American Voters Disgust Me

[Sava]

our democracy has failed because of YOU

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Oerdin
In the American system each Congressional district gets to choose their own representative and no one outside that district gets a say.

The French system is the same, except that voters are registered in the eyes of the law (by a neutral and easy bureaucratic process), and parties have no part in the registration process at all.

If you want to influence the choices of a party, you have to get membership in that party, which is something completely unrelated with your status as a voter: your belonging to a party is not taken into account by the bureaucracy, and your being a voter isn't taken into account by the party.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Sava
our democracy has failed because of YOU

i know.....i am lower than snail slime

[germanos]

Originally posted by Oerdin


To insure people are voting in the correct district. Only people who live in one district can vote for that districts representative so they want to make sure that people from outside aren't coming in to change the vote and make one candidate win. In the Dutch system everything is based upon the percentage of votes each party receives on the national level so where people vote doesn't matter.

In the American system each Congressional district gets to choose their own representative and no one outside that district gets a say.

Over here your location only matters whereas local (municipality) elections are conceirned.
Every citizen is located somewhere, thus you get a voter card for the municipality you are registered in.
From what I gather from the US system, not only do I have to make clear to the city of Rotterdam is that I live here, but also that I would like to vote. Why is that?
(in other words: as soon as I move from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, I will get my voters 'allowance' send to my adress in Amsterdam as soon as I tell the Amsterdam authorities I'm living there, and it's automaticly stripped in Rotterdam. Signing in as a Amsterdam resident is enough, I do not have to follow a paralel route to get me eligible to vote there.)

For the federal elections in the US one needs to register to vote as well, why is registration required there as well? If the IRS is able to find you, why can't the election board send you an invitation to vote?

[Tattila the Hun]

Originally posted by Apocalypse

Too difficult for you actually. There isn't a set number of canidates available to vote for. It varies from place to place. Unless it's something like a school board election, it would fail.

Eh, of course the number of choises determine the number of... numbers. But that way too obvious to mention, so I didn't. I don't assume the posters in poly are too stupid to understand that, even the american ones. Or are you actually saying, that in New York they have five guys running for prez, and three guys in Atlanta?

And of course, if there are just two guys running, then a simple "against"-voting would work. 50% want a guy to be prez, but it could also be, that only 25% most deffinately don't want the other guy to win, and 75% would prefer the first guy, but don't really have a problem with the other, either.

How many guys did actually run in the latest US prez election? One only hears about the rep and dem candidates... Did Nader run?

[GePap]

POliticians cater to those they know vote. That is why seniors get so much, because politicians KNOW senior will vote, so make the seniors happy.

Young adults on the other hand don't vote, or contribute. Therefore, the only use they have to politicians is a cheap labor- otherwise who gives a **** what twentysomethings think- when it comes time to vote, they don;t show up.

People who don't vote are undermining their own power, and that is a silly thing to do. I vote in every election.

I guess what we need is a good ol fashioned Terror to shake things up.

[polarnomad]

Lots of 20-somethings were present at Nader's rally in Santa Cruz (CA) back in 2000. Unfortunately, I think many fell for the Dems whining about Nader ruining their election.... which was kind of the point, I thought. We should vote for who we believe in, not who shouldn't lose. The little cry-babies were even picketing outside Nader's rally blaming the Greens for the up-coming Dem loss. Morons.

[Solly]

Originally posted by Tattila the Hun
But there are plenty of "ones". They make "many".

But I am not many. I am one. I can only control one vote, not many.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
But I am not many. I am one. I can only control one vote, not many.

Hence political activism. When you have the opportunity to influence hundreds of voters by yourself (and when your organization influences dozens of thousands), you make a real difference.

[Solly]

Originally posted by Spiffor

Hence political activism. When you have the opportunity to influence hundreds of voters by yourself (and when your organization influences dozens of thousands), you make a real difference.

Agreed, political activism makes sense, but on election day voting doesn't.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Re: American Voters Disgust Me

Originally posted by SlowwHand
What disgusts me is that 17% of registered voters made the decision.
Don't even say it's Texas. It's not. Apathy is so rampant it's...disgusting.
Get off your asses and vote.

This was only the party primaries, where absence is not a rejection of participation in elections/civic activity, only a rejection of the major organized parties/party activity. There are a whole lot of voters who made a conscious decision not to have either democrat or republican stamped on their voter ID.

[SlowwHand]

You give back power, primary or general election. Your voice is muted, by you.
Again, I could give a **** less what they stamp on my card. The spam email and snail mail remains the same.