Not voting might ensure 'greater evil' takes office
(Last updated: 11/10/08 7:16pm)In a letter titled Voting not worth hassle if candidates not up to par (SN 11/6), Arthur Manoli gives excuses why his decision to not vote was a more educated and reasonable answer than voting. One of his excuses was that he would only be voting for the “lesser of the two evils,” so why vote at all.
First, I would ask if Arthur had voted in any of the primaries in order to ensure a candidate that shared more of his viewpoints would be one of the final two major candidates. I’m guessing the answer is no. Second, wouldn’t voting for the “lesser of two evils” and having that lesser evil in office be better than not voting and having the “greater of two evils” as the next president of the United States?
Manoli then goes on to say that candidates will get more and more out of touch with his own viewpoints if he decides to vote, but how does he expect candidates to get in touch with him if he never decides to vote? Does he believe candidates are going to take the time to get in touch with someone who is so out of touch himself that he believes not voting will fix anything in the government?
Finally, if you don’t want to vote for any of the candidates because you don’t like their policies, you should at least vote for the various propositions and proposals that were on the ballot this year. How Manoli has no opinion on medical marijuana, stem cell research or even the Capitol Area Transportation Authority millage is beyond me.
It is every U.S. citizen’s privilege, right and obligation to vote, and by deciding to “rock the nonvote” Manoli has done a great injustice to himself and to his country.
Kevin Salata
food industry management senior
Originally Published: 11/10/08 7:05pm
Bill
11/10/08 7:52pmI have to disagree with you on this one Kevin. I’m a little put off by the whole “everybody get out and vote” agenda.
Nobody is doing anyone else a favor by simply punching a ballot. The message should be “everybody educate yourselves, and then get out and vote.” Bush won the presidency (once) due to a demographic of uneducated voters. Middle America came out in droves to vote their ignorance.
People who vote for the party and not the candidate should stay home on election day.
There is a misguided notion in this country that democracy is at it’s best when the highest number of citizens vote.
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Jason Van Dyke
11/10/08 9:48pmI agree with the position that inherent in the right to vote is the right to refrain from voting. If someone doesn’t care enough about the issues or thinks that America is so corrupt that voting isn’t worth his time, I honestly don’t want that person to be voting.
absolutely
11/11/08 8:41amI didn’t vote this year and the greater of 2 evils did take office…I really regret not voting!
Kevin
11/11/08 10:06amI agree with what your saying Bill. I also wrote an opinion article that was in the paper last Tuesday about how people should become educated voters before going to the polls because people were just going to vote because it was the popular thing to do.
Come on now Bill
11/11/08 10:41amSo Bill, does that mean all the educated voters decided NOT to come out and vote against Bush last election? These voters sure came out in droves to vote this year. We’ll see what happens when less exciting and charasmatic candidates take the stage in the post-Obama elections. I’m willing to bet that voter turnout will return to the disappointing voting turnouts we’ve had for a number of years. Sadly, it’s a two way street.
Come on now Bill
11/11/08 10:44amBill—this isn’t really a slam on your post, but I tend to feel that ignorant votes represent a less than desirable percentage for both Dem and Repub candidates.
SpellCheck
11/11/08 10:46amSorry, I meant to say charismatic.
john
11/11/08 2:08pm“Bush won the presidency (once) due to a demographic of uneducated voters.” do you have proof that people were uneducated? were people more educated this time? there is always going to be educated and uneducated voters. LIVE RIGHT
re: john
11/11/08 3:57pmYes, john, here’s the statistical evidence (from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, in additional input from various political scientists and demographers from across the country):
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/us/politics/11south.html?emc=eta1
Cheers.
Bill
11/12/08 8:41pmIndeed. If you look at a county map of the entire U.S., the counties that voted most overwhelmingly for Bush are the counties with the lowest percentage of college graduates.