Voting

[Spiderman]

Is it better to vote even if you have no clue who the candidates are and what they stand for, basically making your ballot a "scan tron design", or just not vote at all in this case?

 

[Mazzak]

Stay away from the polls if you don't know who you're voting for. Too many people just go and vote for their political party without payign attention to the individual candidates. This is part of the reason why independent candidates are almost never elected for anything, because people just vote party to save their ever-so-precious time.

this is one of the many failings of this nation's "democracy"...

 

[nodnarb24]

People should never vote if they don't even know what they are voting for. This is why I hate political parties, people tend to vote along party lines without even knowing what the issues are. I feel that the most meaningful vote is the one not cast, it shows that their are no worthy canidates. People are wondering why voting turnout for young people is dwindling. It's becuase there is no one willing to represent what they believe in. On the otherhand middle aged and older people feel that it is their obligation as a citizen to vote even if they have no clue what they are voting for, since voting has been shoved down their throat since they have been young.

 

[Chaos Turtle]

Too bad about hating political parties; they aren't going anywhere.

Though I don't do it, I don't have a real problem with people who vote the "straight-party" ticket. I was sorely tempted to do it this time, to keep the Republicans from seizing control of the Senate (and thus all three branches of government) but I didn't.

I agree though that one should not vote if he has no idea who to vote for. Keep in mind though that you don't have to cast a vote for every office/issue on the ballot. If you know even one candidate you want to vote for, you ought to do so.

 

[EricBess]

While I agree it is better to not vote if you have no clue, I think that it behooves you to do a bit of research and to vote. You can typically get a voters pamphlet that contains written statements from the candidates or their offices which will give you brief information. For those positions where you are still unclear, they typically list where you can get more information. The problem is, even if you see a lot of information, most of it nowdays is smear campaign or complete bias.

In short, don't vote blind, but do vote.

ps. if you realize at the polls that there is something going on that you don't know something about, you can always leave that one blank.

 

[Ferret]

The main problem is that a majority of voters "blind vote". A majority of voters call themselves "Democrats" or "Republicans" and vote for only candidates that fit those categories... no imagination. No thought. No research.

It's pretty sad. The usual breakdown is the downtrodden minorities vote for the rich white guys in the Democratic party and feel that they will help w/ their massive "special programs and research" that costs billions in new taxes. Meanwhile, the rich, the white, and the conservatives vote for Republicans so that they can feel secure that they will be noticed and cared for...

...when, in reality, neither party really cares about the common voter. They just care about their wallets...

-Ferret

"...greed is good; greed works..."