• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Getting People To Vote

Ben H

Well-known member
I have a young co-worker that doesn't vote, she has some opinions but has that attitude that her vote doesn't matter. I shook on a deal yesterday that if she comes to work with the I Voted Today, or whatever those stupid things say, I will buy lunch at the deli. I didn't make any kind of deal saying I'd by lunch if you vote for so and so, just to get in there and vote. If she was a democrat I probably wouldn't have made the deal. Every little bit you can do to get people to turn out is needed. I figure an investment in a sandwich is a lot better then 4 years of a movement towards socialism. Don't even bother with the "you people don't even know what socialism is" argument, I'm well aware of it, I'm also aware of the long term effects. I work with a hard core liberal, I don't know of anything that will change these people, they will only look at what they want to see.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
I was watching a guy on TV last night that John Stossel (sp) was interviewing. His point was that a lot of people should not vote. If they aren't keep up with the issues and actually know who the candidates are and what they are for, they shouldn't vote - they're artificially skewing it from the voters that acually know what they're voting for.

We don't have an obligation to vote, we have an obligation to make an informed vote.
 

Mike

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
I was watching a guy on TV last night that John Stossel (sp) was interviewing. His point was that a lot of people should not vote. If they aren't keep up with the issues and actually know who the candidates are and what they are for, they shouldn't vote - they're artificially skewing it from the voters that acually know what they're voting for.

We don't have an obligation to vote, we have an obligation to make an informed vote.

Back years ago before the "Voter Rights" legislation passed, there used to be a simple "Literacy" test to be able to vote here.

It was simple enough: "Please read aloud this paragraph", "Please complete the following sentence", things like this........about 3rd grade level.

Anyway, when that was ruled unconstitutional by some Federal Judge, there were people assigned to go into the voter booth with the voters who could not read nor write.

I have always wondered how they figured this was fair because there was no way for the voter to tell whether that "Poll Worker" was voting for his/her candidate of choice or not.

Fairness and balance has really gone downhill since the inception of "Civil Rights". :roll:
 

VanC

Well-known member
Sandhusker said:
I was watching a guy on TV last night that John Stossel (sp) was interviewing. His point was that a lot of people should not vote. If they aren't keep up with the issues and actually know who the candidates are and what they are for, they shouldn't vote - they're artificially skewing it from the voters that acually know what they're voting for.

We don't have an obligation to vote, we have an obligation to make an informed vote.

That's pretty much the way I feel. I encourage people to vote, but I also encourage them to inform themselves as best they can. We have to remember that not everyone has hours upon hours to spend perusing the internet or other sources for information. You do what you can, but at least try.

I always vote, but I often will skip an office or two if I don't know anything about the candidates, or if I feel none of them deserve my vote. This is a direct result of voting for Carol Mosely Braun back in the early 90's just because she she was a black woman who had a D by her name. She turned out to be one of the most corrupt, ineffective senators my state has ever sent to Washington, IMO, and that's saying a lot. I vowed never to do that again. I didn't cast a vote in '04 when Obama ran against Alan Keyes, and there's a good possibility I won't cast a vote for president this year. But I will vote. There are too many other offices and local referendums that are important to me.

Someone once said that a democracy is better served by a 20% turnout of informed voters than a 90% turnout of uninformed ones. I tend to agree with that.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Mike said:
Sandhusker said:
I was watching a guy on TV last night that John Stossel (sp) was interviewing. His point was that a lot of people should not vote. If they aren't keep up with the issues and actually know who the candidates are and what they are for, they shouldn't vote - they're artificially skewing it from the voters that acually know what they're voting for.

We don't have an obligation to vote, we have an obligation to make an informed vote.

Back years ago before the "Voter Rights" legislation passed, there used to be a simple "Literacy" test to be able to vote here.

It was simple enough: "Please read aloud this paragraph", "Please complete the following sentence", things like this........about 3rd grade level.

Anyway, when that was ruled unconstitutional by some Federal Judge, there were people assigned to go into the voter booth with the voters who could not read nor write.

I have always wondered how they figured this was fair because there was no way for the voter to tell whether that "Poll Worker" was voting for his/her candidate of choice or not.

Fairness and balance has really gone downhill since the inception of "Civil Rights". :roll:

So you don't think the elderly that can't read the fine print- or are too shakey to get their little dot colored in should vote :???:

How about blind folks....
If you make exemptions for one- you have to for all...
 

Ben H

Well-known member
backhoeboogie said:
Our ancestors fought and many died to give us the right to vote. Not exercising that right is essentially saying they fought for nothing.

The right to vote was one tiny little thing that people like me fought for. Yes it's important, but the type of government our forefathers fought far is what is truly important, the right to vote is one small part of that. The direction we are headed be it Nationalism, Facism or Socialism is not the intent. Capitalism and the free market works, if it's not screwed with. The things with liberalism is that it's always being pushed to give in a little bit, then a little more, then a little more, all of a sudden we're baling out companies that are "too big to fail". The free market and the american dream gives us the right to PURSUE happiness, to succeed, but it also allows us to fail so that we can learn from mistakes and better ourselves.
 

jodywy

Well-known member
We had a State legislator representative that got elected by a ping pong ball, the election was tied and the Governor pulled a ping pong ball out of his hat. So very vote dose count….one more people would have been the one to pick….
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
jodywy said:
We had a State legislator representative that got elected by a ping pong ball, the election was tied and the Governor pulled a ping pong ball out of his hat. So very vote dose count….one more people would have been the one to pick….

Yep, happened here a few times- and with our states gambling history- they drew cards- high card won...
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
jodywy said:
We had a State legislator representative that got elected by a ping pong ball, the election was tied and the Governor pulled a ping pong ball out of his hat. So very vote dose count….one more people would have been the one to pick….

Yep, happened here a few times- and with our states gambling history- they drew cards- high card won...

I'm surprised they didn't just have a shoot out. Winner takes all.
 

backhoeboogie

Well-known member
Ben H said:
backhoeboogie said:
Our ancestors fought and many died to give us the right to vote. Not exercising that right is essentially saying they fought for nothing.

The right to vote was one tiny little thing that people like me fought for. Yes it's important, but the type of government our forefathers fought far is what is truly important, the right to vote is one small part of that. The direction we are headed be it Nationalism, Facism or Socialism is not the intent. Capitalism and the free market works, if it's not screwed with. The things with liberalism is that it's always being pushed to give in a little bit, then a little more, then a little more, all of a sudden we're baling out companies that are "too big to fail". The free market and the american dream gives us the right to PURSUE happiness, to succeed, but it also allows us to fail so that we can learn from mistakes and better ourselves.

Ben H. That is likely the most truthful and knowledged reply anyone has ever posted while responding to my ranting. I am impressed
 

Ben H

Well-known member
Thanks, excuse the typos, they are hard to see from my couch. I have my computer hooked up to my LCD TV and use a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Some may look at my intent as bribing someone to vote, I kind of got that from the responses about "informed" voters. I brought up the point that this is a person I'm offering to buy lunch for that is informed, just doesn't feel her vote matters. I feel my intent is far more noble then groups like ACORN using voter fraud to help their candidate of choice. Unfortunately I'm in a very blue district and I'll be shocked if McCain can take it. I can still try like hell though.
 
Top