American citizens and hopelessness.

Post Reply New Topic

I heard many people don't vote in my country. Why does the USA have such a low voter turnout, lower than most other first world countries?

I believe that the two parties in power want to keep things that way. For the more that an average person assumes his is screwed either way, the less likely he is to be a part of the solution.

Basically, people would be wielding power that would change the course of the country if they could get out of the woe is me mindset that keeps them in a state of paralyzing apathy. People are quicker to accept the absurd rape of their civil rights and liberties if they are devoid of hope that things could be better.

Today's politicians speak of nihilism, and offer very little real hope. That culture was probably one of intentional design.

I am engaging in my legal 420. Ok, that explains what I just wrote.

Why does the USA have such a low voter turnout?

Probably because it's non-compulsory, unlike my country.
Whacking a fine on non voters is a huge incentive.

You got it!

The elites hate democracy. Democracy gives poor people some influence over society at large. The plutocrats don't want "smelly hobos" to have a voice.

The elites can't remove democracy altogether because the people are too woke. In the Middle Ages, the peasants sheepishly accepted their subjugation. Today's poor people have something vaguely resembling self-respect. That's how democracy comes into existence. Removing American elections outright is no longer a possibility.

Thus, our elites do the next best thing. They make people feel hopeless. They try to keep people away from the voting booth via voter intimidation. The elites want us to incinerate our critical thinking skills atop the altar of consumerism. We aren't supposed to think deeply about the world. We're supposed to suckle at toy fads like little children.

... and then there's the fact that Clinton and Trump are both terrible human beings. The people need to know about real leftism. Above all, they need to know about the companies that bribe politicians in order to perpetuate constant warfare. This is one of the most important issues in the world today ... and yet it is virtually unaddressed, even in the so-called "liberal media".

Actually, that might be the best thing in terms of efficiency.

I'm not so sure of the intimidation factor, but the rest of that, absolutely. And the sad thing is that so few get involved in local politics where they can have a direct influence which they can see for themselves.

I was sick on voting day, couldn't stray very far from the bathroom, therefore I did not go vote and there were some local things I wanted to have my say on. Now I wonder if being sick had something to do with being stressed over whether to vote for the bad choice or the worse choice; as soon as I finally figured out which one was which.

We, in the United States (at least previous to Trump) have taken Democracy for granted for quite a long time. They have taken the right to vote for granted. I have been guilty of that.

They become apathetic. They don't understand how people in other parts of the world have to fight even to get a chance to vote, and to participate in relatively free and valid elections.

1. American elections are "winner takes all".

So, your effort is futile in some areas.

Like Detroit has elected Democrats for 50+ years , what are the odds your "R" vote would upset that ? None. So what's the point ?

2. America has a two party system.
So, while third parties might excite people, it's discouraging knowing your candidate doesn't have a chance.

3. It's hard on working people.

a. "Voting Day" is during the week. Working people are tired after work. This was the #1 reason why didn't vote.
b. There can be long lines, and long wait times.

It's called an absentee ballot. Easy to obtain in most states.

Even with that, both political parties want people in the middle to believe they don't have the the time to vote. So they work on stripping away the voice of the middle class worker. And that is exactly why the physical pools are open only during working hours, and only on M-F. They do not want the average American worker to have a voice when their civil rights are being snatched away from them.

That's stupid actually. In my country, election days are always turned into a public holiday. The national and municipal elections are held on separate occasions every five years. It makes sense, especially since many schools are used as polling stations and so they are closed on Election Days.

I had quite a long wait during the municipal ones a year ago, and it was one of the coldest and windiest days of the year. Despite this, there was a high turnout and control of the municipality changed hands.

So effectively refusing to pick one s**t sandwich over another is punished with a fine? I'd submit a ruined ballet every time.

Its true that in many democracies (like in Europe) they have compulsory voting. But in many democracies in which they don't have laws compelling you to vote the turnout is commonly around 80 percent. Compared to the US which rarely has even as much as 60 percent turnout.

I say, make election day a national holiday for Americans!! !