Ok, the crux of what I am after is this:\nDo you vote in national and/or local elections? If you do why and if you don't why not? What would make the election process better in your opinion?
125498
I always vote.  But would love to see all ballots include the official "no vote" choice rather than spoiling the ballot paper.  If the no vote wins then the candidates have to go and rethink and represent their policies.  More expensive to start with but boy would they learn to listen to us rather than just present their offerings.\n\nLuv you.
343417
I don't vote for the party and I don't vote for "the person".  I vote for the issues.  If I don't know how a candidate stands, I have a phone, I can call and ask.  People who don't care enough to do a little research should lose their vote.
447758
I feel that any vote I cast is wasted regardless of whether or not my candidate wins. Because the Supreme Court Justices are the most evil people in the federal government and I can't vote for or against them. So I've decided to not even bother and vote any more.
388244
I agree with most of what you say.  Yes, vote.  However, don't vote with your heart so much as with your mind.  Feelings come and go.  Truth is eternal.
339461
Have you noticed how almost every ad slams the other guy as opposed to the candidate telling us what he plans to accomplish once he gets in office? I have a notion not to vote at all. What's the use?
488393
This one REALLY pisses me off.\n\nThat’s all we need a bunch of uneducated voters just punchin' holes in whatever happens to come to mind at the time!!...There is already a problem with people going into the polls with little facts and lots of fiction why increase that? Voting is a privilege in itself.. it is serious and should be taken seriously. What the hell are they thinking???
466853
Did you vote in today's election to get someone who reflects your views into office???\n\nDon't just observe it change it.
655188
It makes sense. Some people ARE American citizens but struggle with English. You wouldn't want them to vote for the wrong person just because they couldn't read the ballot. Right?\n\nI see many people bringing "issues" into play. And I'd like to mention that they could have been very interested in the issues. There are many Spanish (and other language) news channels in the U.S. that cover American issues (as well as closed captioning in other languages) in which case they'd understand them perfectly. So that can't be used in a debate against multi-lingual ballots.\n\nThere's multi-lingual tax forms and they pay American taxes, so why should voting be treated differently? If they are American citizens they have EVERY right to vote as one. (Actually probably even MORE of a right then random rednecks in nowheresville USA that don't even have a tv to watch the debates or anything else.)\n\nJust thought of an analogy here (I'm not trying to start a fight, just make a good debate).\n   Say you were taking a foreign language in school or something. We'll say French. You're pretty good at it, but not great. It's still a little tough. Then you go to France and still hang out with a lot of your English-speaking friends and family and use English a lot. Don't practice your French too much. Then you need to do something REALLY important. Would you want to do it in French? I mean, your French isn't all that good, and it IS really important, you wouldn't want to mess anything up. You would ask to do it in English. Right? (personally, I know I would).\n      Same thing.\n\nAgain, no offense (seriously, I don't want to piss anyone off, I'm not being sarcastic or anything), I'm just trying to help make a sturdy, well-founded argument. Many people don't seem to have a clear grasp on WHY exactly we have multi-lingual ballots. I think it's perfectly fair and everyone should have a chance. But hey, that's just me :-)\n\nPS: Back to Bow Wow. I know it takes 7 years to become a citizen. But have you ever tried to learn an entire language in 7 years? It's HARD! I mean seriously HARD. I have been taking Spanish for almost 9 years and I'm STILL not fluent and I've studied abroad twice. And Spanish and English are at least somewhat similar languages. What about if they're from Japan? They need to learn a whole new alphabet, new numbers, a new political system, new everything! That must be even harder! So that can't really be used as an excuse either.
485002
I agree.  It has gotten to the point that I find myself thinking of voting against the candidates and ballot measures who have the most annoying ad campaigns.\n\nOverall, I end up with a negative opinion of pretty much everything and everyone on the ballot - so I find it hard to believe the TV ads are effective.\n\nThe mailers don't even make it into the house, I loop by the paper recycling bin in the garage on my way in from the mailbox.\n\nThese last few days have been REALLY bad though.  I am getting 5 or 6 phone calls per hour - ALL recordings asking me to vote for or against something.  \nWe need a DO NOT CALL FOR ANY REASON list.  I hate that political groups are exempt from that do not call list.
590386
I vote. However, I can understand why people wouldn't vote. Our elected officials are sold to us, plain and simple. Those who have enough money for advertising put themselves on tv between our favorite programs and we pick one. And its usually a which candidate do you dislike the most scenario. But I don't think its a good idea to encourage people to vote for the sake of voting. People should be encouraged to make an informed decision when voting. They should actually get to know the candidates platforms before they vote. If they are gonna vote for a guy because he's the kind of guy they'd like to have a beer with or if they are gonna not vote for a guy because they don't like how exited he sounded at his rally, then I would rather them not show up. It's like we all have to vote on what car we would drive and some of us are making a decision based on fuel economy and safety and some of us who had equal say based their decision on the song playing in the commercial.
394199
I commend you for your feelings and wish every one felt the same.  We MUST be UNITED is these United States.  I have been around for a while.  For 71 years to be exact.  It would scare the hell out of you if you could see what is becoming of our nation through my eyes.  I have never missed my chance to vote.  It's okay to be liberal or conservitive but the least our people could do is to be a little discrete.  It looks to me as if nothing these days goes on behind closed doors.  What in the world are we thinking?
551117
It's 5PM on election day and already the claims of "abuse" are flying (from BOTH sides).  It's getting ridiculous.\n\nI'd support a national "Citizen I.D." but not because I believe that Dems are bussing illegals to the polls.  I just think it'd be helpful, not only to precinct workers, but also to employers, banks, businesses, airlines, etc.... anyplace that would appreciate a more foolproof way to be assured of whom they are dealing with. \n\nBut as for our American system of voting, I think we do a pretty good job with the volunteers who work long hours to make our elections the most honest on planet earth.  \n\nIf you don't agree with that, you've been drinking too much partisan KoolAid.  Now take a deep breath and repeat after me: "America is a wonderful country!"
505715
You are absolutely right. If noone in this country voted for anyone, then YES, there would still be someone elected for office. They would still say that there were voters, even when there wasn't. Actually, the day we all agree to NOT vote........ Period, is the day that the goverment officials won't care, it will no longer matter that we find out that its all staged at that point, because by then, they have us so controled and under wraps per say, that we won't be able to do anything anyway. Its rather funny I think. 30% of the people here in the USA don't vote even if they are registered to. 15-20% are not registered voters. Then you have all the felons and the prisons and those that have lost their voting priveledge. Thats another 30%. At least. There is still a large portion of the people that vote in the USA, however, its the higher elected officials who's votes matter. Watch the poles, you can see it for your own eyes. Its the majority votes in the house and the senate that counts. NOT US. They just do this to make us think that we count, that the people still have a say even though we don't. It won't be long now before this country turns its own army against us. We will be a police country before long. Its sad. We thought we were free, and all along, we were given a little while they were taking alot away from us. We never saw it comeing. We work for a small pay that barely keeps our heads above the water. If work applied with you instead of you appling to work for them, what would be your self worth? How much would you charge that company to employ you? I bet it would be more then $6 -$9 an hour. I know my self worth, sweat, and hard labor is worth more then that to me. But to this country......... our physical body labor and the pains and the down falls from that labor that comes when we are older is and means nothing to the officials of this country. What is their hard labor? Signing wagers, ledgers, passing new laws, making meetings, lunches, dinners, riding in limos, have security to protect them, making public announcments. And how much do they earn? A few million a year, live in a big fancy, comfortable home, and never worry about getting through the day with a nickle, a quarter, and a few pennies in their pockets because they just paid the rent, their car insurance, and the light bill. We are real trouble, and we have been since Bush got into office. Noone thought twice about this. Come to find out, this war was all about the Iraq oil. Bush and his greed to have their oil. This is what our husbands, and sons, and daughters, and wives are dieing for and have died for. Blessed be.................\n\nPs... when is it that we make the laws and decide on new ledgers and how and when are the people invited to make these  changes or not? We don't. We are given a few to vote on during the voteing period, but look at the majority of law changes and new laws being added that are soulie up to the goverment officials, the house and the senate and the president everyday, that we are not apart of, that we find out once they have been made and decided for US.............. We never had a say in anything. we are pawns on a chess board and its the goverment that is playing us on a daily basis.
300265
People dont vote for many reasons.  I am a deputy registrar and am surprised when prople wont even register to vote. Some dont vote because they are afraid they will get called for jury duty, others because they dont feel there are any honest candidates.  I vote in every election, every time.
439660
I agree.  We do not need people voting who just "doing their civic duty".  It is more important to be an informed voter and know who you are helping put into office.
351996
There are two important factors to weight against each other here, and whichever one holds more clout to you this election is the one you go with:\n\n1). When you vote a straight party ticket, the other party sees that it's a waste of time to advertise in an area, they don't next time. It also creates ideological boundaries that they know to follow next time.\n\n2). You're voting local to help your locale, and if you vote against the changes you want, you're not using your vote very effectively to that end.\n\nI usually vote one party anyway, but in any circumstance other than this one, I would know I could be flexible if I strongly wanted to. I voted a straight party ticket.
418388
I vote in every election, already voted today. There is a quote by William E. Simon that sums it up nicely: “Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.”\nYou're right about all the ads, I'm fed up with them and so are most of the people I know. But unfortunately a lot of people do pay attention to them and base their vote on the attack ads(which are full of half truths, and sometimes out right lies) The smart thing to do is watch the debates and research the candidates on your own. It's so easy to do now, hop on their website and you can find a link of their views on all the major topics, and if it's an incumbent I always check their voting record to make sure they are actually following through with what they claim. \nI don't think it's right that your mom's making you vote, but you really should, too many people don't. As Bill Vaughn said,  “A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote in a national election”