Countdown to Extinction: The 2016 Presidential Election

[Florestan]

Well, sure, so long as you think they're all equally bad and you're happy to abdicate the result to those that make a choice.

I've never understood this approach myself. Possibly that's because I'm Australian and so I'm used to compulsory voting, and also a Canberran and so naturally engaged in the political process as it's a major part of the city.

But to me there's a kind of fantasy element to it, a belief that somehow if a person doesn't vote, this prevents the result of an election impacting up on the person. Here in the real world, though, the outcome affects you whether you like/want the outcome or not. Someone's going to get the job. So the first choice to make is whether or not to have a say. Not having a say doesn't absolve you of living with the result.

The one thing that poster doesn't say, and can't say, is that nobody will be elected. And that's the glaring omission.

Hey, that was just for fun, no need to take it that seriously, really. 

We´ll have parliamentary elections coming December and I will surely vote. I haven´t decided yet for which party, but definitely not for any of the major parties. I am sick and tired of voting for the lesser evil, I will vote for what I think is the greater good even if it has no chance of getting into the Parliament, let alone winning the elections.

And btw, compulsory voting means that you only have to be physically present in the booth; nobody can prevent you for making your ballot null and void by voting for two or three parties simultaneously.  And that is exactly what I would do each and every election if voting were compulsory in Romania.

[Madiel]

Yeah, I know what compulsory voting means. It still means the great majority of people cast a vote.

And as we have a preferential system, it also means those votes mean something. In the ACT election with multi-member electorates, even moreso.

[Karl Henning]

"Democracy doesn't work unless you participate."
— Frank Zappa

[Florestan]

And as we have a preferential system, it also means those votes mean something. In the ACT election with multi-member electorates, even moreso.

In Romania you can vote for only one party. Voting for more than one means the ballot is null and void.

In a preferential system I would just write "Everybody sucks! Screw them all!" on the ballot. That will surely render it null and void, I presume. 

"Democracy doesn't work unless you participate."
— Frank Zappa

Making one´s ballot null and void is also a form of participation and of expressing one´s discontent and disagreement with the political establishment in its entirety. I suppose this is (still) allowed in a free country. 

[Karl Henning]

Making one´s ballot null and void is also a form of participation and of expressing one´s discontent and disagreement with the political establishment in its entirety. I suppose this is (still) allowed in a free country. 

It's allowed.

I'm not really buying the "non-participation is still participation" argument.

So, of course, it's allowed.  And I'm allowed to say that I think it pointless and potentially foolish.

[Florestan]

I'm not really buying the "non-participation is still participation" argument.

So, of course, it's allowed.  And I'm allowed to say that I think it pointless and potentially foolish.

The way I see it, non-participation means staying at home and not showing up at the booth.

[drogulus]

     Hillary Clinton to Panicked Republicans: You're on Your Own

     

[PerfectWagnerite]

Cute video of The Groper with baby. Almost makes him look half human:

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/watch_trump_with_baby_trump_at_rally.html

Can't help but notice how white the audience is.

[Parsifal]

Making one´s ballot null and void is also a form of participation and of expressing one´s discontent and disagreement with the political establishment in its entirety. I suppose this is (still) allowed in a free country. 

As far as I know, failing to mark the ballet would simply cause no vote to be registered, and statistically it would manifest itself as lower voter turnout. That is a sign of voter apathy and just allows the dominant parties to maintain their position with an even lower level of support from the electorate. The real way to make a protest vote is to vote for a minor party candidate (the Green party, the Libertarian party, the Communist party, etc).  In the past third party candidates have drawn enough votes to tip the scales (Ralph Nader sapping Al Gore's support and Ross Perot arguably sapping George H. W. Bush support.  In the distant past minor parties have even ascended to become dominant parties (the Republicans in the 19th century). More recently the "Independent Party" actually managed to elect some candidates before sputtering and dying.

What is hurting the U.S. is ever increasing voter cynicism and loss of faith in public institutions.

[drogulus]

     'FOBs': How Hillary's State Dept. Gave Special Attention to 'Friends of Bill' After Haiti Quake

[Florestan]

As far as I know, failing to mark the ballet would simply cause no vote to be registered, and statistically it would manifest itself as lower voter turnout.

Here´s how things work in Romania.

If you decide to go to the booth, you must provide your ID on the spot in order to be given the ballot and the stamp. Once you provided your ID, you are automatically registered and counted in the turnout, irrespective whether you vote correctly by stamping one party only or render your ballot null and void by stamping more than one party. The null and void ballots are counted separately. Thus, one can finally have, say, 52% turnout, out of which 12% are null and void ballots.

The real way to make a protest vote is to vote for a minor party candidate

I agree.

Just to be clear: I do not advocate non-participation or rendering one´s ballot null and void, but I understand perfectly the concerns and discontent of those who opt for either way and I think they are legitimate.

What is hurting the U.S. is ever increasing voter cynicism and loss of faith in public institutions.

That´s actually a widespread phenomenon not limited tio the US. But these are the results of decades of bad policies, of politicians shamelessly lying in order to get themselves elected, of vested interest lobbying and bribing the politicians, of widespread, bi- or multi-partisan corruption and of the malfunctioning (as a result) of those institutions. Blaming it on the voters is reversing the cause and the effect.

[Karl Henning]

The way I see it, non-participation means staying at home and not showing up at the booth.

Indeed.

[Karl Henning]

Trump: murder is at a 45-year high. Actual statistics: that's not remotely true.

[Karl Henning]

... to arrive at someone with a y chromosome you can feel sorry for.

http://www.youtube.com/v/GHt0vp07iwE

[Gurn Blanston]

     Hillary Clinton to Panicked Republicans: You're on Your Own

   

Good article. Interesting. I particularly agree with the assertion that Trump and Republicans are naught more than Doppelgängers, a Jekyll & Hyde of the same coin. Let them all go down together, we won't miss them.

[Gurn Blanston]

... to arrive at someone with a y chromosome you can feel sorry for.

http://www.youtube.com/v/GHt0vp07iwE

Love John Oliver; he is as fearless and straight as it gets, kinda like Jon Stewart without a bleep machine going. And he is oh so right.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Good article. Interesting. I particularly agree with the assertion that Trump and Republicans are naught more than Doppelgängers, a Jekyll & Hyde of the same coin. Let them all go down together, we won't miss them.

The so-called conservatives spew ideas that most of the country don't understand. They keep quoting the Constitution - written in a language a normal every day person does not comprehend, or the last so-called great Rep. President Ronald Reagan (whose presidency was some 35 yrs ago). No wonder this country is so out of touched with "conservatism". To most of Americans "fourscore and seven" is 35 pts in an NFL game.

[drogulus]

    Each day that goes by I'm less interested in how Repubs react to Trump. Pro-Trump, anti-Trump, voters, office holders, party officials, campaign functionaries, media allies, all of you are in my book injectors of poison now suffering the effects like the rest of us.

   

[drogulus]

     Putin ally tells Americans: vote Trump or face nuclear war

     

     If you put it like that.....

     In other news:

     Trump: "I am not an elephant!"

     Candidate claims membership in human species "going back decades".

     

[Madiel]

For a somewhat different perspective.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-that-no-one-talks-about/