Alot of people think that our votes do not count....?
952782
Your vote most certainly counts.  Many elections have been decided by few number of votes.\n\nTwo recent examples-- 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were really close in Florida and Ohio respectively.  Had more voted on either side, it may not have been as close.
774258
No.  Because voting polls are open between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM and then the votes have to be tallied.\n\nIf the Reps win, we will know for sure that the elections are rigged.  That would not surprise me after all that I have seen in my years on this planet.  Sad.
788094
People vote or don’t vote for a number of reasons.  Since I could first vote (1952) I have never missed an opportunity to vote (across three States), so obviously voting is important to me.  However, I would not apply the same to everyone.  Those who don’t vote simply make it easier for the rest of us to get our candidates and issues winning the vote.\n\nHowever, voting should not be the only rule of being proactive.  Do you (voters) know who is elected and appointed to positions in your own community.  Are you familiar with the budgets for the various jurisdictions?  Do you attend council meetings and county board of supervisor meetings?  Do you attend the work sessions for the various issues? \n\nIn opinion, voting is only part of the citizen’s responsibilities.  So if you are going to knock people for not voting, you should also knock voters who are not aware of what is going on in their own community.
1128790
Oh, trust me, I tried, but unfortunately individual votes don't count here as much as people think.  You see, we vote as individuals, then the electoral college gets to cast so many votes per state.  They are supposed to do it by whoever had the majority of votes, but I don't think they do all the time.  It's not actually required.  I think that it would have been an even closer race this last time if it had been by popular vote only.\n\nOf course, we probably could have picked a better Democratic candidate, but I didn't get my way with that one, either.  \n\nAnd we can't just kick out our President.  He can only be impeached, and that impeachment may or may not lead to him being removed from office.  So far, no one has managed to find anything impeachable with this president, although I'm sure it's from lack of real effort among the G.O.P.  Unfortunately, a less than 50% approval rate doesn't mean anything. :-(
1161579
The most important benefactor to the voting process is the person doing the voting. There is a disconnect between those who don't vote and the society around themselves. It's a symptom of diminished self-image ..... ie., "My voice isn't important enough to count," vs. "Even if my voice isn't heard by the masses, I'll speak up." As for me, I hate politics, but I love our system. I don't believe in being a victim by default. Hey look, I spoke up. Does this count as a vote?
932686
My concern remains - what keeps someone from going poll-to-poll and "registering" several times?  I know my polling places don't have a computer link-up to a central database.  Heck - they barely got the touch-screens working.\n\nThis might not be happening right now, but can we guarantee it won't happen?\n\nBut my family is from Louisiana - if you want election fraud, we can give you a Doctoral Dissertation on the subject.
1137806
There is no official tally of how we (the military) vote. No one keeps records of it becuase no one tracks what job you hold when you vote. The only way you can surmize who voted for who is if you look at absentee ballots and assume that a percentage of them came from military personnel overseas or out of their home districts. However, even then you're going to be well off because many military personnel don't vote (just like the rest of the population). \n\nTraditionally the military has voted for conservative candidates in the Republican party. \n\nBut there is no official record of how we vote and we like it like that, so should you.
330382
Here! Here! I agree 1 thousand percent! It sooo infuriates me, every election year, when I hear all these people go on about what's wrong with our country, and don't bother to vote!\n\nIt seems sometimes like the people who gripe the loudest and the most constant are the least likely to vote. Or do anything else.\nWhen challenged, I've heard "Oh, our votes don't really matter anyway." Well I think we found out after the 2000 election that every vote counted does matter. I've had people tell me they don't know how to vote, how to register, that they heard you might get called for jury duty someday so they won't register---every lame excuse you can think of. And yet they bitch the loudest. If you can't tell, I'm all for active participation. And we need a lot more people to get that way in this country. The middle class is disappearing, the country isn't going the way most Americans want it to--but if we don't get off our butts and make ourselves heard, then in the end it will all be our own faults. Plenty of special groups know how to get their points across --the ASPCA, NAACP, ACLU, NRA et. al.--now how about the Pissed Off Mainstream Americans. (POMA) I think I just invented a new lobby.
347816
You shouldnt ask people what they are going to vote for, then that would mean that your vote wouldnt be from you. You should vote your yourself, and its not like one vote is going to make the world of difference anyway.
1168101
right now it seems, none of us... for instance in Florida, we have new computerized voting machines with NO paper trail.  why?  when you purchase something at a store don't you want a receipt?  but for an election there is no proof that i even voted.  wake up america.
222347
voting needs to be done with the voter fully informed...otherwise, it's a very dangerous endeavor....it's like putting who knows who in office or passing a who knows what proposition.....voting blindly or just because it's mainstream should NEVER  be done...unfortunately I believe it's done extremely frequently & I think that's why our country is in the bad condition it's in...will be interesting to see your other responses, for I'm sure there'll be those who will say it doesn't matter & is futile because all of it is corrupt anyway....unfortunately, when trying to inform people, I get that alot....I just can't convince them otherwise...it's hard to blame them
483795
I'm going to overlook your bitterness due to the fact you sound cute.  But in answer to your question these same 30% probably have probably never voted in any election (well the majority of them anyway) so they've never thought voting was important in the first place.  The sad part is that they think that voting for some one hit wonder is a thrill so more power to them.
910962
Yes, how can we be a country of the people if the people don't talk.  I might not agree with others but they should vote to make sure the people's will is being followed.  I like to think I am in the majority, but I do conceed I might not be.
1001527
I hope we are not from the same country but i guess we have the same problem. When the people in your community will come to realize that their votes during election is not for sale maybe something can be done. You can make a difference by starting to fight for a cause not for your own vested interest but for the people.
271150
The vote is not for you, but for the politicians, who are in power. The potential effect of regular voting is continuously in the mind of the politicians. They have to worry about their image all the time. Everything they do or fail to do could get their ratings down and that would soon be the end of their political career. So please vote, and in doing so, keep the politicians alert.
115073
Good point, and yet another flaw in our voting process. I would suggest that all voters would have to take a simple test, whether they understand the workings of our government (unbiased ?'s like "How many people on the Supreme Court", or "Name the governor of your state").\n\nTrouble is, voting tests are often associated with the biased "literacy tests" in the South, to make sure blacks couldn't vote. So this idea, while interesting, is unlikely to go anywhere for a while.
6835
Many do not value it anymore.  That is the mistake they are making.  The lack of voting just make the other views stronger (conservatives).  They are not the biggest eligible voter group, just the more consistent one during election day.\n\nEach vote does make a difference, but when you just give up, the opposing view will win.