It seems that so long as I have been aware of politics people having been telling me to VOTE as if everybody having the right to vote is a mandate to use that right. This ubiquitous command has for a long time bothered me. The underlying statement seems to be, "vote" in order to be considered a conscientious citizen no matter your knowledge of the people or policies up for election.
However, I would contend that if you are unaware of policies and parties on the table then you and everybody else is better off in general if you DO NOT VOTE. The reason is simple, if you vote without knowing who or what you are voting for then at best you could be watering down the votes of conscientious citizens who do choose to learn about the issues and the people seeking public office.
At worst, you become a puppet of those with the money and inclination to manufacture advertisements and lies to such an extent that your vote is bought without you even knowing it. You see an ad on the TV or someone passes on a false truth, not knowing it and that pushes you to vote. And now, more likely than not, your vote is being used as a weapon against thoughtful, well-informed citizens.
So, I have come up with a bit a rubric. For every candidate you are considering voting to support or voting against, list 5-10 positions and policies you know that they support or oppose. Then read one small article or opinion piece that addresses your candidates perspective on that issue to be sure that that is what the person believes. If after that point you still feel strongly enough in support of that person then consider voting. But the night before casting your vote, please take an additional twenty minutes to read and think over criticisms of your candidate and his or her rivals and their policies.
If neither candidate is to your liking, then find a third party or don't vote at all. A voting turnout of less than 60% should not be seen as an indictment of the voters but rather that of the national parties and the dominant political parties that poorly represent the will of the nation.
So if you find both political parties too repugnant to endorse, do your part and consider staying home this election cycle. I have always been advised not to complain if I fail to vote. Last election I voted Republican as always, but had doubts on casting my vote then. Now I have decided that I do not agree in the least with the policies the candidates are selling, so I will not cast a vote this year. The past few election years there have not been a candidate I believe in full heartily, so this will be this first year I refused to cast a vote.
However, I would contend that if you are unaware of policies and parties on the table then you and everybody else is better off in general if you DO NOT VOTE. The reason is simple, if you vote without knowing who or what you are voting for then at best you could be watering down the votes of conscientious citizens who do choose to learn about the issues and the people seeking public office.
At worst, you become a puppet of those with the money and inclination to manufacture advertisements and lies to such an extent that your vote is bought without you even knowing it. You see an ad on the TV or someone passes on a false truth, not knowing it and that pushes you to vote. And now, more likely than not, your vote is being used as a weapon against thoughtful, well-informed citizens.
So, I have come up with a bit a rubric. For every candidate you are considering voting to support or voting against, list 5-10 positions and policies you know that they support or oppose. Then read one small article or opinion piece that addresses your candidates perspective on that issue to be sure that that is what the person believes. If after that point you still feel strongly enough in support of that person then consider voting. But the night before casting your vote, please take an additional twenty minutes to read and think over criticisms of your candidate and his or her rivals and their policies.
If neither candidate is to your liking, then find a third party or don't vote at all. A voting turnout of less than 60% should not be seen as an indictment of the voters but rather that of the national parties and the dominant political parties that poorly represent the will of the nation.
So if you find both political parties too repugnant to endorse, do your part and consider staying home this election cycle. I have always been advised not to complain if I fail to vote. Last election I voted Republican as always, but had doubts on casting my vote then. Now I have decided that I do not agree in the least with the policies the candidates are selling, so I will not cast a vote this year. The past few election years there have not been a candidate I believe in full heartily, so this will be this first year I refused to cast a vote.
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