Ask Lemmy

I'll preface this by saying that I am Canadian, not American, and I do always vote. I will find a way to make a choice and vote in our next election, but lately have been understanding why someone might not:

Everyone who has even a remote chance of winning has at least one position that I find entirely unacceptable. Like, I cannot in good faith vote for this person because this issue is an absolute deal-breaker for me. If I'm throwing my vote away by writing someone in, why even leave the house?

I have missed a few in the past but I don't expect that for future as my state as mail in and I signed up for it as did my wife.

I used to vote. Then people told me I was doing it wrong. So I stopped.

I don't vote locally, because I live in a deep red state in which my vote doesn't matter. Because of the electoral college and first past the post voting, it also doesn't matter during presidential elections, but I vote in them anyway, because my dad always said you weren't allowed to complain about the president if you don't vote, and I like complaining.

Not me but a friend of mine is just very black pilled on all the political candidates. That said, he's also the only person I know who regularly goes to protests and he very often calls his local representatives. So he's definitely politically active, he just doesn't vote. I don't really know why that's where he draws the line.

Voting is harder in the US. I can almost get that the one party has made it more difficult to vote because it benefits that party. I am ever in awe at the hardship americans can sometimes endure to vote, and then see it nullified.

Voting in Canada is quaint but effective: I go to a polling place, I - now, Americans, this is gonna offend you - bring my driver's license to prove my ID, they write a line through my name on a piece of paper, I take the paper fn ballot behind the cardboard half-screen like it's high-school, and mark a big X in a few boxes, fold it and drop it into another cardboard box carefully marked 'ballots'. Then people count them by hand and by the end of the night we're 100% done.

Not everyone has a system as simple and effective. It's a massive effort to vote in America, and I'd love to see that fixed as well.

I come from a deep blue state, but haven’t lived in the US in years and every time I get an absentee ballot, it’s too late to send it in. I still apply, but we’ll see if it comes in time

My state only does mail-in (AFAIK) and I don't have a stable address.

I don't like either candidate. I don't believe either one is better than the other so I have no stake either way.

Also the electoral college I don't trust my representative will vote the way I want.

Also this country has been bought and paid for a long time ago. Most political affiliations are garnered by lobbyists employed by massive bureaucratic corporations.

Just look at the supreme Court.

You want change? Revolution is the only way. The tree of liberty should be fertilized by the blood of Patriots and tyrants from time to time.

Apolitical spectator.