Hate the Choices? Here are Reasons to Register and Vote Anyway!!

September 21, 2016

The registration deadlines are coming soon for the 1 in 4 nationally that are  not registered to vote. Many are in communities that want to change the system, but are turned off by electoral politics.  This is a fresh way to look at voting for them. And at the end is a section for motivated voters that want to influence the election outcome.

Here are some of the common reasons given for not voting along with a suggested response.

I don’t like the candidates. I’ll vote when there is someone I can trust. 

In each election, voting is a choice of the alternatives available.  One of these choices will be elected.  Elections have consequences.  If you don’t make the choice, you choose not to exercise your power in the situation.    There is a lot at stake in this election regarding our climate, our rights, and our safety.  The sides are very clear.  By not voting, you are by default choosing the winner.

My vote doesn’t matter; it won’t change the election.

Actually one vote has decided the outcome in some local elections.   Also, the presidential  election in 2000 was decided by a few hundred votes in Florida.

More importantly, think of voting as an action you are taking with your friends and your community. Your voting will encourage others to vote, and all of our votes can make the difference. 

In our country’s history, the women’s movement and civil rights movements have fought at great cost for the right to vote.   Today, the Republican party under the guise of protecting the vote from virtually non-existent fraud, has passed laws to make it harder for minorities to vote.

None of this would be happening if your vote didn’t matter.

I don’t want to get jury dutyThat is only an issue in Alabama and Mississippi.  It used to be that jurors were chosen from he voting lists.  Now each state merges many lists including voter registration, driver’s licenses, state id’s, ….. This means that registering to vote won’t increase your chances.

If more people didn’t vote, the system would have to change 

In 2000, George W. Bush won with just 25% of the eligible voters. He lost the popular vote, but won the electoral vote  by winning Florida by a few votes.  Certainly that is not a landslide or a mandate. Yet, that didn’t stop him from enacting a large tax cut to benefit the wealthy, nor getting  us into an unnecessary war that continues to cost money and lives.

They system is rigged; my vote won’t get counted

A truly rigged election would be near impossible.  Each state controls its own election and has its own unique system.  And within the states, the votes are counted at the county level.  A lot of people would need to be involved in this rigging and they would have to keep the secret.  The professional spying agencies couldn’t even control the fact that they were spying on us from coming out. (Thank you Edward Snowden).

And why bother to rig it when our passive electorate  can be controlled by just money?   Check out this video.   There have been many efforts to change that, e.g. Circle Voting, but they all need people to step into the power they could have as voters.

My state is not close. My vote won’t matter.

The media is obsessed with the presidential contest, but there are many more races  down on the ballot where your vote can make a difference. And many states have vital referenda.

Your vote now also influences future elections.  Before running, potential candidates look to past elections results to determine if they would have a chance.

If the race in your state isn’t close, apps are available to help you trade your vote with a friend in a close state that wants to support a third party. Search “trading votes.”

It is too much trouble to vote

Think of the amount of time you spend recycling.   Registering and voting may take up to an hour, depending on the state, and  you are taking a much more important action toward reducing the major polluters,…. as well as many other issues.

Depending who wins, you could be spending many many hours protesting the policies of the winner, let alone the cost to our lives and to future generations.

Think of this as taking a little time to support your values and like-minded friends.  We are identifying with an independent movement  to elect politicians that  really serve the people.

And by holding this vision and taking action, we are helping it manifest. Check out Put a Little Magic in your vote.

TO REGISTER

Click here to register.   Most states require only 30 days of residence in the state prior to Election Day and some states even less.  If you’ve moved recently you need to re-register.

In most states the minimum Voter ID requirement for proof of residency is   just one of  the following with a current address:   bank statement, utility bill, pay check,  or government document,…  In some states that is needed for registration and in others for voting.

You can find each state’s rules here:

A good site for registering, verifying your registering, and obtaining an absentee ballot is:  Vote.org.

FOR MOTIVATED VOTERS

And if you are a motivated voter, spread the word, and consider sharing this directly with  your like-minded friends that live in the key states for President and control of the Senate, especially Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina,  Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

On Facebook, you can discover your friends in Pennsylvania by entering in the top search bare “Friends in Pennsylvania,” and then click on “see all” below the first few.

To keep connected on FB, “like” Circle Voting and join the Circle Voting group.