Except the Voting Place Work; My take on this is DITTO !

We do lots of volunteer work for them.  Vote!

I have voted in every election since the age for voting was lowered from 21 to 18. I do not understand why someone would not vote? I just don't get it. There are millions, maybe billions, of people in this world that are unable to participate in a free election. I may be wrong, but I think that we are the only nation on Earth where its citizens can vote directly for their president. Why wouldn't someone want to participare in doing that?

Okay, enough of my rant.

VOTE!!!

GMorrison

I've been contacted as I am every election, for my polling place volunteer gig.

This time I've been "promoted" to the head person, "Inspector".

So from all of us who are there ready for you; we want to see your faces if possible.

However you choose to do so, please vote.

Millions have served, and millions of others work in civilian life; to give us all that right.

Please don't forget, do it soon. 

God Bless America,

 

Bill

 

I vote in every election, regardless of whether it's an "off-year" or not, and for that reason you cite, Bill.  I figure it's my civic duty, and I remember that people died so that I can cast my vote.

I believe that Election Day should be a holiday.  Federal offices should be closed, businesses should be closed, and we vote in person (except for those who absolutely cannot make it in person).  And we verify who we are.  That's how important this right and its exercise are.

We had our primaries in May, and there was no problem at all, at least not in our precinct and polling station.

I agree with you 100%. Voting day should be a holiday where everyone, within reason, is off. We need to make the ability to vote as easy as possible.

JohnnyK

Here is a Wiki page with countries and their electoral system/method.

A large number of countries around the world have direct elections.

USA has direct elections for Congress and Senate (nationally).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_by_country

In the entire history of mankind, our system is an abnormality. How long we will last, who knows? But yes, vote. Even if you’re outnumbered in your area and all of your votes are for naught. At least you can grumble honestly that you did your part.

DMX512

JohnnyK

Here is a Wiki page with countries and their electoral system/method.

A large number of countries around the world have direct elections.

USA has direct elections for Congress and Senate (nationally).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_by_country

 

Interesting. In Australia voting is compulsory. We have federal elections, state elections and local council elections. I'm pretty cynical about all brands of politics and many's the time I have not wanted to vote and as I get older I become more cynical. Our parliment at all levels often seems like a childs kindergarten the way they carry on. Some years ago one of the cartoonists from a daily national did a drawing of the various party leaders poking out of a rubbish bin. The caption read "don't vote for any of the bars***ds, it just encourages them"

Due to concerns and restrictions with the pandemic, our state, Massachusetts, has implemented Voting By Mail for those that so choose. Both my wife and I have already returned our ballots for the primary and will be doing the same for the November election as well once we receive them. Many of the precincts in our city have been consolidated in order to have fewer polling venues, so the anticipation is that the waiting lines could be quite long given the social distancing requirements.

Dodgy

Interesting. In Australia voting is compulsory. We have federal elections, state elections and local council elections. I'm pretty cynical about all brands of politics and many's the time I have not wanted to vote and as I get older I become more cynical. Our parliment at all levels often seems like a childs kindergarten the way they carry on. Some years ago one of the cartoonists from a daily national did a drawing of the various party leaders poking out of a rubbish bin. The caption read "don't vote for any of the bars***ds, it just encourages them"

 

Very interesting,I had never heard of that before.Seems you can be excused for various reasons like religious beliefs,or you can submit a blank ballot,or write in names,or finally pay a small fine.But I thought the whole argument for and against was interesting.

I am not attempting to start a possibly political discussion,just relating what I read.

Dodgy

 Some years ago one of the cartoonists from a daily national did a drawing of the various party leaders poking out of a rubbish bin. The caption read "don't vote for any of the bars***ds, it just encourages them"

 

One could add this to a caption to a photo of anyone from the professional politician class!  

You are correct Tojo72, there are ways of avoiding having to vote, but they are few. For those that attend just to make in invalid vote, the point is that you still have to attend. I suppose its human nature - we often want what we can't have. In the States and the U.K. voting is not compulsary and it frustrates those who view it as important that people do. Here it is viewed as a chore and most of us grumble about it, although I don't really think people are annoyed at having to vote as such, maybee its more about just getting more of the same, as we only have two major partys and nothing much seems to change for the better.

See, things remain the same at both ends of this rock we call home.

But in May and Nov, I still do my part.

I agree.   Vote!!!

Well I'll chime in as long as this political thread lasts. Not voting is voting, you just voted for "I don't care". Get to the polls and vote, and do it on a paper ballot and ensure you put it in the counter yourself.

Pay attention to races for your representitve,senator and local races as much as you do for the presidential candidates. Who we put into congress is just as important as who we put in the white house.

As Stikpusher kinda put it, my belief is that if you do not vote, you forfeit your right to complain about the results.

Tickmagnet

Well I'll chime in as long as this political thread lasts. Not voting is voting, you just voted for "I don't care". Get to the polls and vote, and do it on a paper ballot and ensure you put it in the counter yourself.

 

Reminds me of a line in a Rush song.

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"

JohnnyK

 

 

DMX512

JohnnyK

Here is a Wiki page with countries and their electoral system/method.

A large number of countries around the world have direct elections.

USA has direct elections for Congress and Senate (nationally).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_by_country

 

 

 

 

You are correct. Following is an interesting article:https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/22/among-democracies-u-s-stands-out-in-how-it-chooses-its-head-of-state/

 

 

 

That is an interesting article indeed.

Have voted every year since I was 21 (1961).

Jim 

Stay Safe.

I remember when there was no early voting periods.  The absentee ballots were sent out to those who couldn't make it to the polling places, like people working overseas with different companies, or the military, otherwise the voting day was set for that one day.  This wasn't that long ago.

In the end of the last century, (feels like I'm real old just saying that), stories started popping up about sacks of absentees from the military not being delivered or showing up too late to be counted and then amazingly a large box of ballots would show up and there was a demand that those be checked.  Hanging chad time.

I go on voting day, and will go early on the primaries, but I vote.

I remember there was an episode on the old Superman T.V. series that delt with a possible rigged voting for the mayor.  It had cheating ballots, crimminals intimadating voters and so on.  We've seen some of that here in the not too distant past, but the intimadating people worked only once and were never prosecuted that I know of.

and I bet you're wondering what party.................

Chicago, vote early and vote often 

"Politicians are a lot like diapers.  Both need to be changed frequently, for the same reason."

I forgot about the vote early and often line, I'm sure it has a lot of truth in it.

There are very few politicians who can be trusted.

There was a broadway musical that we did in high school called Fiorello that told the story of Laguardia.  His party had nobody who was even close to a viable candidate so he entered himself without support from the party and he won.  The person who became N.Y.C. mayor was replaced by J.J.Walker.  eventually he and many of the people he put into positions were brought up on corruption charges.

stikpusher

Chicago, vote early and vote often 

 

...And encourage your deceased relations to do so as well....(or so the story goes).

That part I never heard before, but ir fits.

Eaglecash867

"Politicians are a lot like diapers.  Both need to be changed frequently, for the same reason."

 

Very good! And some of them really stinks!

I vote in every election, it is the only and most important tool that we, average citizens, have to attempt to control the politicians. I do not use absentee ballots, In my neck of the woods, there have been several instances were such ballots have "disappeared" or "appeared" depending how the voting was going, so I always vote in person an do not leave until my ballot is in the machine.

So, this November, do your civic duty and VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Joe

“When you vote, you are exercising political authority, you're using force. And force, my friends, is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived.”

― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers

Im doing my part.