serious question. All my friends are telling me to. I just dont know. All I have to do is fill out a piece of paper and put it in the mailbox. Seems like it couldnt make anything worse. But raddle always has interesting thoughts on voting so I thought I might see what yall think.
Comments
celebratedrecluse wrote (edited )
Perhaps if you're in a contested state like the infamous Florida? I don't see any point to vote in most of the country for president.
However, if you can vote in your local and state ballot initiatives, it may be worth it in your area. For example, cannabis is being potentially legalized in a number of states, drug decriminalization is also on the ballot, there are other important issues being decided this way, and it can be helpful to have less reactionary people in the district attorney or sheriff or city offices depending on the options. I know some US Americans who are doing this, not voting in presidential elections but still voting in some other things like school boards and ballot measure.
kore OP wrote
Yea I think local elections might be worth it
An_Old_Big_Tree wrote (edited )
None of the anarchists I know who can will. For them, this is just that period before every US election where there's endless non-voter-shaming from every asshole who likes the smell of their self-righteous authoritarian farts.
Personally I think you could do plenty more meaningful things even with the little time it takes.
thelegendarybirdmonster wrote (edited )
Offer to sell your vote to your friends. If they really believe that it's that important, you'll get a little cash and they'll get to double their political voice lol
In the worse case you'll get them to quantify how much their vote is worth to them and they'll stop bothering you.
celebratedrecluse wrote
sell your vote
the marketplace of ideas!
technically, i think this is voter intimidation, which is a felony lol
zddy wrote
So...praxis?
ziq wrote
Literally the only time I voted was because my dad blackmailed me to vote for his friend in some local council position. He lost.
dreamweaver wrote
voting might give legitimacy to the current political system but not voting might also give more power to white supremacists short term
ive tried to be as objective as possible
my subjective opinion is vote the massive racist out so that we keep our planned parenthood and abortions and maybe if were lucky no more concentration camps. and if you want to keep voting do so at a more local level too
im not saying itll be a magical world and all problems will disappear (pretty sure nothing will be done about climate change), but at least we can damage control somewhat and still do anarchy during 99.995% of our lives that is not the 3rd of november
ultimately do what your conscience is telling you, but please don't let the decision by guided by laziness, it should be by your morals and ideals
celebratedrecluse wrote
maybe if were lucky no more concentration camps.
Biden built the racist criminal justice system as it exists today, through long work with arch segregationists from 1980s through the 2000s. His previous administration built the concentration camps you refer to. There is no reason to think he would close them, is there?
please don't let the decision by guided by laziness, it should be by your morals and ideals
Morality is the problem, not a solution to it.
dreamweaver wrote (edited )
There is no reason to think he would close them, is there?
pressure from the more progressive part of the party and voter base
Morality is the problem, not a solution to it.
what the frick does that mean
e: aight imma assume thats just a soundbite
OdiousOutlaw wrote (edited )
pressure from the more progressive part of the party and voter base
They weren't able to stop those systems from being built in the first place.
What's changed that would create enough pressure for him to undo what he's built?
A small surge in progressivism doesn't change the fundamentally centrist political party.
If anything, the centrist majority will take any victory that they get and come up with the conclusion that they can get progressive voters regardless of who they put up and will continue to pander to the right-moderate who were going to vote for Trump anyway.
dreamweaver wrote
now that is an argument i can agree with
thats my main worry
i think until we get enough people to actively seek change (if that ever happens), that state of affairs wont go away
until then if either the centrists or progressives win, we bring down a powerful figure of hard right authoritarianism that inflates tension to this day
we'll still be under capitalist rule afterwards, but that doesnt mean well suffer science denying for things as essential as handling the current pandemic for instance
ziq wrote
pressure from the more progressive part of the party and voter base
why would someone who's already been crowned king need to follow orders from his subordinates? The only orders he will follow are orders from his superiors (the capitalists who pay him).
dreamweaver wrote
we acting like congress and senate dont exist?
celebratedrecluse wrote
No, the congress and senate are the ones doing that. Name one major thing they've successfully checked the executive branch from doing in the past 20 years; perhaps I'm mistaken, but I can't think of a single thing.
celebratedrecluse wrote
pressure from the more progressive part of the party and voter base
This is so unbelievably delusional. What is your evidence that this will work...? Biden was the white right-wing pick for the obama administration to win the ticket in 2008 and 2012. His administration picked a district attorney who literally implemented slavery and apartheid on the black and brown community, to be their VP. The party they control fucked over the only social democrat in the primary race, and are explicitly catering to middle class suburbanites in the general. This isn't ancient history, it's an ongoing phenomenon.
what the frick does that mean e: aight imma assume thats just a soundbite
Lesser evilism and the belief in majoritarianism is the path to authoritarianism. Biden has said he will crucify the anarchists in your country, specifically that he will prosecute people federally for being an anarchist. you are a fool to think he is joking or just playing around; perhaps you are not so radical, so you think you can get away by slipping under the radar. But your comrades will suffer for such cowardice.
Stop thinking you have control over the government, or that you're going to. These people aren't on your side, or mine for that matter. I have no doubt Biden will continue to kill the people in my area, just as the rest of them have for decades now.
celebratedrecluse wrote
Furthermore, with respect to "laziness"; the voting registrar is PUBLIC INFORMATION in your country. Your home address is listed PUBLICLY when you register to vote. Do you really want to do this? Are you going to call "lazy" those who do not submit to this dangerous act? Perhaps for you, it is a question of "laziness" versus "civil service"; for many others, it is a question of "survival" versus "not survival". There is a civil war brewing in your country, do not moralistically shame those who seek to protect themselves and their personal information. Perhaps they are doing something actually meaningfully, like engaging in direct political action, and don't see the benefit of enthroning some ruler or another when both parties and all candidates are culpable and dangerous to them. Insufferable american!
UwUltraviolence wrote (edited )
If its easy and not draining I say yes. But if you don't no biggie. Vote only really counts in a really select number of states. If researching that and registering to vote isn't a problem for you i would try to.
I say this for one reason and one reason only: disability payments. Are they completely inadequate? Yes. Do people need them to survive? Yes. I believe Trump wants to tske them away while Joe Biden has either not mentioned them or will keep as is. So for some disabled folks who need it around the country im voting biden/Harris.
But it's not like my vote matters i live in a blue area in a blue state.
I heard this argument come from a disability advocate social media account so this is not my original thought so I could be very misinformed.
zddy wrote
Do what you want, obviously.
Keep in mind that the nonvoter party wins by a landslide every year.
86944 wrote (edited )
I already turned my ballot into the county election board.
If I'm forced to participate in this system I might as well utilize the privileges they extend to me.
transvot wrote
voting takes up valuable time that you can spend sitting under a tree thinking about bugs so i would say don't vote and look at a beetle instead
Basil wrote
I'm pretty ambivalent about voting. On one hand, it won't change anything and you can probably do something better with your time. On the other hand, It can't hurt, especially if you're voting third party, and would you actually do anything enjoyable or useful in those five minutes it took anyways?
OdiousOutlaw wrote (edited )
You should do as you please; doesn't matter since it doesn't really improve or worsen anything.
I can't get into the kayfabe that is US politics because the vampires that are desperately clawing their way to the power of the state apparatus can't pretend to be likable enough for me to suspend my disbelief, so there's no reason for me to even want to fill out that sheet of paper.
If you have some urge to vote, go ahead; it's not like performing this one act makes you not a radical/socialist/anarchist; I just don't see the point.
existential1 wrote
Voting speculation is a waste of time. Do or don't. Don't waste time/energy debating the merits.
rot wrote
do what you want don't listen to us