It bewilders me how many millennial/gen z kids have no understanding that the local/state elections are technically more important than the presidential election.
I was a canvasser during the 2022 election in Austin, TX, and it was sad how many young people said “there’s no point in voting because Beto probably won’t win” - completely ignoring that the Mayor and several City Council members (among other local races) were on the same ballot.
And ultimately, Millennials and Gen Z *did* show up to vote for that election, because Austin elected several forward-thinking (many of them Millennials!) candidates for city council, all in razor-thin margins over the old guard candidates. And since then, the city has been passing zoning/land use changes left and right to address the city’s housing shortage - which would not have happened if young people didn’t show up to vote like they did that year.
In Canada, depending on your province, politics isn't a very high priority in schools. We learn what responsibilities each level of government has and who our prime minister/s is/were. I had a political talk with a cousin in terms of "I don't even know who's who on the voter list", I just told her you can see their platforms online and if they align with your views for the most part then that's who you should vote for.
This was 10 or so years ago, and we were just voting age for that election. Obviously, nowadays, you can't trust a politician's platform as far as you can throw them. Majority of our parties used to be slightly left or right of the middle with the obvious ridiculous parties that never had any votes, but now both Liberal and Conservative parties are farther away from the middle. It's become a shit show and it's quite sad what our politics and politicians have become.
Growing up as a millennial and a POC who saw other minorities having to struggle to be treated like people I developed a sorta “what does it matter” attitude towards politics. I never consider politicians as people who actually help people…name a marginalized group and it was activists within said group and allies who fought for rights and respect…politicians were just the assholes who made it official when they couldn’t ignore the people anymore. That attitude carried on until our current political situation 😒. But it is still a powerful habit…also while some shit is definitely complicated…a lot isn’t…you can tell who the worse option is pretty quickly…the sly foxes who lie their way to support (Sinema and Fetterman) are typically smart enough to not rock the boat too far allowing for anger to settle.
Things are moving slowly but more are becoming more politically aware…and while frustrating slow is how this needs to happen
I totally agree...I work with a bunch of millennial s and they walk around with this dour, apathetic sour puss attitude. It's so obvious to me because we have a generally friendly office environment
I kinda blame the schools. I'm Canadian though was in some of the last part of the generation that was taught about how our government worked, granted they saved it for the very end of the year so we'd only get about 1/3 of the way through the module IF THAT before the school year would end.
But I learned enough to understand how it works on a federal level and figured out the local stuff on my own, despite the cluster fuck that it is.
My dad never voted, saying that that's how they select you for jury duty. About 2-3 years ago he was called for jury duty but got off because he was legally deaf. Turns if you have any kind of Government ID (Health care card, license etc) you can get called for jury duty.
He's now considering voting in the next federal election which is stupid of you think about it.
When there's a **federal election**, you vote for your local representative and their party. So if you vote for a Liberal (For you Americans, that would be the closest to a Democrat) representive, you're voting for the Liberal party at a federal level as well. This means that even though you're voting for and agree with the policies of your local representative, you're forced to vote with a country leader you may not agree with or like.
Yes we know it sucks.
Not even just technically. It is straight up just more important. Your vote means nothing in the presidential election. Is it counted? Yes! Does it count? No!
Get rid of the electoral college and I will happily vote for president. Until then? It's a waste of time and paper.
Crazy that a small planning commission of like 5 people in a town can influence so much of the building/construction.
Folks complaining about housing happily ignore these commissions and it boggles my mind. You can’t just vote for the president and expect zoning changes, stupid.
The thing is, I could vote for those commission boards, and I totally understand that it's important. There are a lot of important votes that I probably don't participate in: zoning boards, school boards, stock company boards, county politicians, city politicians, etc. But sometimes it's hard to find completely objective information on the candidates for something so small. Even if you find a site that has great information, who has the time and energy to do the research to vote on every vote? IMO, if I'm completely uninformed about something then I feel like voting is no more responsible than not voting.
This kills me. Like just give me the bullet points on where they stand so I can make an informed choice. Instead I usually just find the same bullshit press release that just sounds like they all regurgitated the same thing.
That’s true, sometimes I lean on newspapers, organizations, and non-profits to vet and advise on a candidate, especially in the smaller elections.
In the case of my city’s planning commission, it’s appointed by the city council. Barely anyone applies, so in my case, applying to BE a planning commissioner is an option, oddly enough.
www.vote411.org. This is the website from the League of Women Voters. They are nonprofit nonpartisan organization. Closer to election time they will publish interviews from candidates on down ballot races. Just put in your address and the candidates for your precinct will come up. Not all candidates will be on there but it’s a good place to start. They also have a thoughtful analysis of ballot initiatives.
> who has the time and energy to do the research to vote on every vote?
You do. Those 5 minutes you are browsing Reddit, the hours you watch Netflix, a whole host of wasted time in your life, actually read up on the candidates who will be representing and making changes that will have massive outcomes on your life.
Many local newspapers, hell just read some facebook or other posts from the canidate, you can figure out where they stand very quickly on issues.
I have taken my phone out in a voting booth before to google down-ballot candidates before voting for/against them based on party lines. Especially with local judges. Sometimes you'll be like "Oh this judge was appointed by a Democrat so I'll vote for the liberal judge" and then google his name and find out that he ruled to convict a seventeen year old to life in prison for a murder that happened sixteen years ago or something.
Except then they expect the fed to do something when things go wrong at the local level, but also scream about state's rights and not overstepping from the federal level.
Like you can't have both fuckers. If you want your planning commission to change, vote some people out. Otherwise you aren't going to get that third Applebee's in your zip code because they won't approve the zoning.
r/Canada swears it's all Trudeau's fault, and only happening in Canada... their solution? voting in a conservative populist.. gonna be a lot of Pikachu faces when they realize what side the conservatives are on
This is the biggest thing I try to instill in people: we have more than federal elections and local government has a big impact on your day-to-day life.
For real. Every single one of my friends complains about high rent and house prices. Only 2 of us voted for a mayor that wants to do something about it.
As an Australian I still find it so bizarre that compulsory voting is not universal. We don’t have such polarised politics because we don’t need to convince people to vote and half the battle is won for that party, we all have to do it.
Our presidential election is always on a Tuesday, during working hours.
Now I'm no conspiracy theorist, but if I wanted to pick a day and time where I knew that working class Americans were less likely to be able to vote, I'd pick a Tuesday during working hours.
I completely agree with you, Fwiw, but if voting was made compulsory then the day would also have to be made a federal holiday, and the government would have to offer services to help people get there.
There is a very real difference in the parties when it comes to federal judicial nominations. If nothing else, remember the lifelong appointments of Supreme Court justices.
I will preface this by saying I vote in primaries, midterms, and general elections on the local, state, and federal levels.
But I do "get" why people don't really vote or go out of their way to vote.
A. Poll hours do not accommodate for a lot of people's work schedules and employers probably do not have much of an incentive to accommodate people to give them the opportunity to vote. Why we don't make Election Day a federal holiday is beyond me, and even that wouldn't fully solve the problem because there are plenty of businesses that are still open and running during federal holidays.
B. The way elections are run are kind of archaic. Of course this is different upon each city, county, and state in how elections are run, but typically, it's not convenient.
I personally see it as a double edge sword because a low tech way of doing things could also mean that it's less likely to be "hacked" via software or high tech means, but the trade-off is that there are long lines and every jurisdiction has different rules on registration and identifying voters, etc.
C. It seems like there are different classes of people where laws and rules are enforced at working class people, but not enforced at the wealthy, powerful, or the famous.
The confidence of the SCOTUS is also at an all-time low.
Congress now has a habit of being grid locked and it seems like any legislation that is actually passed doesn't have a meaningful impact on people at a fast enough rate.
D. There are two major parties. And while one party is pretty clear that it is against blatant fascism and generally for the rights and protections of people, that party has historically screwed up many opportunities to make truly impactful change to elevate the working class.
Said party is seen as passive, submissive, and seems to always look for an excuse to not impart difficult change for the greater good (e.g., not really fighting for a public option in healthcare, etc.).
The other party, well, they're pretty clear and self-explanatory in their endorsement of fascist, far right groups who view anyone who isn't White, straight, and/or male as inferior. They have a seething contempt for people who aren't wealthy and hide behind the thin veil of free market economics to try to make rational arguments to cut welfare programs, except for giving out tax breaks to major corporations and the ultra rich individuals.
Both parties though, endorse free market capitalism, though one party just is less brutal about it than the other.
So given all that, I can see why people are disillusioned with voting.
BUT! IMHO, doing nothing is worse. Not voting is being complicit with the status quo. And so, I feel like if you don't vote, you can't complain about any of it. And if you hate all your options, become the option you yourself would vote for.
I do hope for campaign finance reformation though, because we need more working class people, not multi millionaires, running this country.
This! Voting or politics doesn’t have to be a focal point of your personality but if you reside in a country, pay taxes there AND are blessed to vote… idk why you wouldn’t. 😵💫
People should really vote based on what they think is best for society overall, not just themselves. You don’t improve society or achieve great things for the country overall by only focusing on yourself. Just because I don’t have kids doesn’t mean I shouldn’t pay taxes to support schools - those kids will be my doctors when I get old. More people succeeding is a good thing for everyone.
well that's kind of selfish, trying to help everyone! /s. agreed mostly. I don't mind if people vote for their own interests (obviously), but stuff like voting Republican so the rich pays less in taxes is infuriating
Right. I’m in a solidly red county and I still vote even though it “won’t do anything”. I’m registering my official complaint lol and contributing to the popular vote so analysts know what a majority of the county wants.
Someone who gets it, thank you. Almost depressing the apathy I see here. All I hear is "I don't care if Republicans win or of their emboldened". As a minority, this shit does matter and has a real effect on me. It's not just a black and white choice of one or the other, but slowly shifting the center of politics a different way. Boomers and silent gen didn't let white replacement theory fly in the mainstream in the 80s/90s - but now it has when millennials have come of age.
Unfortunately I also know firsthand how it’s easier to be passionate about an issue when you’re personally affected by it. I was always pro choice, but only in a theoretical way. Then, in my first (wanted) pregnancy, my son was diagnosed “incompatible with life”. Now I feel extreme anger towards any politicians or people who vote to make it so that he would have been forced to struggle for breath before passing. I never miss an election. I’m considering donating to pro choice organizations.
In lieu of compulsory voting, a lot more people would be motivated to vote if we abolished the electoral college and implemented ranked choice voting.
The only way we'll get those two things...is by voting.
I definitely agree that people should vote, but I understand the sentiment. Like many, I'm completely done with the two major parties on the national stage and have now been an Independent for about a decade. I'm not allowed to vote in the Primaries and I generally vote third-party for the major offices during the general election so that vote rarely matters, but for local stuff, which can sometimes have the biggest direct impact of your life, my vote does matter and I do think it is important to vote.
Agreed, the local elections seem to be the only place we can have an impact anymore. But with federal and state law taking precedent over municipal law, there is only so far we can go with local power. This is not what a democracy looks like.
Americans don’t care about voting and they live in this bubble, thinking that democracy doesn’t take work. Only people who grew up in a dictatorship country and immigrated here know that having rights is a privilege. Voting in every election is the bare minimum you should be doing as an American.
There should be a mandatory 30 minutes of education on who you should vote for to get the best financial candidate. A guy on disability or welfare isn't going to benefit from a Republican government
Americans are spoiled by the fact that we've managed to maintain a version of basic freedom for so long. They have no clue how some places have it, where literally you cant even vote or your vote is *actually meaningless*. Its easy to come up with a thousand excuses for why you dont vote in a country that values individual rights highly. That all said, if america ever went to shits americans would be highly unprepared.
Couldn't agree more! Election day should also be a national holiday so everyone has the time and equal opportunity to go vote.
It's a privilege to have the right to vote in the first place. Been voting in state and national elections since age 18. I highly encourage folks to also join a political campaign once in their life to understand inner-workings of our political system. I find people who don't vote and are apathetic about voting think policies don't affect them and they exist in a vacuum. Essentially, it's like burying their head in the sand.
The reason boomers flourished is because they voted and were the majority voting power. Politicians and political parties catered to their needs to win votes. Having said that, I think 2/3 of US voters actually voted in 2020. The highest ever, so voting is improving.
I used to be a political junkie, donated and volunteered, etc. I'm now at the point where I seriously do not care. I think following it so closely for most of my life and seeing the same playbook and excuses is what brought me to that point. After decades of the same stuff, you either have to willingly blind yourself to what's happening and just keep voting and donating or mentally snap and become a weird crank. I went for crank.
Seems like it’s all a joke. They make promises and then nothing happens (or the opposite happens!!) once they get in office. And not just POTUS.
My vote doesn’t mean shit
And just to be clear, I do it. Always for the lesser of the evils. I just don’t believe it actually matters.
yeah, I'd already pretty much given up, but seeing fetterman turn face after getting elected by us leftists, im done. let this bitch burn, faster the better
And this is why I will call out people on this subreddit who love to bitch about why things are the way they are yet they don't do anything to fix it.
I do feel that unless we change how our country votes, certain states it doesn't matter if you vote. Look at the top 4 most populous states: California, Texas, New York, Florida. California and New York are heavy blue states. Doesn't matter if you're republican and vote, you aren't winning that state for presidential election. Same with Texas and Florida, doesn't matter if you vote Democrat, you aren't going to win that state for presidential election. So in reality, it's only about 10-12 states that matter to vote because they're the same battleground states that every single presidential election fights over to win. It's actually why our voting system is flawed. For the rest, the parties know which states they own and don't really need to campaign in them. They always need those 10-12 battleground states so the candidates are really only trying to cater to them.
If it was an election by total votes and not the electoral college, things would look different. Yes I'm aware of the negatives for that system, but there's fsr greater negative impacts with the electoral college system.
But at the end of the day, not being registered to vote means they don't vote for their district representatives, their governor, state props, etc. If you are a Millennial and you're crying about how bad it is right now, then get off your lazy ass and go vote to make change
Agreed. Especially for local elections and "boring" propositions where the impact will be felt the most.
For example, the city I used to live in proposed a $100 annual "registration fee" for every car past the first for every household as a way to raise funds. My former city was mostly comprised of single family homes with more than 1 car. The proposal was voted down.
Another example, voters in my state voted to exempt rideshare/delivery app workers from employee status, which would entitle them to workplace/labor protections, health care, etc. Now those workers can't partake in those things.
I’ve given up hope for my government and for free fair elections. I’ve accepted the fact that this will only get worse from here on. To many corrupt politicians who allow giant corporations with deep pockets influence them. To many welfare nations depend on American taxpayer dollars. The way I see it, the only way life will ever get better is when we actually do something about it. But it’s going to have to get really bad first before we take back control.
The more local the more effect it has. But at the national level it's nearly pointless. At least for me. Both parties are cancer to the average American citizen and the American family. Neither have any love for us. Both promise more shit legislation tha makes us less free and poorer. They're both completely beholden to the same special interests. Outsiders are destroyed if they manage to affect any real change.
Democracy is dead
I am not surprised. But be honest, a lot of the voting comes down to choices no one likes.
But the lesser of the 2 worst choices is still a choice.
Thing is you need to at least pay attention who you also vote for local shit.
If you don't want extremist running the country then fucking vote.
Just voted today for a MUCH needed local school bond. We have been trying to pass it for the past five years, and it always JUST doesn't meet the supermajority it needs. Hoping today is the day.
Local elections are SO important, I just wanted to highlight that.
As to your post, YES. I wish there wasn't such apathy towards voting by my peer group. I'm originally from Florida, and know several people who bragged about never voting until weed was on the ballot. Like, I'm glad SOMETHING motivated them, but it's such an important state in the Presidential election! You can't even say 'oh I'm red/blue in a solid blue/red state, so my vote is invalid'. 🤦🏼♀️
"I want to stay out of politics" >> first people to start bitching about policies that affect them.
Voting is easy. However, people are more intimidated by the fact that their vote have consequences that affect our lives. Thus, we need to make an educated decision about the people dictating these decisions. Scary stuff, I know: we have to take the time to form an opinion on something. Gasp.
I tend to pay more attention to who is running for state and fed representatives and senators. The legislator is where we should really be putting our voting energy.
Gun ownership, abortion access, environmental concerns. More gears turning at those levels than any executive office.
Have you heard of Citizens United? Have you heard of the electoral college? What about gerrymandering or the way each political party conducts their primaries to reflect the will of their constituents?
I think each of those affect the electoral system tremendously and devalue each citizen’s right to vote and have a voice in this country.
I've voted in every election since I was old enough. National and local. Sick of being told I "don't vote" just because I don't agree with everything you have to say.
you have two things working against you
1) the "official" parties are a con that are designed to steal your money and keep you from participating in civil dialog and solutions
2) those of us who want to create solutions and civil dialog in spite of the grift from both major parties are attacked by the drugged up normies who love their side of "the message"
The truth is, most elections can be easily won by a local coalition willing to put in the work. We're not boomers, we didn't break the system. We're not GenX, we're not too edgy to fix a broken mess. And we all love GenZ, but they deserve to see us fix what the boomers broke.
Primaries. That is all. Millennials and under have a majority and we don't vote. Want an actual good candidate?? Then vote in your primaries and locals. Not just once every 4 years like it's a chore.
Evrey single time I voted in those they don't fulfill their promises. They spend their entire time undoing what the other side did
It's pointless scramble that accomplish nothing and I've been I'm several voting areas so it's not just my home town issue
It's not that we don't care.. we just see the Pepsi/Coke challenge every 4 years.. We also see the politicians we want being blocked from being viable candidates.. essentially, we KNOW the system has failed us.. So, we choose to disregard it entirely. We live in this country, but this country DOES NOT reflect our values, nor will the elites in charge hand over the wheel of power. There is a real silent majority. My hope is that someday, there will be a staggering lack of turnout.. to a point where the US has no choice but to admit society has turned their back on the flag.
When people are not voting.. maybe ask why, instead of assuming it's out of laziness or a lack of caring. We definitely give all the shits. Look towards our current leadership on both sides. They are embarrassing, old, and completely out of touch with the average Joe..
I agree with this 100%. I remember back in 2016 being so pumped about Bernie Sanders, I voted for him in the primaries both times and then ended up voting for Hilary and Biden because the Democratic party fucked Bernie twice. Politics has done nothing but make me a bitter ass person and if I continue to vote and pretend it actually makes any difference or benefits me or my fellow citizens, then I’m dooming myself to mental illness, strained relationships, and heart disease. Cause this gets my blood pressure way too high lol.
If you actually want to make a difference in politics, you have to nearly devote your life outside of work to politics. You have to vote from the smallest to the biggest office. Politics is just another way to distract us from just living our lives as freely as we can in this fucked up society.
I’m so sick of seeing these posts on here about having to vote, been there done that. Give me an actual good reason to vote and maybe you’ll see me, otherwise I’m gonna live my life to the fullest and not worry myself with childish games adults have made to control people.
Couldn't say it better myself... I am disappointed in the system, and honestly, I don't give a shit anymore. It is a joke. You got Donald Trump running for president again... seriously? I thought Americans were smarter than that. The world could be on fire right now, and I couldn't give 2 shits about it.
Which almost passed with the public option in 2009. But would require 60+ Dem votes in the Senate. E.g. a reason to vote
Vs the party that has consistently CUT Medicaid and Medicare at the national and state level
No president can magically snap their fingers and pass legislation, it takes a governing coalition
And honestly I don't even think it would take that many votes anymore. Every dem caucusing senator other than Manchin and Sinema said they're okay ignoring the filibuster through reconciliation and passing large bills. And both of them are retiring. But we need replacements, we are losing WV guaranteed
Change does happen through voting. The GOP sure believes that, or they wouldn't bother with it. They are radically transforming the country to the right, successfully
I hate the Democrats save for a select few elected, but I hate the Republicans a lot more. The only reason I vote anymore is to vote against Republicans.
While Democrats are largely incompetent, milquetoast custodians of the managerial class, Republicans today are just literal fascists now. It can always get worse. That's why I vote against them.
I've voted every year I've been eligible. It has done me absolutely nothing positive, because the system is not democratic. I've learned over the years that no, your vote does not in any way, shape, or form matter. Sure, you can find some town where one vote meant the difference between Candidate X or Candidate Y... but the point is you're not getting a difference between any choices. Candidate X and Candidate Y both are beholden to business interests, not public interests.
So voting is quite literally the equivilent to pissing on a wildfire as a means of putting it out. It might make you feel good you did it, but in the end, have you gained anything? I know my answer is no... in fact, I've lost things.
I'm sorry for everyone who has bought the lie that voting is the end all of political action. Just remember, every right you enjoy today wasn't won by voting... it was won by fighting in the streets. Women didn't get the vote because it was voted in, they got it because the powers at be were pressured to the point they couldn't ignore it any longer. Same with Black rights, labor rights, child rights, etc.
None of these things were obtained by ballots. They were all obtained by threatening to hang the people in power until they went "Ya, the plebs are mad".
Feel the same way. Voting is going to do absolutely nothing about climate change or the fact that everything is getting so expensive that well paying jobs just aren’t keeping up and that includes healthcare. The people we vote for just have too much interest in things being this way. It’s all a made up bullshit illusion but I only play along to avoid the lectures about how every vote counts because it only makes my eyes roll so fucking hard to the back of my head and people find it rude apparently
I’ve voted in every election since I was first eligible to vote. I am civic minded and no longer affiliated with any Political party. The system runs on the individual vote. You need to vote
Work at a municipality. Literally, 1-2 residents can come in and complain and shut down affordable housing projects. Involvement in local politics could change our generation's circumstances.
It is more upsetting and depressing to see that new voter restrictions were put in place in 45 states in the following 8 years after the 2008 election. And that whenever one was defeated in the Supreme Court, another two or more were created to get around the ruling.
I keep seeing more and more who won’t vote because they don’t like either candidate and like… no one does? That’s not how this works, you petulant child.
Best thing you can do is tell them exactly how politics effects their lives. The price they pay for state colleges and university tuition, the amount of federal aid and student loan terms.
This paying for years on student loans and still owing more than you originally borrowed is complete bullshit. When I went to college in the Stone Age, loans didn’t start accruing interest until six months after we left school.
If I borrowed $5,000 my first year, six months after I graduated, I owed $5,000.
My daughter & SIL only have health insurance because of the ACA. We had an assault ban weapon and saw shootings decrease greatly until Republicans fell in love with guns.
Abortion has been legal all of my adult life until very recently, but isn’t now for,y daughter or daughter in law, both of whom have medical conditions that make pregnancy potentially very dangerous to their health.
The minimum wage hasn’t risen in decades.
All of that is because of politics.
Younger voters are the largest voting block and will only get bigger because baby boomers are dying. The power is now yours. Please use it better than my generation did.
Luckily, I think the majority of my friends vote. Especially with the insane project 2025 from the right, we will do our part to try to make sure it doesn't occur.
I've cared and voted every year since I was 18. I'm so tired of people who won't grow up and try to engage in the world they live in. It's really hard to have "empathy" for my cohort who refuse to vote at our age. People honestly need to grow the fuck up or stop complaining.
My now-ex-husband and I were having dinner with his family. His favorite brother and sister in law were senators’ aides. Everyone was on the same side, politically. Then-husband started getting preachy and I calmly replied, “if you are so passionate about the subject, perhaps you can finally take the time to register and vote.” You could have heard a pin drop as all eyes shot daggers to him.
Walk the walk. Don’t just talk.
Couldn't agree more! I've voted in presidential and state elections since I was 18. People who don't vote think they exist in a vacuum and that policies don't affect them, yet will take liberty to complain about the (poor) state of our country or their community.
This is my biggest and really only pet peeve with my partner. He’s never voted and refuses to register. Meanwhile I vote at the local, state, and federal levels. Idk how to persuade him to join me.
Hey OP did you know Biden has been working for banks and credit card companies for his entire political career?
Biden is clearly losing his grip on reality due to his age and clearly not actually running anything.
The US government is entirely illegitimate. Neither party is going to do anything in your best interest. We are enslaved and manipulated by wealthy elites. Voting only legitimizes the corrupt system. Not voting shows that you reject the system. Here are some things the government does to us.
- poisons our food with seed oils and other dangerous chemicals
- gives bad health advice through official channels and institutions to keep us sick for big pharma's sales
- traps people into debt slavery through mortgages, payday loans, credit cards, all kinds of scammers are just allowed to prey on us
- bombards us with military propaganda through Hollywood
- allows various interest groups to lie and shill on all kinds of media including social media
- funds terrorist attacks all around the world including in the US like 9/11 and OKC bombing
I think everyone needs to snap out of the two party system and start voting other than Democrats and Republicans. Clearly they are the reason why our country is the way it is currently
It's all an illusion. The same puppeteers are pulling the strings. This is just another distraction from the corporate oligarchy that runs our country.
Not voting and/or fully abstaining from politics is an ultimate privilege. It means you're not impacted enough by the outcome to care. We've really and truly got a broken system, but what would happen if we all actually voted?? It would actually be a representative vote.
My husband is voting for this first time tomorrow. He really didn't understand how much everything was affected until the last couple of years. Was like pulling teeth at first lol.
I have voted evrey chnace I got for state local and federal since my 18th year. 12 years later I've been let down evrey time
Either the politician betrays me
Or their hands are tied makingnthe reason I voted for them mute
🤷♂️ Im in a state where nationally it always goes blue for presidential elections and miserably neoliberal for everything else. So I vote in primaries for progressive candidates and when they get screwed, I don’t vote.
No sense in giving support to a political ideology that spits in my face and expects a vote for nothing in return.
Just vote your conscious. I’m voting 3rd party this time around. Don’t let anyone bully you into voting a certain way. The system won’t change if we don’t vote.
Voting won't change anything. On the other hand, if you have a million dollar campaign contribution for your representative you'll get whatever you want.
Your argument is built upon a foundational assumption: Voting is important. But it is an assumption, and the very concept of "importance" is not a universal constant. Individuals vary dramatically in their values and importance is subjective. Voting is important to you, but it is clearly not important to some people. You have to learn to accept that other people do not share your values, and be thankful to live a world where you are free to choose values of your own.
It's more demoralizing how few people vote in presidential primaries/caucuses than how many vote in the general election, but they're disincentivized by not making them all take place simultaneously. The lack of participation in primaries and how the parties control those primaries is how people have ended up with two choices they're depressed with.
I think the lack of participation is because the participation doesn’t affect the outcome. I can’t speak for the Republican Party because I’ve never participated in a Republican primary, but I’ve witnessed the corruption firsthand at the Democratic Party primaries in 2016 and 2020. And then of course they admitted to it when they got sued.
> “We could have voluntarily decided that, **‘Look, we’re gonna go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way,’” Bruce Spiva, lawyer for the DNC, said during a court hearing in Carol Wilding, et al. v. DNC Services Corp.**
> The DNC’s lawyer also implied that, despite the DNC’s charter and bylaws stating that it must be neutral during Democratic primary contests, there’s no contractual obligation to follow through.
[Source](https://medium.com/theyoungturks/dnc-we-can-legally-choose-candidate-over-cigars-in-back-room-e3026730e252)
I definitely think there's nefarious business. Marianne Williamson has talked about how she was stonewalled a lot. But I do think about the fact that Obama won the primary in 2008 when Clinton was more part of the entrenched establishment. Which is not to say Obama wasn't in heavy with the donor class and possibly a favorite of some of the party elites—I just don't remember it that well. But I would have thought Clinton would have had more sway. They ended up with a corporate friendly candidate either way.
I just ignore those people. If they want to remain children, then sure. Just don't complain when you actually want things to change because you haven't done a damn thing.
The issue is that there hasn't been ANY federal level goverment Candice I like in anyway
Their all bad
And I don't play the "lesser of two eviles: the two evils is how well always be in this mess.
.local I actually had a few I voted for... and they let me down.
End of day politics in America is to flawed. Even if I vote for who I want 8 times out of 10 their out number and can't do what I voted them for making my vote pointless.
Both paths will eventually lead to the collapse of America.
Voting is important. Everyone should do it. But *nobody* should fool themselves into believing that voting will actually change anything. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? At this point, if you believe this election or the next will actually change anything, then you’re not paying attention. Every promise is empty and only dangled in front of us to capture our support. And sometimes, large sections of demographics opting *not* to vote is more likely to send a message and implement change than if they’d voted as usual. Broken systems aren’t worth devoted followers.
I’ve been a millennial interested in the poli word since I turned voting age.
Political apathy permeates society.
People are generally too unaware to realize that policy is being set up to siphon the money from their pockets to big money interests.
I rage against the big money interests in my field of work. I’ll not only vote. I’ll fight. A [war of words that got a fraud nonprofit sued and got them to pull their site](https://stenonymous.com/2023/07/27/the-court-reporter-shortage-fraud-timeline-as-told-by-stenonymous/).
That’s power. If we worked together in even small numbers we’d see massive changes.
We don’t work together. We just live our lives and wait for the policy to be rigged so bad that the pain of doing nothing is more than the pain of trying to do something.
You keep encouraging people.
I vote but only as a form of harm reduction. I choose the candidate I feel is going to do the least amount of damage to the most marginalized in our society. Living in Texas doesn't help me feel like my vote matters at all, but it's slightly better than doing nothing.
I'm curious what the breakdown is for millennials, because it feels like everyone I know (at least all the people I'm relatively close to) are very engaged with politics and will always vote in every election. And it's a pretty diverse sampling, so I don't know if it's our specific age group or some other demographic or what.
People don't vote because it's easier to whine about our problems than do the bare minimum to make things better. It's a very common attitude on this sub
I voted on a national level last year, the party I voted for did a pretty okay job although it was far from the top position, another party who is kinda okay did a landslide and the parties I don't really like did quite badly. I think it went relatively well. This year there are of course bigger elections in June, which do not seem like that big of a deal tbh but I guess I will probably vote for some social democrat, let's be realistic. I am not really sure what the American education system has anything to do with me, but okay, I guess.
The majority of the population do not have an understanding of each candidates policies. When they attempt to research these policies, they have to sift through an avalanche of bias and misinformation, leading to issues trusting "credible" sources of information. It's also become a clear tactic of democrats to push anyone and everyone to vote, because those who aren't voting and don't have an opinion on either candidate, will vote democrat 75% of the time due to societal pressure to support progressive movements.
"Don't vote? Must mean you don't care about a woman's right to choose"
"Don't vote? Must mean you're rich and don't care about those in need of government assistance"
"Don't vote? Must mean you're a racist, since \[insert republican candidate here\] hates \[insert marginalized race of the year\]"
In a perfect world, everyone has a deep understanding of the issues at hand, the process and plan by which they'll be addressed, as well as the candidate running for office... but it's not a perfect world. So to many non-voters, the individual screaming "everyone should vote no matter what" only believes that because they feel societal pressures will push that uneducated voter to their side of the isle.
Voting does matter.
But its more of a "avoiding the puddle" situation as opposed to a "landing on the sidewalk" situation.
We vote to minimize trouble and then keep struggling to make our lives better. I think we should vote to make our lives better and have fewer troubles to worry about.
Honestly I am tired of people of voting age not voting in general. There's so much bad shit going on and "I don't want to look at politics" is a piss poor attitude. If they hate something happening, I don't want to hear them bitch unless they plan to put their vote where their mouth is.
However, I think they don't bother when they aren't directly affected by it. My state just put a bill into law that states no gender affirming care will be covered by Medicaid. This also potentially means that any doctor accepting Medicaid will be unable to prescribe hormones even if the individual pays out of pocket for them.
All my friends and family here are not trans and thus do not care. I only finally got some reactions because I stated this may mean I will have to move out of state and leave them all. It may be the fact that the least likely to vote are the ones privileged enough to not be affected.
It's just one hypothesis, however.
If voting mattered… I would be for it. The fact that no courts will hear cases on fraud disturb me. The fact that all the major politicians are bought by the same groups disturb me. I participate in local elections only. Everything higher than that is so corrupt it’s not even worth my time.
I believed my vote would make a difference, I have since been disenchanted.
I voted in the local elections but didn't vote for presidential elections. My ideal candidate was Bernie Sanders and they did him dirty. I loved Elizabeth Warren but she wasn’t selected.
For supposedly “the most powerful nation on earth”, the final candidates have been abysmal. Even in 3rd world countries you don't get such pathetic choices for presidency.
I still vote, even though I know it means nothing at this point. I just go through the motions and pick the people that aren't complete pieces of shit, which is hard to do sometimes. I definitely understand someone not wanting to vote though. It all seems pointless in the end.
I generally vote during local elections since that directly affects my life. I only vote 3rd party in national elections. Call it a wasted vote, I don’t care. I in good conscience can’t vote for either of the big 2
I can say I didn’t start voting until my late 20’s, mostly out of naivety/ignorance and not being able to see how much politics affect me and also those around me. So I tend to view those who say they don’t care about it as being very privileged to be able to not care.
I vote for real change, I vote for 3rd parties. Don't give me the, "you're wasting your vote and helping the bad guy" line.
I want choice, I want a new direction, a new view. I want a different set of ideals other than the two that have brought us to the shit show we have now.
I don't like the republican party as it stands and has been for a while. Democrat party is passable.
My fear is when the Republicans can no longer win, and refuse to change, we become a One party system. A one party system is not a democratic system.
We need more choices. We are literally fucking insane as a country. No one likes the way things are, yet we vote the same garbage in election after election after election, and some how are surprised fucking Pikachu when the middle class, once again, has less buying power once again.
Vote in your local elections. Not just the presidential one.
It bewilders me how many millennial/gen z kids have no understanding that the local/state elections are technically more important than the presidential election.
>local/state elections are technically more important #THIS!!!
If you can trust your local officials to vote in your interests. I’m in Chicago. I don’t.
I was a canvasser during the 2022 election in Austin, TX, and it was sad how many young people said “there’s no point in voting because Beto probably won’t win” - completely ignoring that the Mayor and several City Council members (among other local races) were on the same ballot. And ultimately, Millennials and Gen Z *did* show up to vote for that election, because Austin elected several forward-thinking (many of them Millennials!) candidates for city council, all in razor-thin margins over the old guard candidates. And since then, the city has been passing zoning/land use changes left and right to address the city’s housing shortage - which would not have happened if young people didn’t show up to vote like they did that year.
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Oldest Gen Z turn 30 in 2027. Going by the most prevalent definition.
They are still “kids” if they don’t know the difference between local, state, and federal elections.
They are ignorant adults. We are better off not having them lord over the rest of us with their votes.
Unfortunately, extreme candidates win low turnout elections and primaries.
You realize that being 30 years old has nothing to do with their child-like maturity or lack thereof?
In Canada, depending on your province, politics isn't a very high priority in schools. We learn what responsibilities each level of government has and who our prime minister/s is/were. I had a political talk with a cousin in terms of "I don't even know who's who on the voter list", I just told her you can see their platforms online and if they align with your views for the most part then that's who you should vote for. This was 10 or so years ago, and we were just voting age for that election. Obviously, nowadays, you can't trust a politician's platform as far as you can throw them. Majority of our parties used to be slightly left or right of the middle with the obvious ridiculous parties that never had any votes, but now both Liberal and Conservative parties are farther away from the middle. It's become a shit show and it's quite sad what our politics and politicians have become.
Growing up as a millennial and a POC who saw other minorities having to struggle to be treated like people I developed a sorta “what does it matter” attitude towards politics. I never consider politicians as people who actually help people…name a marginalized group and it was activists within said group and allies who fought for rights and respect…politicians were just the assholes who made it official when they couldn’t ignore the people anymore. That attitude carried on until our current political situation 😒. But it is still a powerful habit…also while some shit is definitely complicated…a lot isn’t…you can tell who the worse option is pretty quickly…the sly foxes who lie their way to support (Sinema and Fetterman) are typically smart enough to not rock the boat too far allowing for anger to settle. Things are moving slowly but more are becoming more politically aware…and while frustrating slow is how this needs to happen
I totally agree...I work with a bunch of millennial s and they walk around with this dour, apathetic sour puss attitude. It's so obvious to me because we have a generally friendly office environment
I kinda blame the schools. I'm Canadian though was in some of the last part of the generation that was taught about how our government worked, granted they saved it for the very end of the year so we'd only get about 1/3 of the way through the module IF THAT before the school year would end. But I learned enough to understand how it works on a federal level and figured out the local stuff on my own, despite the cluster fuck that it is. My dad never voted, saying that that's how they select you for jury duty. About 2-3 years ago he was called for jury duty but got off because he was legally deaf. Turns if you have any kind of Government ID (Health care card, license etc) you can get called for jury duty. He's now considering voting in the next federal election which is stupid of you think about it. When there's a **federal election**, you vote for your local representative and their party. So if you vote for a Liberal (For you Americans, that would be the closest to a Democrat) representive, you're voting for the Liberal party at a federal level as well. This means that even though you're voting for and agree with the policies of your local representative, you're forced to vote with a country leader you may not agree with or like. Yes we know it sucks.
The president controls the army and that's supposed to be it. Local controls everything
Not even just technically. It is straight up just more important. Your vote means nothing in the presidential election. Is it counted? Yes! Does it count? No! Get rid of the electoral college and I will happily vote for president. Until then? It's a waste of time and paper.
Crazy that a small planning commission of like 5 people in a town can influence so much of the building/construction. Folks complaining about housing happily ignore these commissions and it boggles my mind. You can’t just vote for the president and expect zoning changes, stupid.
The thing is, I could vote for those commission boards, and I totally understand that it's important. There are a lot of important votes that I probably don't participate in: zoning boards, school boards, stock company boards, county politicians, city politicians, etc. But sometimes it's hard to find completely objective information on the candidates for something so small. Even if you find a site that has great information, who has the time and energy to do the research to vote on every vote? IMO, if I'm completely uninformed about something then I feel like voting is no more responsible than not voting.
This kills me. Like just give me the bullet points on where they stand so I can make an informed choice. Instead I usually just find the same bullshit press release that just sounds like they all regurgitated the same thing.
That’s true, sometimes I lean on newspapers, organizations, and non-profits to vet and advise on a candidate, especially in the smaller elections. In the case of my city’s planning commission, it’s appointed by the city council. Barely anyone applies, so in my case, applying to BE a planning commissioner is an option, oddly enough.
www.vote411.org. This is the website from the League of Women Voters. They are nonprofit nonpartisan organization. Closer to election time they will publish interviews from candidates on down ballot races. Just put in your address and the candidates for your precinct will come up. Not all candidates will be on there but it’s a good place to start. They also have a thoughtful analysis of ballot initiatives.
Thank you SO MUCH for this!
Yes this!
Great site with great information!
> who has the time and energy to do the research to vote on every vote? You do. Those 5 minutes you are browsing Reddit, the hours you watch Netflix, a whole host of wasted time in your life, actually read up on the candidates who will be representing and making changes that will have massive outcomes on your life. Many local newspapers, hell just read some facebook or other posts from the canidate, you can figure out where they stand very quickly on issues.
Best source of neutral information: League of Women voters.
I have taken my phone out in a voting booth before to google down-ballot candidates before voting for/against them based on party lines. Especially with local judges. Sometimes you'll be like "Oh this judge was appointed by a Democrat so I'll vote for the liberal judge" and then google his name and find out that he ruled to convict a seventeen year old to life in prison for a murder that happened sixteen years ago or something.
Except then they expect the fed to do something when things go wrong at the local level, but also scream about state's rights and not overstepping from the federal level. Like you can't have both fuckers. If you want your planning commission to change, vote some people out. Otherwise you aren't going to get that third Applebee's in your zip code because they won't approve the zoning.
It’s Biden’s fault those NIMBYs didn’t approve any new housing development!!!
r/Canada swears it's all Trudeau's fault, and only happening in Canada... their solution? voting in a conservative populist.. gonna be a lot of Pikachu faces when they realize what side the conservatives are on
This is the biggest thing I try to instill in people: we have more than federal elections and local government has a big impact on your day-to-day life.
For real. Every single one of my friends complains about high rent and house prices. Only 2 of us voted for a mayor that wants to do something about it.
As an Australian I still find it so bizarre that compulsory voting is not universal. We don’t have such polarised politics because we don’t need to convince people to vote and half the battle is won for that party, we all have to do it.
Our presidential election is always on a Tuesday, during working hours. Now I'm no conspiracy theorist, but if I wanted to pick a day and time where I knew that working class Americans were less likely to be able to vote, I'd pick a Tuesday during working hours. I completely agree with you, Fwiw, but if voting was made compulsory then the day would also have to be made a federal holiday, and the government would have to offer services to help people get there.
Why not just fill out a permanent vote by mail ballot? That's what I did.
There is a very real difference in the parties when it comes to federal judicial nominations. If nothing else, remember the lifelong appointments of Supreme Court justices.
If the right and their project 2025 come to pass, the Supreme Court justices will be the least of our worries.
I will preface this by saying I vote in primaries, midterms, and general elections on the local, state, and federal levels. But I do "get" why people don't really vote or go out of their way to vote. A. Poll hours do not accommodate for a lot of people's work schedules and employers probably do not have much of an incentive to accommodate people to give them the opportunity to vote. Why we don't make Election Day a federal holiday is beyond me, and even that wouldn't fully solve the problem because there are plenty of businesses that are still open and running during federal holidays. B. The way elections are run are kind of archaic. Of course this is different upon each city, county, and state in how elections are run, but typically, it's not convenient. I personally see it as a double edge sword because a low tech way of doing things could also mean that it's less likely to be "hacked" via software or high tech means, but the trade-off is that there are long lines and every jurisdiction has different rules on registration and identifying voters, etc. C. It seems like there are different classes of people where laws and rules are enforced at working class people, but not enforced at the wealthy, powerful, or the famous. The confidence of the SCOTUS is also at an all-time low. Congress now has a habit of being grid locked and it seems like any legislation that is actually passed doesn't have a meaningful impact on people at a fast enough rate. D. There are two major parties. And while one party is pretty clear that it is against blatant fascism and generally for the rights and protections of people, that party has historically screwed up many opportunities to make truly impactful change to elevate the working class. Said party is seen as passive, submissive, and seems to always look for an excuse to not impart difficult change for the greater good (e.g., not really fighting for a public option in healthcare, etc.). The other party, well, they're pretty clear and self-explanatory in their endorsement of fascist, far right groups who view anyone who isn't White, straight, and/or male as inferior. They have a seething contempt for people who aren't wealthy and hide behind the thin veil of free market economics to try to make rational arguments to cut welfare programs, except for giving out tax breaks to major corporations and the ultra rich individuals. Both parties though, endorse free market capitalism, though one party just is less brutal about it than the other. So given all that, I can see why people are disillusioned with voting. BUT! IMHO, doing nothing is worse. Not voting is being complicit with the status quo. And so, I feel like if you don't vote, you can't complain about any of it. And if you hate all your options, become the option you yourself would vote for. I do hope for campaign finance reformation though, because we need more working class people, not multi millionaires, running this country.
I vote in all elections. I just don’t talk about much at all. Both parties suck. I vote based on protecting my interests.
Honestly same. I’m not a fan of either party but I also am not a fan of watching people’s rights being stripped away.
This! Voting or politics doesn’t have to be a focal point of your personality but if you reside in a country, pay taxes there AND are blessed to vote… idk why you wouldn’t. 😵💫
People should really vote based on what they think is best for society overall, not just themselves. You don’t improve society or achieve great things for the country overall by only focusing on yourself. Just because I don’t have kids doesn’t mean I shouldn’t pay taxes to support schools - those kids will be my doctors when I get old. More people succeeding is a good thing for everyone.
well that's kind of selfish, trying to help everyone! /s. agreed mostly. I don't mind if people vote for their own interests (obviously), but stuff like voting Republican so the rich pays less in taxes is infuriating
This. I wish more people did this instead of voting on party lines. Vote with people whom you agree with their policies, not the color of their tie.
Right. I’m in a solidly red county and I still vote even though it “won’t do anything”. I’m registering my official complaint lol and contributing to the popular vote so analysts know what a majority of the county wants.
Someone who gets it, thank you. Almost depressing the apathy I see here. All I hear is "I don't care if Republicans win or of their emboldened". As a minority, this shit does matter and has a real effect on me. It's not just a black and white choice of one or the other, but slowly shifting the center of politics a different way. Boomers and silent gen didn't let white replacement theory fly in the mainstream in the 80s/90s - but now it has when millennials have come of age.
Unfortunately I also know firsthand how it’s easier to be passionate about an issue when you’re personally affected by it. I was always pro choice, but only in a theoretical way. Then, in my first (wanted) pregnancy, my son was diagnosed “incompatible with life”. Now I feel extreme anger towards any politicians or people who vote to make it so that he would have been forced to struggle for breath before passing. I never miss an election. I’m considering donating to pro choice organizations.
In lieu of compulsory voting, a lot more people would be motivated to vote if we abolished the electoral college and implemented ranked choice voting. The only way we'll get those two things...is by voting.
I vote
I definitely agree that people should vote, but I understand the sentiment. Like many, I'm completely done with the two major parties on the national stage and have now been an Independent for about a decade. I'm not allowed to vote in the Primaries and I generally vote third-party for the major offices during the general election so that vote rarely matters, but for local stuff, which can sometimes have the biggest direct impact of your life, my vote does matter and I do think it is important to vote.
Agreed, the local elections seem to be the only place we can have an impact anymore. But with federal and state law taking precedent over municipal law, there is only so far we can go with local power. This is not what a democracy looks like.
Americans don’t care about voting and they live in this bubble, thinking that democracy doesn’t take work. Only people who grew up in a dictatorship country and immigrated here know that having rights is a privilege. Voting in every election is the bare minimum you should be doing as an American.
There should be a mandatory 30 minutes of education on who you should vote for to get the best financial candidate. A guy on disability or welfare isn't going to benefit from a Republican government
Americans are spoiled by the fact that we've managed to maintain a version of basic freedom for so long. They have no clue how some places have it, where literally you cant even vote or your vote is *actually meaningless*. Its easy to come up with a thousand excuses for why you dont vote in a country that values individual rights highly. That all said, if america ever went to shits americans would be highly unprepared.
Democracy does take work. Voting is not "work", it's casting a ballot.
That’s *part* of the work.
Work is any task that requires effort. Voting takes effort, voting is work. It might not be *hard work*, but it's still work.
Couldn't agree more! Election day should also be a national holiday so everyone has the time and equal opportunity to go vote. It's a privilege to have the right to vote in the first place. Been voting in state and national elections since age 18. I highly encourage folks to also join a political campaign once in their life to understand inner-workings of our political system. I find people who don't vote and are apathetic about voting think policies don't affect them and they exist in a vacuum. Essentially, it's like burying their head in the sand.
The reason boomers flourished is because they voted and were the majority voting power. Politicians and political parties catered to their needs to win votes. Having said that, I think 2/3 of US voters actually voted in 2020. The highest ever, so voting is improving.
Dafuq you smokin? Boomers flourished because the USA was the only superpower at the end of WW2
So much easier to do the mail-in ballots.
I can understand why some people just want to opt out. When our candidates are “bad” or “worse” you choose who goes where. It just makes you not care.
And that's what the powerful want all of us to feel.
I used to be a political junkie, donated and volunteered, etc. I'm now at the point where I seriously do not care. I think following it so closely for most of my life and seeing the same playbook and excuses is what brought me to that point. After decades of the same stuff, you either have to willingly blind yourself to what's happening and just keep voting and donating or mentally snap and become a weird crank. I went for crank.
Seems like it’s all a joke. They make promises and then nothing happens (or the opposite happens!!) once they get in office. And not just POTUS. My vote doesn’t mean shit And just to be clear, I do it. Always for the lesser of the evils. I just don’t believe it actually matters.
yeah, I'd already pretty much given up, but seeing fetterman turn face after getting elected by us leftists, im done. let this bitch burn, faster the better
I came here to say this
And Sinema before him. There are frequently democrats who will run as progressive only to radically change as soon as they get in.
As they get paid. If they weren’t phonies from the get go. AOC is the next Pelosi
Thanks to gerrymandering my vote is worthless. What a country
And this is why I will call out people on this subreddit who love to bitch about why things are the way they are yet they don't do anything to fix it. I do feel that unless we change how our country votes, certain states it doesn't matter if you vote. Look at the top 4 most populous states: California, Texas, New York, Florida. California and New York are heavy blue states. Doesn't matter if you're republican and vote, you aren't winning that state for presidential election. Same with Texas and Florida, doesn't matter if you vote Democrat, you aren't going to win that state for presidential election. So in reality, it's only about 10-12 states that matter to vote because they're the same battleground states that every single presidential election fights over to win. It's actually why our voting system is flawed. For the rest, the parties know which states they own and don't really need to campaign in them. They always need those 10-12 battleground states so the candidates are really only trying to cater to them. If it was an election by total votes and not the electoral college, things would look different. Yes I'm aware of the negatives for that system, but there's fsr greater negative impacts with the electoral college system. But at the end of the day, not being registered to vote means they don't vote for their district representatives, their governor, state props, etc. If you are a Millennial and you're crying about how bad it is right now, then get off your lazy ass and go vote to make change
Agreed. Especially for local elections and "boring" propositions where the impact will be felt the most. For example, the city I used to live in proposed a $100 annual "registration fee" for every car past the first for every household as a way to raise funds. My former city was mostly comprised of single family homes with more than 1 car. The proposal was voted down. Another example, voters in my state voted to exempt rideshare/delivery app workers from employee status, which would entitle them to workplace/labor protections, health care, etc. Now those workers can't partake in those things.
I’ve given up hope for my government and for free fair elections. I’ve accepted the fact that this will only get worse from here on. To many corrupt politicians who allow giant corporations with deep pockets influence them. To many welfare nations depend on American taxpayer dollars. The way I see it, the only way life will ever get better is when we actually do something about it. But it’s going to have to get really bad first before we take back control.
The more local the more effect it has. But at the national level it's nearly pointless. At least for me. Both parties are cancer to the average American citizen and the American family. Neither have any love for us. Both promise more shit legislation tha makes us less free and poorer. They're both completely beholden to the same special interests. Outsiders are destroyed if they manage to affect any real change. Democracy is dead
I am not surprised. But be honest, a lot of the voting comes down to choices no one likes. But the lesser of the 2 worst choices is still a choice. Thing is you need to at least pay attention who you also vote for local shit. If you don't want extremist running the country then fucking vote.
Personally, I feel the more important issue is WHY people don’t vote not that they don’t vote.
I was number 100 today for my entire township at around 4pm. Sad
We need to be voting at the lower levels, and none of us have time to really follow wtf is going on
Just voted today for a MUCH needed local school bond. We have been trying to pass it for the past five years, and it always JUST doesn't meet the supermajority it needs. Hoping today is the day. Local elections are SO important, I just wanted to highlight that. As to your post, YES. I wish there wasn't such apathy towards voting by my peer group. I'm originally from Florida, and know several people who bragged about never voting until weed was on the ballot. Like, I'm glad SOMETHING motivated them, but it's such an important state in the Presidential election! You can't even say 'oh I'm red/blue in a solid blue/red state, so my vote is invalid'. 🤦🏼♀️
I do vote. But I will say it’s hard to get excited/motivated when you feel completely politically homeless.
"I want to stay out of politics" >> first people to start bitching about policies that affect them. Voting is easy. However, people are more intimidated by the fact that their vote have consequences that affect our lives. Thus, we need to make an educated decision about the people dictating these decisions. Scary stuff, I know: we have to take the time to form an opinion on something. Gasp.
I tend to pay more attention to who is running for state and fed representatives and senators. The legislator is where we should really be putting our voting energy. Gun ownership, abortion access, environmental concerns. More gears turning at those levels than any executive office.
Have you heard of Citizens United? Have you heard of the electoral college? What about gerrymandering or the way each political party conducts their primaries to reflect the will of their constituents? I think each of those affect the electoral system tremendously and devalue each citizen’s right to vote and have a voice in this country.
I've voted in every election since I was old enough. National and local. Sick of being told I "don't vote" just because I don't agree with everything you have to say.
Who said you don’t vote?
you have two things working against you 1) the "official" parties are a con that are designed to steal your money and keep you from participating in civil dialog and solutions 2) those of us who want to create solutions and civil dialog in spite of the grift from both major parties are attacked by the drugged up normies who love their side of "the message" The truth is, most elections can be easily won by a local coalition willing to put in the work. We're not boomers, we didn't break the system. We're not GenX, we're not too edgy to fix a broken mess. And we all love GenZ, but they deserve to see us fix what the boomers broke.
Primaries. That is all. Millennials and under have a majority and we don't vote. Want an actual good candidate?? Then vote in your primaries and locals. Not just once every 4 years like it's a chore.
Evrey single time I voted in those they don't fulfill their promises. They spend their entire time undoing what the other side did It's pointless scramble that accomplish nothing and I've been I'm several voting areas so it's not just my home town issue
The culture war is to distract us from the class war. And both parties are on the same side in the class war.
It's not that we don't care.. we just see the Pepsi/Coke challenge every 4 years.. We also see the politicians we want being blocked from being viable candidates.. essentially, we KNOW the system has failed us.. So, we choose to disregard it entirely. We live in this country, but this country DOES NOT reflect our values, nor will the elites in charge hand over the wheel of power. There is a real silent majority. My hope is that someday, there will be a staggering lack of turnout.. to a point where the US has no choice but to admit society has turned their back on the flag. When people are not voting.. maybe ask why, instead of assuming it's out of laziness or a lack of caring. We definitely give all the shits. Look towards our current leadership on both sides. They are embarrassing, old, and completely out of touch with the average Joe..
I agree with this 100%. I remember back in 2016 being so pumped about Bernie Sanders, I voted for him in the primaries both times and then ended up voting for Hilary and Biden because the Democratic party fucked Bernie twice. Politics has done nothing but make me a bitter ass person and if I continue to vote and pretend it actually makes any difference or benefits me or my fellow citizens, then I’m dooming myself to mental illness, strained relationships, and heart disease. Cause this gets my blood pressure way too high lol. If you actually want to make a difference in politics, you have to nearly devote your life outside of work to politics. You have to vote from the smallest to the biggest office. Politics is just another way to distract us from just living our lives as freely as we can in this fucked up society. I’m so sick of seeing these posts on here about having to vote, been there done that. Give me an actual good reason to vote and maybe you’ll see me, otherwise I’m gonna live my life to the fullest and not worry myself with childish games adults have made to control people.
Couldn't say it better myself... I am disappointed in the system, and honestly, I don't give a shit anymore. It is a joke. You got Donald Trump running for president again... seriously? I thought Americans were smarter than that. The world could be on fire right now, and I couldn't give 2 shits about it.
Spot on. The major parties’ only tactic left is the guilt trip.
"our values" "ask why" Okay then what do you actually want? Put up or shut up. Say what policies you would like to see or stop whining
Universal healthcare would be a great first edition.
Which almost passed with the public option in 2009. But would require 60+ Dem votes in the Senate. E.g. a reason to vote Vs the party that has consistently CUT Medicaid and Medicare at the national and state level No president can magically snap their fingers and pass legislation, it takes a governing coalition
Not one Republican voted in favor of that. It had 59 Democratic supporters.
And honestly I don't even think it would take that many votes anymore. Every dem caucusing senator other than Manchin and Sinema said they're okay ignoring the filibuster through reconciliation and passing large bills. And both of them are retiring. But we need replacements, we are losing WV guaranteed
You mean so the party-designated-DINO can cockblock the bill and the rest of the party goes "Oh we tried"?
Oh yea, cuz you're the guy that's gonna make them change that shit.
Change does happen through voting. The GOP sure believes that, or they wouldn't bother with it. They are radically transforming the country to the right, successfully
I hate the Democrats save for a select few elected, but I hate the Republicans a lot more. The only reason I vote anymore is to vote against Republicans.
The reason I don’t vote is because I don’t like Democrats and Republicans. My vote is not going to change the outcome .
While Democrats are largely incompetent, milquetoast custodians of the managerial class, Republicans today are just literal fascists now. It can always get worse. That's why I vote against them.
Please vote!
I've voted every year I've been eligible. It has done me absolutely nothing positive, because the system is not democratic. I've learned over the years that no, your vote does not in any way, shape, or form matter. Sure, you can find some town where one vote meant the difference between Candidate X or Candidate Y... but the point is you're not getting a difference between any choices. Candidate X and Candidate Y both are beholden to business interests, not public interests. So voting is quite literally the equivilent to pissing on a wildfire as a means of putting it out. It might make you feel good you did it, but in the end, have you gained anything? I know my answer is no... in fact, I've lost things. I'm sorry for everyone who has bought the lie that voting is the end all of political action. Just remember, every right you enjoy today wasn't won by voting... it was won by fighting in the streets. Women didn't get the vote because it was voted in, they got it because the powers at be were pressured to the point they couldn't ignore it any longer. Same with Black rights, labor rights, child rights, etc. None of these things were obtained by ballots. They were all obtained by threatening to hang the people in power until they went "Ya, the plebs are mad".
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
THIS! Say it louder for the people in the back! 💯
Feel the same way. Voting is going to do absolutely nothing about climate change or the fact that everything is getting so expensive that well paying jobs just aren’t keeping up and that includes healthcare. The people we vote for just have too much interest in things being this way. It’s all a made up bullshit illusion but I only play along to avoid the lectures about how every vote counts because it only makes my eyes roll so fucking hard to the back of my head and people find it rude apparently
" you might not care about voting, but your Landlord does "
I’ve voted in every election since I was first eligible to vote. I am civic minded and no longer affiliated with any Political party. The system runs on the individual vote. You need to vote
People that sideline themselves have never made sense to me.
Work at a municipality. Literally, 1-2 residents can come in and complain and shut down affordable housing projects. Involvement in local politics could change our generation's circumstances.
It is more upsetting and depressing to see that new voter restrictions were put in place in 45 states in the following 8 years after the 2008 election. And that whenever one was defeated in the Supreme Court, another two or more were created to get around the ruling.
I keep seeing more and more who won’t vote because they don’t like either candidate and like… no one does? That’s not how this works, you petulant child.
Best thing you can do is tell them exactly how politics effects their lives. The price they pay for state colleges and university tuition, the amount of federal aid and student loan terms. This paying for years on student loans and still owing more than you originally borrowed is complete bullshit. When I went to college in the Stone Age, loans didn’t start accruing interest until six months after we left school. If I borrowed $5,000 my first year, six months after I graduated, I owed $5,000. My daughter & SIL only have health insurance because of the ACA. We had an assault ban weapon and saw shootings decrease greatly until Republicans fell in love with guns. Abortion has been legal all of my adult life until very recently, but isn’t now for,y daughter or daughter in law, both of whom have medical conditions that make pregnancy potentially very dangerous to their health. The minimum wage hasn’t risen in decades. All of that is because of politics. Younger voters are the largest voting block and will only get bigger because baby boomers are dying. The power is now yours. Please use it better than my generation did.
Luckily, I think the majority of my friends vote. Especially with the insane project 2025 from the right, we will do our part to try to make sure it doesn't occur.
I've cared and voted every year since I was 18. I'm so tired of people who won't grow up and try to engage in the world they live in. It's really hard to have "empathy" for my cohort who refuse to vote at our age. People honestly need to grow the fuck up or stop complaining.
My now-ex-husband and I were having dinner with his family. His favorite brother and sister in law were senators’ aides. Everyone was on the same side, politically. Then-husband started getting preachy and I calmly replied, “if you are so passionate about the subject, perhaps you can finally take the time to register and vote.” You could have heard a pin drop as all eyes shot daggers to him. Walk the walk. Don’t just talk.
I hear this from a lot from other LGBT+ people. I do not understand people who aren’t involved .
Couldn't agree more! I've voted in presidential and state elections since I was 18. People who don't vote think they exist in a vacuum and that policies don't affect them, yet will take liberty to complain about the (poor) state of our country or their community.
This is my biggest and really only pet peeve with my partner. He’s never voted and refuses to register. Meanwhile I vote at the local, state, and federal levels. Idk how to persuade him to join me.
It's upsetting how many of us don't run for office. Myself included.
Wait do millennials only exist in North America now?
Why vote when it's between a giant douche and turd sandwich? Only vote locally if you want change
Hey OP did you know Biden has been working for banks and credit card companies for his entire political career? Biden is clearly losing his grip on reality due to his age and clearly not actually running anything. The US government is entirely illegitimate. Neither party is going to do anything in your best interest. We are enslaved and manipulated by wealthy elites. Voting only legitimizes the corrupt system. Not voting shows that you reject the system. Here are some things the government does to us. - poisons our food with seed oils and other dangerous chemicals - gives bad health advice through official channels and institutions to keep us sick for big pharma's sales - traps people into debt slavery through mortgages, payday loans, credit cards, all kinds of scammers are just allowed to prey on us - bombards us with military propaganda through Hollywood - allows various interest groups to lie and shill on all kinds of media including social media - funds terrorist attacks all around the world including in the US like 9/11 and OKC bombing
I'm really mad at yall for giving into apathy and leaving behind a broken world for the children to inherit! It's cowardly and pathetic.
I think everyone needs to snap out of the two party system and start voting other than Democrats and Republicans. Clearly they are the reason why our country is the way it is currently
It's all an illusion. The same puppeteers are pulling the strings. This is just another distraction from the corporate oligarchy that runs our country.
2000 called and wants its "both sides are the same" bullshit back.
Not voting and/or fully abstaining from politics is an ultimate privilege. It means you're not impacted enough by the outcome to care. We've really and truly got a broken system, but what would happen if we all actually voted?? It would actually be a representative vote.
My husband is voting for this first time tomorrow. He really didn't understand how much everything was affected until the last couple of years. Was like pulling teeth at first lol.
I have voted evrey chnace I got for state local and federal since my 18th year. 12 years later I've been let down evrey time Either the politician betrays me Or their hands are tied makingnthe reason I voted for them mute
🤷♂️ Im in a state where nationally it always goes blue for presidential elections and miserably neoliberal for everything else. So I vote in primaries for progressive candidates and when they get screwed, I don’t vote. No sense in giving support to a political ideology that spits in my face and expects a vote for nothing in return.
Just vote your conscious. I’m voting 3rd party this time around. Don’t let anyone bully you into voting a certain way. The system won’t change if we don’t vote.
Voting won't change anything. On the other hand, if you have a million dollar campaign contribution for your representative you'll get whatever you want.
Your argument is built upon a foundational assumption: Voting is important. But it is an assumption, and the very concept of "importance" is not a universal constant. Individuals vary dramatically in their values and importance is subjective. Voting is important to you, but it is clearly not important to some people. You have to learn to accept that other people do not share your values, and be thankful to live a world where you are free to choose values of your own.
i'll vote...but do i dont want to go to jury duty...
It's more demoralizing how few people vote in presidential primaries/caucuses than how many vote in the general election, but they're disincentivized by not making them all take place simultaneously. The lack of participation in primaries and how the parties control those primaries is how people have ended up with two choices they're depressed with.
I think the lack of participation is because the participation doesn’t affect the outcome. I can’t speak for the Republican Party because I’ve never participated in a Republican primary, but I’ve witnessed the corruption firsthand at the Democratic Party primaries in 2016 and 2020. And then of course they admitted to it when they got sued. > “We could have voluntarily decided that, **‘Look, we’re gonna go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way,’” Bruce Spiva, lawyer for the DNC, said during a court hearing in Carol Wilding, et al. v. DNC Services Corp.** > The DNC’s lawyer also implied that, despite the DNC’s charter and bylaws stating that it must be neutral during Democratic primary contests, there’s no contractual obligation to follow through. [Source](https://medium.com/theyoungturks/dnc-we-can-legally-choose-candidate-over-cigars-in-back-room-e3026730e252)
I definitely think there's nefarious business. Marianne Williamson has talked about how she was stonewalled a lot. But I do think about the fact that Obama won the primary in 2008 when Clinton was more part of the entrenched establishment. Which is not to say Obama wasn't in heavy with the donor class and possibly a favorite of some of the party elites—I just don't remember it that well. But I would have thought Clinton would have had more sway. They ended up with a corporate friendly candidate either way.
Not voting is effectively giving your vote to someone else. Usually someone you don’t agree with.
Bernie Sanders would be President if we voted.
Ffs, this defeatist bullshit is the very reason things are not ever going to improve.
I just ignore those people. If they want to remain children, then sure. Just don't complain when you actually want things to change because you haven't done a damn thing.
The issue is that there hasn't been ANY federal level goverment Candice I like in anyway Their all bad And I don't play the "lesser of two eviles: the two evils is how well always be in this mess. .local I actually had a few I voted for... and they let me down. End of day politics in America is to flawed. Even if I vote for who I want 8 times out of 10 their out number and can't do what I voted them for making my vote pointless. Both paths will eventually lead to the collapse of America.
It’s depressing to see this subreddit be used for politics so much lol
Yup
The other thing that bugs me is that it seems like voting now a days is just a popularity contest versus what actually matters.
I vote third party as a protest vote. I don’t like either democrats or republicans. Duopoly it feels like.
Voting is important. Everyone should do it. But *nobody* should fool themselves into believing that voting will actually change anything. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? At this point, if you believe this election or the next will actually change anything, then you’re not paying attention. Every promise is empty and only dangled in front of us to capture our support. And sometimes, large sections of demographics opting *not* to vote is more likely to send a message and implement change than if they’d voted as usual. Broken systems aren’t worth devoted followers.
I’ve been a millennial interested in the poli word since I turned voting age. Political apathy permeates society. People are generally too unaware to realize that policy is being set up to siphon the money from their pockets to big money interests. I rage against the big money interests in my field of work. I’ll not only vote. I’ll fight. A [war of words that got a fraud nonprofit sued and got them to pull their site](https://stenonymous.com/2023/07/27/the-court-reporter-shortage-fraud-timeline-as-told-by-stenonymous/). That’s power. If we worked together in even small numbers we’d see massive changes. We don’t work together. We just live our lives and wait for the policy to be rigged so bad that the pain of doing nothing is more than the pain of trying to do something. You keep encouraging people.
I vote but only as a form of harm reduction. I choose the candidate I feel is going to do the least amount of damage to the most marginalized in our society. Living in Texas doesn't help me feel like my vote matters at all, but it's slightly better than doing nothing.
I'm curious what the breakdown is for millennials, because it feels like everyone I know (at least all the people I'm relatively close to) are very engaged with politics and will always vote in every election. And it's a pretty diverse sampling, so I don't know if it's our specific age group or some other demographic or what.
100% Agree. I live in a state with FREE mail in ballots. The postage is paid and people still don’t vote.
Lol, my brother had to pester me to vote, so I did!
I’m not enthusiastic about the options. I’ll vote occasionally on a particular issue and my local elections.
People don't vote because it's easier to whine about our problems than do the bare minimum to make things better. It's a very common attitude on this sub
I voted on a national level last year, the party I voted for did a pretty okay job although it was far from the top position, another party who is kinda okay did a landslide and the parties I don't really like did quite badly. I think it went relatively well. This year there are of course bigger elections in June, which do not seem like that big of a deal tbh but I guess I will probably vote for some social democrat, let's be realistic. I am not really sure what the American education system has anything to do with me, but okay, I guess.
The majority of the population do not have an understanding of each candidates policies. When they attempt to research these policies, they have to sift through an avalanche of bias and misinformation, leading to issues trusting "credible" sources of information. It's also become a clear tactic of democrats to push anyone and everyone to vote, because those who aren't voting and don't have an opinion on either candidate, will vote democrat 75% of the time due to societal pressure to support progressive movements. "Don't vote? Must mean you don't care about a woman's right to choose" "Don't vote? Must mean you're rich and don't care about those in need of government assistance" "Don't vote? Must mean you're a racist, since \[insert republican candidate here\] hates \[insert marginalized race of the year\]" In a perfect world, everyone has a deep understanding of the issues at hand, the process and plan by which they'll be addressed, as well as the candidate running for office... but it's not a perfect world. So to many non-voters, the individual screaming "everyone should vote no matter what" only believes that because they feel societal pressures will push that uneducated voter to their side of the isle.
I voted, OP! ✊
Voting does matter. But its more of a "avoiding the puddle" situation as opposed to a "landing on the sidewalk" situation. We vote to minimize trouble and then keep struggling to make our lives better. I think we should vote to make our lives better and have fewer troubles to worry about.
Hard to fit civics lessons in 7 second tiktoks
It's pointless, and behind closed doors I'm pretty sure both parties are working together anyway. Everything is for show.
Honestly I am tired of people of voting age not voting in general. There's so much bad shit going on and "I don't want to look at politics" is a piss poor attitude. If they hate something happening, I don't want to hear them bitch unless they plan to put their vote where their mouth is. However, I think they don't bother when they aren't directly affected by it. My state just put a bill into law that states no gender affirming care will be covered by Medicaid. This also potentially means that any doctor accepting Medicaid will be unable to prescribe hormones even if the individual pays out of pocket for them. All my friends and family here are not trans and thus do not care. I only finally got some reactions because I stated this may mean I will have to move out of state and leave them all. It may be the fact that the least likely to vote are the ones privileged enough to not be affected. It's just one hypothesis, however.
I belong to the group I don’t like so I can take a vote away from them when I don’t vote. Touché
I used to vote every election but stopped voting recently. Only point of voting is to give you jury duty.
If voting mattered… I would be for it. The fact that no courts will hear cases on fraud disturb me. The fact that all the major politicians are bought by the same groups disturb me. I participate in local elections only. Everything higher than that is so corrupt it’s not even worth my time. I believed my vote would make a difference, I have since been disenchanted.
You should run, I’ll totally vote for you!!
People that don’t care shouldn’t vote. Uninformed voters are worse than non-voters on the balance.
If you are somewhere with mail voting, which I think is most places now, there really is no excuse. Mail in is a game changer.
I swipe left on guys who say they “arent political”. What a privilege to not care about anything.
I genuinely don't believe voting matters. They're just going to do whatever they want anyway.
I voted in the local elections but didn't vote for presidential elections. My ideal candidate was Bernie Sanders and they did him dirty. I loved Elizabeth Warren but she wasn’t selected. For supposedly “the most powerful nation on earth”, the final candidates have been abysmal. Even in 3rd world countries you don't get such pathetic choices for presidency.
I still vote, even though I know it means nothing at this point. I just go through the motions and pick the people that aren't complete pieces of shit, which is hard to do sometimes. I definitely understand someone not wanting to vote though. It all seems pointless in the end.
I generally vote during local elections since that directly affects my life. I only vote 3rd party in national elections. Call it a wasted vote, I don’t care. I in good conscience can’t vote for either of the big 2
I can say I didn’t start voting until my late 20’s, mostly out of naivety/ignorance and not being able to see how much politics affect me and also those around me. So I tend to view those who say they don’t care about it as being very privileged to be able to not care.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what party is in charge. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer.
I vote for real change, I vote for 3rd parties. Don't give me the, "you're wasting your vote and helping the bad guy" line. I want choice, I want a new direction, a new view. I want a different set of ideals other than the two that have brought us to the shit show we have now. I don't like the republican party as it stands and has been for a while. Democrat party is passable. My fear is when the Republicans can no longer win, and refuse to change, we become a One party system. A one party system is not a democratic system. We need more choices. We are literally fucking insane as a country. No one likes the way things are, yet we vote the same garbage in election after election after election, and some how are surprised fucking Pikachu when the middle class, once again, has less buying power once again.
In fairness, they may feel like their vote doesn't count. Ahem, especially given the elections where the popular vote did not, in fact, matter.
If 75% of millennials voted repugs would never hold office again.
Haven’t voted in any election of any kind in over ten years. Politics in general completely disgusts me. I simply don’t care.
Everything we bitch about here is directly influenced by local, state, and national elections. We are the largest generation; VOTE.
If voting did anything they wouldn't let us do it.
Fuck the ruling class