Comments on: Election Eve http://electrolicious.com/2002/11/election_eve Daily affirmations of a word mercenary Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:27:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Anonymous http://electrolicious.com/2002/11/election_eve#comment-314 Anonymous Fri, 15 Nov 2002 09:33:41 +0000 #comment-314 <p><p><p>Sorry philippe, but Stalin's ideology was indeed intrinsically evil. And Nazi Germany was "reformed" a lot sooner than Soviet Russia!</p></p> <p><p>In any case, you vote for the greater good not the lesser evil.</p><br /><br /> </p></p>

Sorry philippe, but Stalin’s ideology was indeed intrinsically evil. And Nazi Germany was “reformed” a lot sooner than Soviet Russia!

In any case, you vote for the greater good not the lesser evil.

]]> By: kim http://electrolicious.com/2002/11/election_eve#comment-313 kim Mon, 11 Nov 2002 16:47:42 +0000 #comment-313 "I have to disagree with the first commenter; although I am voting in this election, I believe abstaining is a viable alternative to voting when your conscience dictates. What if the only two candidates are vying for who is more anti-drug, more tough on crime, etc.? Between fascism and fascism, I choose nothing." ....... but there are almost never only two candidates. every year in the u.s., for example, a huge amount of people run for president.. something like 200. even after many of those are eliminated, there are still always choices other than democrat vs. republican. people just ignore them. i can totally understand disliking the policies of the dominant political candidates and seeing them as equally bad. that's why it's even MORE important to vote for a different choice. it's so expensive to run that people won't do it if they think it's pointless, so not voting for alternative candidates perpetuates the process. if everyone who didn't vote started voting for a new political party for example... “I have to disagree with the first commenter; although I am voting in this election, I believe abstaining is a viable alternative to voting when your conscience dictates. What if the only two candidates are vying for who is more anti-drug, more tough on crime, etc.? Between fascism and fascism, I choose nothing.”
…….

but there are almost never only two candidates. every year in the u.s., for example, a huge amount of people run for president.. something like 200. even after many of those are eliminated, there are still always choices other than democrat vs. republican. people just ignore them.

i can totally understand disliking the policies of the dominant political candidates and seeing them as equally bad. that’s why it’s even MORE important to vote for a different choice. it’s so expensive to run that people won’t do it if they think it’s pointless, so not voting for alternative candidates perpetuates the process. if everyone who didn’t vote started voting for a new political party for example…

]]> By: Choire http://electrolicious.com/2002/11/election_eve#comment-312 Choire Wed, 06 Nov 2002 00:10:02 +0000 #comment-312 I guess maybe an abstention in America is a spoiled ballot. Take a boxcutter through it. Although, here in New York, there is no write-in or other marking of the ballot allowed. Our ballot machines have a little lever to turn to mark an "X", and you can only turn one, so you can't spoil it by voting for two candidates. Isn't that strange? I thought I got to vote for anyone I wanted? Guess not. I guess maybe an abstention in America is a spoiled ballot. Take a boxcutter through it.

Although, here in New York, there is no write-in or other marking of the ballot allowed. Our ballot machines have a little lever to turn to mark an “X”, and you can only turn one, so you can’t spoil it by voting for two candidates. Isn’t that strange? I thought I got to vote for anyone I wanted? Guess not.

]]> By: mike http://electrolicious.com/2002/11/election_eve#comment-311 mike Wed, 06 Nov 2002 00:06:42 +0000 #comment-311 I didn't know you could abstain, that's much better then spoiled ballots. They really should teach you this stuff in school. I didn’t know you could abstain, that’s much better then spoiled ballots. They really should teach you this stuff in school.

]]> By: Choire http://electrolicious.com/2002/11/election_eve#comment-310 Choire Tue, 05 Nov 2002 23:39:28 +0000 #comment-310 <p><p>In Robert's Rules, an abstention is a vote. There are yays, nays, and abstentions. Each of these three votes counts towards the voting body. Abstentions and no votes can cause a motion to fail.</p></p> <p><p>Not voting is your fourth option in a forum run by Roberts Rules. You don't count in the voting body, and your "non-vote" doesn't matter in the outcome of the matter decided.</p></p> <p><p>In an election, not voting is not similar to an abstention, nor is it a protest. If it is a protest, it is indistinguishable from apathy. If you don't come to school one day out of protest, it is indistinguishable from not coming to school because you hate it and don't care to attend any longer. </p></p> <p><p>Not voting is neither a clear message or a useful tool. As far as I'm concerned, you better take a lot of action to make up for your not voting, because when green or liberal or working family party candidates lose, it's because of you. When OUR representatives vote to go to war or work to repeal abortion rights, it's YOUR non-voting fault.</p></p>

In Robert’s Rules, an abstention is a vote. There are yays, nays, and abstentions. Each of these three votes counts towards the voting body. Abstentions and no votes can cause a motion to fail.

Not voting is your fourth option in a forum run by Roberts Rules. You don’t count in the voting body, and your “non-vote” doesn’t matter in the outcome of the matter decided.

In an election, not voting is not similar to an abstention, nor is it a protest. If it is a protest, it is indistinguishable from apathy. If you don’t come to school one day out of protest, it is indistinguishable from not coming to school because you hate it and don’t care to attend any longer.

Not voting is neither a clear message or a useful tool. As far as I’m concerned, you better take a lot of action to make up for your not voting, because when green or liberal or working family party candidates lose, it’s because of you. When OUR representatives vote to go to war or work to repeal abortion rights, it’s YOUR non-voting fault.

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