The Wasted Vote Lie

To my utter astonishment, this bogus argument invariably causes some genuine freedom-loving people to betray their stated beliefs. Why do they leap from the Ship of Principle into the stormy Sea of Compromise at the very moment their strength, courage and resolve are needed the most? Only one thing makes a person abandon everything they’ve ever believed in and fought for — desperation, the feeling that all is lost and the best one can do is choose the lesser of two evils.

Wasted Vote Lie, by Lee Wrights, 2012 Libertarian Party presidential candidate

Lee Wrights makes a compelling message about the "Wasted Vote Lie" in American politics. Many at ATS know how it feels to support a candidate who is ignored by the press and labeled as a "wasted vote." But ultimately it is those who stick to principal and make the hard choices who really inspire change.

Your vote counts in your local elections yes.
Your vote for President is not what elects the President, George Dubya was a fine example of how to win without earning the popular votes.

If you want to waste your time on election day and vote for a President.... then waste your vote voting for Ron Paul at least.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Because "wasting" a vote on a Republican candidate is inherently better than "wasting" a vote on a 3rd party one?

reply to post by JibbyJedi


If a couple hundred more people would've voted for Gore in Florida in 2000, their votes definitely would have mattered.

I'm curious why you think your vote for the President doesn't matter. You are aware I imagine how the electoral college actually works.

Originally posted by squibo
reply to post by JibbyJedi

 

I don't know, If a couple hundred more people would've voted for Gore in Florida in 2000, their votes definitely would have mattered.

A couple hundred more people did vote for Gore in fl. 2000. They can't matter if they arn't counted.

The Wasted Vote Lie

What a great thread title!

I agree.
Not voting as a form of popular culture is one of the more repugnant things I have ever seen.

What if it was determined, after an audit of the government,
that the level of corruption was directly related to the percentage of non voters.


David Grouchy

This is a silly argument. The world does NOT run the way you think it should, never has, probably never will, period. Look it up and look around if you are in disbelief.

I especially love it when the Presidents, Congressman, Senators, and upcoming politicians all say the same thing.... "The problem lies with Washington, we've got to fight to change Washington!"

WHAT??? You guys ARE Washington! It's absurd and I don't get all tangled up in that bs net they throw at us every 4 years.

I'd vote for Ron Paul instead of a 3rd party because he's got the experience and is the only guy talking right now that doesn't sound like a used car salesman repeating the same crap I hear every 4 years, don't you guys have "memories" and realize that they all say the same crap to get your support? I say support, not to get elected, they are (s)elected, not elected.

Enjoy the kool-aid.

Originally posted by kro32
You are aware I imagine how the electoral college actually works.

Please, enlighten us.

reply to post by SpectreDC


Far too complicated a subject to take you through the whole process however here is a list of frequently asked questions you can use to begin the learning process. Quite an interesting read.

www.archives.gov...

Originally posted by kro32
reply to post by SpectreDC

 

Far too complicated a subject to take you through the whole process however here is a list of frequently asked questions you can use to begin the learning process. Quite an interesting read.

www.archives.gov...

I didn't ask you to send me a link to some government sites approved information on what an electoral college is.

I simply quoted you saying you were aware what the electoral college was, and I responded asking you to enlighten use with your knowledge. I don't care what a government site says in relation to these posts I'm making.

But just to be a dick and burst your bubble, it took me about 5 minutes on that site until information pertaining to why some people (reasonably) believe their vote has no bearing on who is elected as president.

Since you're implying you have correct knowledge on this subject though, I'm sure you know why.

reply to post by SpectreDC


Basically when you cast a vote for a republican or democrat you are voting for an elector who will "pledge" to honor your vote. They aren't required to by law but only 1 time in our history I believe have the electors chosen outside of the popular vote.

Each State receives 1 elector per member in the house and 1 elector for each member in the Senate. When the State votes are counted all the electors are "pledged" to vote for whoever won the majority of ballots cast.

Your right no vote is ever wasted..



It does this here whether you want it to or not...

Originally posted by kro32
reply to post by SpectreDC

 

They aren't required to by law

And there you go.

You answered your own question why people believe their vote is ultimately meaningless.

You can say it has only happened once in our history, and whether or not it has happened multiple times or just once is meaningless. The point is that by law the popular vote has no bearing on who is and who isn't elected as president in the end, and the fact that it has happened means it can happen again.

Whether or not people should or shouldn't vote still is up to debate.

reply to post by SpectreDC


Yes but the electoral college was created to give smaller States a say in who becomes President. Removing this system would make the later voting States and the people that live there irrelevant.

It also has the dual purpose of a check to prevent a write-in candidate from becoming President. Assume that you and I and the rest of America become so fed up with this campaign that we start a movement to write in Lady Gaga as President. Come election day she get's enough votes to be President, well the electors can hopefully do their duty and not allow a protest vote to wind up leaving America leaderless.

Hear, Hear! Following your convictions is never wasted. It sends a message and courage spreads.

The "wasted vote" bs is crowd psychology measured by scheming sociopaths to manipulate weakened minds. It's been working for a while now, but it's time to 'block that punt.'

Besides, those that have bought it in the past just might be surprised how following your convictions can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Be a hard head on general principle. There is no lesser of two evils when it comes to the puppets of TPTB.

reply to post by kro32


Man, you have really bought into the propaganda. Are you a Bill O'Reilly fan?

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse


This whole discussion is dependent upon accurate vote counts. If the electronic (or paper) voting system in the places where it exists is compromised, not even the Electoral College matters, because even those who take and uphold an oath to vote as their state tells them to may be voting for a manipulated result. So what we are really discussing here is the accuracy and integrity of our voting system, a laughable system at best. In that context both those who vote and those who do not have "wasted" their votes... but some went to a lot more effort than others to be ultimately ineffective. I'll be sitting this one out, no matter what some guy running for President has to say about it. Anybody who wants the job cannot be trusted anyway...

reply to post by WoundedByHonesty


Well yes that would definetly throw everything out the window I'd imagine.

I believe we are assuming that the votes are being counted accurately for arguments sake however.