Tuesday was election day in the United States for
most voters. But my state and a growing number of others have the so
called "early voting" period in which a voter can substitute election
day for a more convenient time to vote from within the range of dates
allowed. The idea is to make it simple for voters to cast their ballot
in order to increase the participation rate. It is a bad idea, I think.
Like most important tasks, voting should not one which is a painless
process. If it is, sometimes people cast ballots who would not otherwise
vote. They tend to be uninformed or apathetic who only vote because of a
narrow personal gain to be obtained from voting for a particular
candidate or issue. I wonder why society wants those kinds of people to
vote more often. A little inconvenience, as in taking a n hour off work
to visit a polling place and casting a vote, is a good measure of
interest. Those who are unwilling to do that probably don't care enough
to make an informed vote.
The vote is a singularly nice, yet unappreciated gift. We can do many things with our votes and there are many motivations to vote or not vote. Some will not use it, and that can be a nice way to protest disdain or to simply show a lack of interest. Others can vote "for" a candidate or issue, and still others might vote just to be against a single candidate or issue. It is not unheard of that some people "sell" their vote to someone who gives them something in return. In a democracy voting gives everyone the right to do something stupid.
Too, voting is a way to feel both invested in and responsible for the community in which we live. If we vote for a good candidate who has governed well we can brag that "I voted for him," or if we voted for a bad candidate who has shamed, it can shame us as well (though we may not admit voting for the bad one). It's odd how many people won't say who they voted for. This may be to save themselves shame if their candidate wins and turns out to be a dud. But really, in free nations, if voting changed anything it would be abolished.
Of course all of this is irrelevant in countries that have voting but that don't really have a free or honest process. Nations who pretend to have voting decide their elections tend to have a much higher voting turnout than those who have real and honest ones. It's not normal for most people to vote. Humans are not sheep who all follow the same ritual. Any country for instance, that brags that it has a 95% turnout is most likely a dictatorship that only pretend to have a real voting process.
Hmmm, I wonder if the dictators might not be right about the folly of letting citizens vote. The great cynic Ambrose Bierce said it best when asked about voting he said, "The vote is the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." But then, most citizens in a democracy will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in an election.
The vote is a singularly nice, yet unappreciated gift. We can do many things with our votes and there are many motivations to vote or not vote. Some will not use it, and that can be a nice way to protest disdain or to simply show a lack of interest. Others can vote "for" a candidate or issue, and still others might vote just to be against a single candidate or issue. It is not unheard of that some people "sell" their vote to someone who gives them something in return. In a democracy voting gives everyone the right to do something stupid.
Too, voting is a way to feel both invested in and responsible for the community in which we live. If we vote for a good candidate who has governed well we can brag that "I voted for him," or if we voted for a bad candidate who has shamed, it can shame us as well (though we may not admit voting for the bad one). It's odd how many people won't say who they voted for. This may be to save themselves shame if their candidate wins and turns out to be a dud. But really, in free nations, if voting changed anything it would be abolished.
Of course all of this is irrelevant in countries that have voting but that don't really have a free or honest process. Nations who pretend to have voting decide their elections tend to have a much higher voting turnout than those who have real and honest ones. It's not normal for most people to vote. Humans are not sheep who all follow the same ritual. Any country for instance, that brags that it has a 95% turnout is most likely a dictatorship that only pretend to have a real voting process.
Hmmm, I wonder if the dictators might not be right about the folly of letting citizens vote. The great cynic Ambrose Bierce said it best when asked about voting he said, "The vote is the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country." But then, most citizens in a democracy will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in an election.
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