Go vote

[Atreides]

We've managed to more or less avoid an election thread this year so I wanted to make a thread just for this-- I don't really care who you vote for but everyone who reads this should go out on tuesday and vote this year.

If you're a Democrat/progressive you need to vote to try and stem the tide, maybe it's in vain but the one thing you can do to stop the Republicans/Tea Party is to vote for the other side.

If you're a Republican/conservative you need to send a message to the administration, to put an end to 2 years of Obama's policies by voting an incumbent out or making sure your candidate gets in.

If you're an Independent you need to vote on the issues and policies that matter to you, and if you're a 3rd Party voter you need to vote and try to get your party over 10% so they appear on the top of the ballot in 2012.

I know it may seem like your vote doesn't count, and lord knows I'm as cynical about politics as the next person, but this matters. In the short time I've been voting there have already been more than a few state/federal elections that have been decided by just a few hundred votes, and even if your candidate has no chance of winning you need to vote for them anyway because there's a big difference "between a squeaker and a slam". There are quite a few races this year that are still neck and neck and probably a couple that will won't be fully counted for a couple of days.

Even if you don't think your vote is going to matter this is your one chance to stand up and be counted, to say you did your part. Even if you think the choice is between Rich Asshole A and Rich Asshole B you need to vote anyway, because no matter who wins these people are going to be making decisions on policies that WILL directly affect your life and the lives of the people you care about. Even if you just turned 18 there's no reason why 2012 needs to be the first election you vote in.

It's only 10 minutes every 2 years and your local polling station should be pretty close to your house, so do some googling or call around or go with a friend/relative, but don't sit this or any election out.




Like I said I don't really care who you vote for (not in this thread anyway) so I'd prefer if people could keep political bickering to another thread (lol).

...Well, except for prop 19, which all your CA people need to vote yes on, and then we can have a big BG cali weedfest gathering.

[Correction]

prop 19 is destined to fail, it's largest bloc of support is stoners from age 18-35. Simpsons did it, etc.

[Atreides]

yeah and even if it passes the federal government will probably step in but we can dream

[Egon]

Amen.


PS- Is an Egon/GoP/Tea Party victory thread going to be allowed?

[Yabby]

I want it to pass just to see what the fed's will do/say about it.

Edit: @Egon I don't support you doing it, but i will support your right to do so. Also die.

[Sepukku]

I don't know people can vote for these TP/Repub nutjobs after some of the shit they do/say... its like they don't even care about being a progressive society and/or their own constitutional rights being protected.

Its okay to not think a severe cost should be placed on the American government, and consequently its people, in order to provide everyone with health care, but to even act like people lesser than one's self don't deserve health care / "its only for the winners" sort of attitude, its just inhuman. The two sides being supported should be "Dems, good job, this is a good system" or "Dems, you screwed up, we need to find a more cost efficient method of providing health care," but some people when presented with the numbers/example stories of people who suffer without coverage shrug it off and say shit like "They should've worked harder" is ridiculous. More and more western countries have universal health care and we're becoming the exception as opposed to the rule and not everyone can be a white-collar union member with health coverage and everytime I hear a TP basket case suggest that health care is something that should be completely struck out and never reconsidered in any form I shake my head in disappointment at this country.

[Rhinox]

Amen.


PS- Is an Egon/GoP/Tea Party victory thread going to be allowed?

I don't see why it wouldn't No one on BG has been censored for Ideology only stupidity see: Leif .

[Egon]

I never did learn what got him banned. I'd like to see that thread.

[Kuya]

I for one would love a Tea Party victory thread.

[Jonny]

I never did learn what got him banned. I'd like to see that thread.

It was a liberal conspiracy....

[Max™]

It was a liberal conspiracy....

To get one of their own undercover agents banned?

A likely story...

[Cream Soda]

Not registered to vote and don't plan on it.

I don't complain either (for those of you who will say If you dont' vote don't complain)

A couple of hundred of votes isn't 1 vote. My vote is = 1, not 100+, so makes no difference there. Most people will say "If everyone who said that voted..." that is irrelevant. Because even if I vote, those other people still won't. Their voting isn't based on whether or not I vote, so in the end, it's still just 1 vote. If I were to go volunteer and encourage others to vote for x candidate(not that I ever would), now that could make a difference, but even then, me actually going in to vote won't make a diff there, either.

Yes, whoever is in office may effect family and friends, but not everyone I know will vote for the same person. So my vote would "help" some friends/family, yes, but it would also "hurt" others.

Then there's the candidates. I don't like any of them. "Vote for the one you dislike least!" I like all politicians the same, not at all. So I dislike them all equally. (at least for Florida). If the rent is too damn high party was in FL, I'd vote for kicks, just because the guy is funny, but his actual politics, I don't give a fuck about, just like anyone else.

It may only take 10 minutes, but frankly, I'd rather spend that 10 mins looking at a wall.

[Jonny]

http://themakingof.giveyourvote.org/...d_sandwich.png

[SaviorSelf]

Girl and I are on opposing sides, so our votes would just cancel out anyways.

[Caiyuo]

Not registered to vote and don't plan on it.

I don't complain either (for those of you who will say If you dont' vote don't complain)

A couple of hundred of votes isn't 1 vote. My vote is = 1, not 100+, so makes no difference there. Most people will say "If everyone who said that voted..." that is irrelevant. Because even if I vote, those other people still won't. Their voting isn't based on whether or not I vote, so in the end, it's still just 1 vote. If I were to go volunteer and encourage others to vote for x candidate(not that I ever would), now that could make a difference, but even then, me actually going in to vote won't make a diff there, either.

Yes, whoever is in office may effect family and friends, but not everyone I know will vote for the same person. So my vote would "help" some friends/family, yes, but it would also "hurt" others.

Then there's the candidates. I don't like any of them. "Vote for the one you dislike least!" I like all politicians the same, not at all. So I dislike them all equally. (at least for Florida). If the rent is too damn high party was in FL, I'd vote for kicks, just because the guy is funny, but his actual politics, I don't give a fuck about, just like anyone else.

It may only take 10 minutes, but frankly, I'd rather spend that 10 mins looking at a wall.

This is the rationale that leads to the 18-24/25 demographic consistently having dismally low turnouts in every election and it's a pretty awful argument.

re: OP: I was thinking something similar in the vein of posting voter resources, particularly:

http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm
- http://www.votesmart.org/voter_regis..._resources.php
- http://www.votesmart.org/voteeasy

http://www.factcheck.org/
http://www.politifact.com/

Was really happy to find stuff like this when I first voted. I think the greatest resource I used this election was actually newspapers and their respective websites for insight on local candidates and amendments, hopefully that's an option for most.

[Cream Soda]

I don't see how it's an awful argument when it's true. The other people who don't vote. They won't change their minds because I go vote. They're going to do what they wanted to do, regardless of my action.

[Eratosthenes]

I'm gonna go vote for a Muslim.

[Max™]

Scary how easily tea partiers seem able to motivate voters... yet not get as many people willing to vote if just to go against the tea party.

[Cantih]

Soda, seriously, cut that shit out. This is one of the reasons our generation is failing.
Your logic is the tragedy of the commons just writ another way.

[Maguspk]

I don't see how it's an awful argument when it's true. The other people who don't vote. They won't change their minds because I go vote. They're going to do what they wanted to do, regardless of my action.

The point is when many people think that way the cumulative result is significant.