Is anyone here planning on not voting in this election?

[tavalon]

We've heard so much about how people here are trying to discourage us from voting by telling us about the dangers of Diebold and reminding us that Tuesday may not, in fact, be a done deal. I can't say that I've personally read anything that I could translate as "Don't bother to vote, it's hopeless!" but the meme that it has been said is out there in DU land. So, it just occurred to me to find out if anyone here has been swayed by any of the discussion to avoid voting. Before now, I just assumed that everyone who posts to DU would be voting but perhaps I am wrong.

[Junkdrawer]

1. ..but it will be with a heavy heart as this will be my first touch screen...

election.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. To some extent yes, but not gladly

For one thing, many of my local elections have only one person in the race. I refuse to cast a vote unless there are at least two people running, so that is about a third of my choices on the ballot. As for non-local races, well... I've made my opinion of Maria Cantwell quite known on these boards, so no need repeating. Then there are a bunch of initiatives (this is Washington State, after all) which require my civic duty.

[tavalon]

5. I didn't get around to doing absentee

so I actually get to toddle down on Tuesday and do my duty. Yep, I vote for Maria with my nose held but I'm voting straight Dem. no matter what so Maria gets my vote. As far as those initiatives - I'm waiting for the one that bans Tim Iny whatshisname from doing any more initiatives. That's one I could happily vote for.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Ineligible

I'm English. From memory over 20% on DU are non USA.

[hughee99]

4. I'm the a-hole who said no...

but that's not really accurate. There is actually 1 local race where the democrat is running unopposed. He's done a few things to piss me off over the last year, so I'm not going to vote at all in that particular race. He's going to win, I'm just not going to vote for him. I will be filling out the rest of my ballot, though.

[tavalon]

7. Sounds like a no that's reallya yes. n/t

[hughee99]

9. Pretty much...

I've just never not-voted even for a single race before. I'm not in the "I'm not voting, it's hopeless" category, which I guess is what you really were asking about.

[swimboy]

6. Any time the polls open, I vote.

Once when John Warner was running unopposed I went to the polls and wrote in Lacey Davenport.



Edited to add: It may have been Tom Bliley. It was a long time ago.

[ecstatic]

8. yes, possibly for the last time

It's very inconvenient to vote around here. To make matters worse, it's unclear if my vote will even count. I should have a pretty easy time voting on Tuesday because there isn't usually a high turn out for midterm elections; but come 2008, I will not vote unless I have proof that most votes actually do count. I know a 100% accuracy might never be possible, but I will need assurance that at least 99% of the vote is counted accurately before I spend 2+ hours in line at the polls.

[tavalon]

11. I know the feeling

I'm voting and probably will continue, though I swore I never would again after Kerry did his abandonment gig. I was mad then and I changed my mind but I'm very unsure about whether our democracy really still exists and I resent being a prop in a banana republic.

[Joyce78]

10. Already voted

Here in Southwest Ohio, my husband and I voted absentee. We are Dems (assigned by the State of Ohio because we vote in Dem primaries). In '04 I called my BOE three times requesting our absentee ballots. This year I phoned two times requesting our ballots... they finally arrived. Well, we voted and put three stamps on each (didn't want to have them bounced back due to insufficient postage as happened to my elderly Dem parents in Florida, even though they placed two stamps on their absentee ballots). However, we worry that ours will in some way be disqualified (thrown out) because we are Dems.

This is terrible ... we should have confidence that we the people are speaking when we vote and our voices and votes are tabulated honestly and correctly.

Ever since the appointment of Bush/Cheney in 2000, I've been saying to my family and friends -- Welcome to Nazi Amerika. I've been praying (and that speaks volumes since I consider myself to be a recovering Catholic!)that following the upcoming election we finally begin to redeem ourselves and reclaim the legacy that the founders of democracy and this United States of America designed for us.

[MrSlayer]

12. Of course I'm voting.

And so is everyone in my family. All voting Democrat this time too. Even my Republican leaning father and brother are voting against Santorum.