squeeeb

lordy lordy, i'm almost 40, and i have never voted in my life. when i moved here to colorado, they asked me at the DMV when i got my new license, if i wanted to register. i said yes.

i am a now registered libertarian.

and i'm actually rather excited about it. i never cared about politics, i hated politics, as far as i'm concerned, it's all lies and bullshit anyway. there is very little difference between democrat and republican when you look closely (from what i see) and i just didn't care.

but, now that i'm a bit older, i think i will vote. i still feel like i'm throwing a vote away as a libertarian, i might as well not vote, since the libertarian party will most likely never get control of anything, even though everyone screams for a change, they only seem to think there are two parties.

still, i will probably vote for the first time in my life this year. i'm kinda excited about it, i want to be more active in it all, want to be a part of it. i would like to somehow help the libertarian party get "in" and change shit. i just don't know how.

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onward to mayhem!

JumpinJesus

Welcome to the club, squeeb. Now, if only we could get a few million others to join, we'd be good.

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"I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses

Willravel

Congrats. By the time I'm 40, I will have voted for 5 people who probably don't stand a chance.

BTW, the Green party is always looking for people who are too liberal for the Libertarians...

Jetée

Not that it particularly relates, but this topic flooded me back to recent dream of mine that is still evanescent, but what I recall from it is a voice teling me, "Man! Do not register to vote! Don't do it!"

For now, I am listening to the disembodied voice; he may have a point.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Bill O'Rights

Maybe...maybe not. A couple of points, though. As long as you are voting your conscience you are not throwing your vote away. Whether or not your candidate has a hope in hell of winning is not the point. If enough people that believed in the Libertarian candidate would actually vote for that candidate, then the chance is there. The only votes that are thrown away are the votes not cast, and the votes cast just to be part of the "winning team".

Oh, and congratulations to you, squeeeb, for excercising your rights as a citizen and standing up and being heard. Wearing that little "I Voted Today" sticker, after you visit the polls, carries a certain sense of pride with it. You'll see.

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

Willravel

I never said I was throwing it away. I'm at the very least an example. As the most, I'm an optimist!

fastom

US politics baffles me but what does it mean to be "Registered" as a Libertarian? Do they need to know who you are voting for in advance? Can you change your mind?

Willravel

When you register in order to vote, they ask to describe your politics. Most put Dem or Republican, some put Libertarian or Green, some put Independent or other. You can vote against your claimed party, and you don't really have to tell them (if I'm remembering correctly). You can change whenever you want, just fill out some paperwork. I, personally, went from Libertarian to Green just a year or so ago.

ryfo

In Australia, its illegal not to vote, at 18 you have to register to vote and can get fined if you dont vote in all elections, be they local, state or federal. And we live in a democracy!

Bill O'Rights

Really?

I did not know that. While I can see the benefit of that, I'd be afraid of the misinformed idiots. Not to mention that you should also have the right not to vote.

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

Nimetic

Thing is - the misinformed don't-care-much types, help outnumber the misinformed radicals. Hopefully they give the system some stability.

The other thing is, way I see it, if you voted then you can't really complain so much about the outcome. You played, you were outnumbered. You might be unhappy but hopefully (if unhappy) you'll try to campaign next time rather than form a radical anti-government underground movement.

(I remember the student unions at uni... everyone complained about the candidates, but few people voted)

squeeeb

i had a friend who would tell me all the time i couldn't complain, since i never voted. even though i am not planning on voting, i still can't say i agree with that....i don't have to vote for A to not like B. i can not like B whether i voted for it, against it, or not at all. i can still disagree with a president and not like what he is doing even if i didn't vote for or against a president...

now, IF i voted for A and B wins, then i would think i can complain all day as loud as i want, because i never wanted B in the first place...

just the way i see things...

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onward to mayhem!

Nimetic

Yeah sure. That's true. I didn't mean to take an extreme position. As you say, it's still valid to disagree with a politician and to have a view in relation to them.

I'd mainly say that once a person decides to to take an active interest and question the policies of government, it is worthwhile then to act on this at the next poll. To put actions behind convictions.

Cynthetiq

You forgot to also state the REAL importance of stating why you are democrat or republican, which is to be able to vote in the primary party elections. The primaries help decide who is going to represent the party in the general elections.

I changed from independent to a republican because I wanted yet another opportunity to vote.

from ny state board of elections:

congrats on finally registering to vote. now you just have to actually get to the polls and vote when election day comes around.

as far as no being able to complain, sure you can complain, it's your right as an american citizen to be able to, but I'd not listen to your complains and dismiss it out of hand because with what opportunity you have to evoke a change you didn't even bother.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

snowy

Will explained it best, but I thought I'd throw in that not all states require you to register with a party affiliation, and many allow you to register as an independent. Some states use a caucus system instead of a primary, and so it is a choice to get involved in selecting a candidate some places. My brother and father are delegates of the Democratic caucus in the state of Washington.

What I find funny is that I am a registered Democrat, yet who gets all the mail from my party? My independent roommate. My Green party SO also gets mail from the Dems.

And squeeb, congrats on registering to vote! Always make sure your voting info is up-to-date at least 2 months prior to an election, as timelines for updating information or re-registering to vote in a new location vary from place to place.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

MSD

Registration is for demographics and to decide whose primaries you vote in. I'm a registered libertarian because of all the US parties, I find their policies least offensive and abhorrent of all political parties, and I feel that their principles are noble despite impracticalities in application.
Is it permissible to show up but refuse to cast a vote in any or all races? Ideally there would be an option in each race to decline, and on to decline to cast a vote in any election. Refusal to vote is a viable and legitimate form of protest. Participation in an election is an acknowledgment of that election's legitimacy, and even if you are require to go to the polls, no election can be considered free unless the option to abstain exists.

ryfo

I think you are right MrSelfDestruct, as long as you show up and get your name ticked off, you can go. The thing I have the most trouble with is that they are always held on a Saturday, and the line just seems sooooo loooong. Sometimes it just seems too much trouble when your not really interested in voting.

Nimetic

Long? Normally there's only a few people in front (maybe 5-10). I tend to get there at about 4pm. I've never been bothered by the line and I consider myself fairly impatient.

But yeah - we can cast an invalid vote. I'd suppose that putting a one in every box would make it both invalid and difficult to revers/modify.

jbuffett

Libertarian=too ashamed to admit one's a Republican! :-) Just a friendly argument I get into with buds. Congrats on registering to vote.

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I do blame you for voting for Bush.

squeeeb

hahah, actually, i used to consider myself "republican" even though i never registered or voted. i always thought i would register repub, but i looked into it, read some stuff, and decided i'm more a libertarian.

i thought i was joining the liberTINE party, with the free sex and drunken bacchanalia, but i was mistaken....

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onward to mayhem!

nonplussed

<em>...there is very little difference between democrat and republican when you look closely... </em>

You could not be more wrong about that. That's what Ralph Nader said in 2000 and he handed the election to Bush. Ask yourself this... would we be in Iraq if Gore were president? Nuff said.

fastom

Absolutely not, Gore's daddy didn't have any unfinished business there.
Everybody should get out and vote but going by the last two elections a fat lot of good it seems to do.

Hyacinthe

I'm in Aus to - here it's a hefty fine if you don't vote in local, state and federal elections - our system is different to yours though.

Way ours works you have the candidates and you number them 1 to X

They add up all the number 1 votes and then they exclude the lowest voted candidate and add on the votes for those people at number 2 then 3 then 4 til we have a clear winner rather then just plain "yup I'm voting for that guy"

For a clearer explanation go to http://www.eca.gov.au/systems/single...eferential.htm

I have a local council election shortly actually - still not a clue who I want to vote for, I tend to go for the Greens or Independents

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"I want to be remembered as the girl who always smiles even when her heart is broken... and the one that could brighten up your day even if she couldnt brighten her own"

"Her emotions were clear waters. You could see the scarring and pockmarks at the bottom of the pool, but it was just a part of her landscape – the consequences of others’ actions in which she claimed no part."