By Carl Weinschenk
Folks give plenty of excuses for not voting. It’s human nature to resist saying you aren’t doing something simply because you are too lazy, which is what it probably comes down to. People want to present a better justification for their inaction.
Following is a list of excuses people give for not voting. With a couple of exceptions, it’s a master class in defensiveness and rationalization.
I don’t vote because all politicians are the same. This is one of several iterations of the base rationalization of attacking the institution itself. The core is arrogance: The system is a disappointment that has not performed well and is not worthy of the individual’s vote. It’s at heart cynical and nihilist.
The reality is that all politicians are not the same. Just as all bakers are not the same, all classical violinists are not the same and all French teachers are not the same. People are molded by their personalities, their circumstances, there sense of right and wrong and myriad other forces and factors.
Topping List of Excuses for Not Voting
If anything, the differences are more extreme because outside influences have more control over what a candidate says when campaigning and what he or she does if the campaign is a success. A politician on the left is far more constrained about his or position on abortion. The same is true about a politician on the right addressing election integrity.
I don’t vote because it’s all nasty tearing down of the other side. There was a grain of truth to this, albeit a small one. Back in day the parties took care of business with about the same level of avarice. They were not carbon copies of each other, but they differed far less than they do today. They questioned their opponents’ positions and programs more than their patriotism and basic decency.
Politics as blood sport and demonization aimed at destroying the other side have always been part of politics. (Check out how Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson went after each other). But they didn’t dominate. Social scientists and political historians can pinpoint when and how the balance shifted.
For my money, three codependent developments reordered American politics. The activation and weaponization of latent populism on the right (which took over the Republican party), the development of powerful computing and communications tools (that made it possible) and the Citizens United Supreme Court decision (which let unlimited cash to flow into politics (and concentrated power into fewer hands).
The system is corrupt. This is a bookend excuse to the first point. Politics is a world awash in money. Plenty of people are trying to do good and plenty of others are trying to fleece them or in some other way beat the system. This is true all over the globe. Always has been, always will be. The goal is to keep the wrong doers at bay, to acknowledge the existence of graft and limit it to being a civic cancer that is in remission. The way to do this is to become more involved. Not less. Not paying attention clearly exacerbates the problem.
I have only one vote and it doesn’t matter. Noted. The odds are about a trillion to one against a single person’s vote ever deciding an election (though it has happened). Now go vote. And, by the way, all the folks who bother to show up and voting also just have one vote. They are not using it as a dodge.
I’m too busy. This one can be divided into two parts. Middle class people generally can take time off from work to vote. Folks without jobs also should have no problem carving out some time from their busy schedules as well.
However, this excuse has resonance among lower wage workers.These folks have less control over their work hours and, indeed their jobs overall. Employers can play games and tighten the screws on election day. It’s a way of suppressing the vote.
And keep in mind that virtually every eligible person has some form of early voting available. These include early mail and in person voting.
I hear about the potential for intimidation and even violence at the polls. That scares me. People parachutted behind enemy lines during World War II. They were shot at in rice paddies in Vietnam. They were attacked by IEDs in the Middle East. Perhaps it’s fair that we take a chance–one that is infinitesimal smaller than those and thousands of others–to save our democracy. And, of course, nobody can attack somebody dropping a ballot at the post office.
I am a citizen and able to vote. But I don’t want to because of my skin color and ICE. This unfortunately has some merit. The situation has moderated somewhat during the past couple of months. Hopefully that trend will continue.
I don’t follow politics and have no idea who to vote for. It’s never been easier to find the basics about a candidate or the party to which he or she belongs. But even the worst case scenario–voting without knowing anything–is better than not voting. It’s close, because voting blind may provide support to somebody horrendous. But the reality is that voting supports our system of government and that not doing so hurts it. So, in that sense, a bad vote is better than no vote.
I am making a statement by not voting. I can’t really argue with this. One has a right not to vote. The truth is that the system has taken a lot of hard hits during the past 25 years and needs to be upgraded and reformed via such and reformed via such steps as as stronger campaign laws, overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the elimination of the Electoral College and others. Backing these and other actions is far superior than just not paying attention.
Remember: There are a million excuses for not voting, But they are just that–excuses. Here are some helpful links that will make it easier to put the excuses behind. Click either on this link or this one for information on how to register and find your polling location.
(Image: Andy Thrasher at https://www.flickr.com/photos/athrasher/)