote democrats because republicans are conservative and even more capitalist pigs.

I prefer voting independant where available. The whole idea of Democrats and Republicans, and Right-wing and Left-wing piss me off. All it is doing is dividing a country when we should all unite as one.

[Aliotroph?]

DD, make this a poll with real American parties. :p

I'd vote for something else if I could. Democrats and republicans are both capitalist pigs but the republicans throw tons more religion into the mix. Bleh.

EDIT: @Nomad: we use paper ballots for the whole country. I don't get the point of those fancy machines. We've had some of the card-scanning ones in local elections though.

[Kristian]

Vote for the Whig Party! ... Or the Federalist Party.

[Aliotroph?]

That might be kinda hard these days. :p

[Kristian]

Bah! You're just seeing the obstacles, and not the possibilities.

[Grazza]

Vote for the Slightly Silly Independent!

[Boingo the Clown]

I vote for pizza!

[rustyslacker]

It's pretty sad how many people don't vote at all. They should.

:(

[Aliotroph?]

Yeah! *glares at GoldEyes* :p

[The Undertaker]

Had to use one of them new fancy voting machines with touchscreens and plastic cards. Didn't see any I voted stickers though. Guess I'll have to wait until I vote against Billary in 08 to get another.:)

[Yagisan]

It's pretty sad how many people don't vote at all. They should.

:(
Indeed. I have something I'd like to export to the USA from down under - its called compulsory voting.

[CrazedImp]

Yes, if there is one thing the Australian Government does right, its forcing people to vote. If you live in a country, you should have your say to who helps to run it. I honestly cant see why Americans are given a choice to vote or not.

[Kristian]

If you think everyone's corrupt or are afraid of making an "uneducated" decision you can always vote blank (at least, that's how our system works).

[Aliotroph?]

ROFL! Forcing people to vote! You gonna force them to eat their vegetables next??? You gonna force them to eat their vegetables next? You get nothing by forcing people to vote. If you're lucky you get a nice statistic from the "blank" voters but you'll probably get people just voting for whoever. No, what pisses me off are people who know who they want to vote for, or at least who they absolutely don't vote for, and just don't do it because they consider it too much of a hassle. The other part of that is in America nobody wants to vote independent because they're always worried Bush and friends will get too many votes compared with the democrats, who need more to beat Bush. Seems that if everyone saying that actually voted independent you'd see enough of a change to get more people voting for third parties in the future.

All not voting does is forfeit your right to complain about who got elected when its over. ;)

[rustyslacker]

Yeah, that's what really sucks. People who don't vote, then bitch about who gets elected. Jeez, that's irritating.

Forced voting...I dunno. I don't think you could just spring that on America. People would rise up and get all mad and stuff.

[CrazedImp]

Well i've never lived in a society where I didnt have to vote, so I dont know what its like. But yes what rusty said, I mainly think being forced to vote has its good points and bad, but at least it will stop the people bitching about who gets voted in. The fact of some people not voting, then complaining who gets in, is just silly.

[Sigma]

I did not vote. The American, Capitalist "pig" mindframe is ubiquitous in each party. I resist voting in the circumstance that there is no-one to vote for in that at least resembles secularist-- this being said, one can imagine how often I have bothered voting. ;)

I, however, resist the statement that I cannot complain under the canopy of such a decision. The entire system is in dire need of overhaul, and condoning the same set system over and over seems to be counterproductive. I have yet to see a good government arise from voting for person A or person B-- and I am not going to hold my breath.

There are too many wretched thiests in America. Consciously voting for an individual inflicted with such delusions as believing in Mickey Mouse, Santa Claus or God would be nothing short of inflicting shame upon myself. Regardless of where they stand on other issues is irrelevant-- nothing is bound to change in a system where people are bound to Capitalism and an imaginary man in the sky. Both Democrat and Republican-- tepid. They are each tirelessly exhausting their people, our resources and even the rest of the world to whatever extent(s) in reaching toward the bowels of illimitable decadence in their own respective ways.

[rustyslacker]

Well, I think complaining is justified if you try to make things better. But it's not if you're willing to sit back and watch the country go down the toilet. You have an opportunity (and I don't just mean voting) to make a difference, and not to take advantage of that is...hmm, talked myself into a corner. It's bad, is what it is.

[Aliotroph?]

You may have to choose between three or four evils but voting for the least shitty of them is still in your best interest. After that do whatever you need, and yes, in some societies that means blowing the place sky high once in a while.

[General Greivous]

As far as I'm concerned, whether or not both parties are capitalist pigs, we're all better off without the republican powered government that allows Bush to do whatever he wants. I did not vote, but if I had bothered I would have voted on the Democrat side of things.

[Kristian]

ROFL! Forcing people to vote! You gonna force them to eat their vegetables next??? You gonna force them to eat their vegetables next? You get nothing by forcing people to vote. If you're lucky you get a nice statistic from the "blank" voters but you'll probably get people just voting for whoever.
I should've been clearer -- we don't force people to vote but we let people who do vote to vote "blank" if they want to (as a political statement). It's very important to distinguish those who vote blank from those who don't vote at all.

[The Undertaker]

But a vote for blank is a vote for Bush.

[Kristian]

No, a blank vote is a blank vote. I don't see your point.

EDIT: I'll elaborate. By not voting, you leave election officials no clue as to why you didn't vote (and, indeed, they needn't bother with it either). Perhaps you were away on holiday somewhere, perhaps you forgot about it(!), perhaps you couldn't make up your mind, perhaps you don't give a shit, perhaps you are convinced your vote won't make any difference, ... and so on. By voting blank (for whatever reason) you are effectively protesting, saying to the voting officials: "I'm taking part in the electoral process and exercising my democratic right to vote, but I'm not pleased with any of the candidates". Another way of looking at it is that you're saying that no candidate is worhty of your vote, so you "vote for no one". Some parties and states in the US have a "None of the above" option on their ballots which is basically the same concept.

The importance of distinguishing between non-voting and blank votes (and non-valid votes, which should be counted separately) is that, if the blank votes represent the majority of all votes cast, there could be a number of important consequences, depending on what type of election there is and in which country -- typically there's a re-election... sort of a "try harder" effect. :-)

Enough rambling, if anyone wants to continue this contact me through PM or e-mail.

[Nomad]

What Undertaker means, is that every vote that doesn't go against Bush, helps him. This was a phrase used a lot in the last two US elections, in reference to Ralph Nader (Whom I personally favored, but unfortunately wasn't old enough to vote yet). In this bullshit two-party system, really any vote that doesn't go towards one of the two major party candidates (i.e. Republicans and Democrats), doesn't mean shit.

[Sigma]

The Democratic and Independant parties in the United States are near disadvantageous to proper humanitarian causes. Such parties are either subverted or negate their own visions and/or promises. The American people do not reside in a democratic government. The single advantage the nation has are principles that were established by America's (primarily) secularist founding-fathers, those specifically being "the basic unalienable rights," and many of which are being slowly and systematically wrested from the people (this goes beyond Bush and Bush Sr.). Free-speech and "political correctness" in practice and even denotation (for those individuals who possess any form of ratiocination) are as counter-productive as an "omniscient" and "omnipotent" God.

Independant parties are prone to subversion; those that are not are unable to produce a benefactory system because of the economic model and/or Legislative system.

The so-called Democratic parties (though without a doubt, being the better of the two evils) is decadent. Any issue worth attention is ignored or back-catalogued.

Under such circumstances, the single motivator to vote would be toward a near anti-Jewry/religious political stance (which is near nonexistant) or toward a reasonable government model (which will not happen in either a form of reversion or complete and calculated change).

Therefore, the only voting I bother myself with are the votes concerning the Judicial branch-- and even then, the entire system is exhausted and plain-as-day worthless. Our Supreme Court is still handling cases from the late 90's! The entire nationalist, state, community Jury system is ridiculous. At least the idiots are barely able to beat back Intelligent Design from the entryway of public schools. I suppose that is worth something.

This has been precipitated by religion and Capitalism-- both of which I detest to near unfathomable (to the average, and even to the above average I person I'd comfortably state) extents.

The contemporary circumstances with the Middle East and Iraq are reasonably the fault of America's, though hardly have a black-and-white solution. What is done is done and in said circumstance, there is no solution in everyone's favor. The true antagonists will remain untouched regardless and as we all know, this subversion has been going on since the early nineteen-hundreds (though not necessarily with the Middle East). The same can be said with the "United" Kingdom.

As I previously stated, attempting to secure something that seems entirely sublime is a waste of time and effort in my opinion. While it may seem profound to others, I am far too educated to find complacence in a "same-old-shit" scenario. There are always things to complain about and rarely is an issue actually resolved. American attention is that of a child with ADHD and real issues are typically synonmous with apathy among three-fourths of the nation's populace. In the event a true decision is made, it is rarely in the best interests of half of the nation. This entire partisan system is the most wretched form of government I have ever seen or heard of with due consideration to its capabilities and wealth.

[Aliotroph?]

The Middle East is the fault of religous dumbasses being medieval on both sides. They can kill each other for the next 200 years for all I care now until they all learn to get over it like most of the West did.

As for the rest, you're saying politicians are corrupt. They are indeed. It sucks, but people who aren't corruptable generally can't stand politics for long or they get beaten up.