Should We Really Encourage Everyone To Vote?

[Ngelmish]

I swing both ways on this question. Intellectually and ethically speaking I approve of democratizing trends, and that includes the voting population actually voting. However I do share a lot the OP's concerns about the quality of the voting, whether or not people know enough of what they're talking about to make a coherent decision, whether or not increased participation also increases anti-professional attitudes towards government and politicians, etc.

Ultimately I'm probably a hypocrite. As with all political outcomes, I'm most inclined to less critically accept it when the political zeitgeist is also in step with my own opinions.

[USS Monitor]

And ballot questions. I like ballot questions.

True, those too. Lots of county ballot questions will be on my ballot. Plus many states and localities will have interesting questions. It is nice to pick my own options rather than some party hack I disagree with half of the time. I disagree with all parties on certain things. I like to make my own decisions.

We've had ones about dog racing, assisted suicide, decriminalizing marijuana, and a proposal to abolish state income tax. I don't know yet what issues we are going to get this year.

[Novus America]

True, those too. Lots of county ballot questions will be on my ballot. Plus many states and localities will have interesting questions. It is nice to pick my own options rather than some party hack I disagree with half of the time. I disagree with all parties on certain things. I like to make my own decisions.

We've had ones about dog racing, assisted suicide, decriminalizing marijuana, and a proposal to abolish state income tax. I don't know yet what issues we are going to get this year.

You might be able to get a copy of the ballot online, with the questions for this year on it.

[USS Monitor]

We've had ones about dog racing, assisted suicide, decriminalizing marijuana, and a proposal to abolish state income tax. I don't know yet what issues we are going to get this year.

You might be able to get a copy of the ballot online, with the questions for this year on it.

They usually send a mailing before the election with the ballot questions and registration deadlines and instructions on how to register.

[Novus America]

You might be able to get a copy of the ballot online, with the questions for this year on it.

They usually send a mailing before the election with the ballot questions and registration deadlines and instructions on how to register.

They do for me as well. But I often check ahead of time too. If I do not feel like waiting.
But either way works.

[Skyviolia]

We should encourage liberals to vote, we should also outrage more right wingers so they don't have the time to stop complaining and get out an vote.

[USS Monitor]

We should encourage liberals to vote, we should also outrage more right wingers so they don't have the time to stop complaining and get out an vote.

Outraging right-wingers doesn't keep them away from the polls.

[Anollasia]

People often don't realize that they have power. We should remind them that voting is power.

[Omega America II]

We should remind them that they can vote, but I don't think forcing everyone to vote would be a gold idea. It really doesn't matter that much to me what my next door neighbor votes, it really wouldn't bother me if they didn't vote.

[Betoni]

I think it's a race between being better informed and being straight up lied to your face 24/7. The pendulum has been swinging recently. The mass media and social media has muddled the water to all kinds of swamps. But recently the campaigns seems to have kind of gathered themselves. I'm not saying that the media doesn't have a ticket on the races. But the third power seems to be in a fewer hands than before and that is certain to affect any elections.

It really depends on the campaign whether you want to encourage everyone to vote. From a spectators point of view and from an idealists point of view you kind of desecrate the idea of a democracy if you don't encourage everyone to vote. Keeping in mind that every democracy has restrictions on who has the right to vote.

[The Serbian Empire]

Yes, I think we should.

I think the problem lies more with the fact far too many people don't understand what voting actually is. What I mean is, so many people say 'my vote won't count'. To these people one little vote is not a game changer. But in reality one vote can actually change the course of history. What we need to do is educate.

Of course, if someone is going to vote whoever just to get it over with, then that person should not be voting.

Historically, few elections beyond the municipal level have such narrow margins that one vote is meaningful.

[Community Values]

People who know nothing about Trump but will still vote for him will most likely vote for him even if they were the most in touch with current events. Same for Hillary, and Johnson, and Stein. I don't believe being informed or not makes that much of a difference (unless you legitimately have no knowledge of the candidates, in which you won't vote anyways). It is and will always be about belief, not information.

[Krasny-Volny]

On a national or state or even municipal level? Believe it or not I've known people who rarely voted in national elections but occasionally turned out to vote in local ones, especially in cases where they knew the candidate (I lived in a small, rural county BTW). And there were those who conversely, never voted except once every four years on the national level.

Then there are those people who vote once in a blue moon when they like that particular candidate. Most of my friends are like that. They're just extremely choosy. If they disagree with all the likely candidates even a little they don't bother.

[Lalaki]

Yes, people should be encouraged to vote.

Opinions count. The more opinions we have, the more democratic a society we form. The less opinions are heard, the less democratic society we cultivate. This is important.

[Neo Bavaria]

It matters less that we try to get people to vote, and more that we get them to be politically aware. And no, I don't mean "Watch more CNN", I mean encourage people to believe that researching and hunting through information to truly understand policy and a candidate's backstory. The world doesn't end at your doorstep, and it certainly doesn't end at the TV screen. Neither Bill O'Reilly nor Don Lemon are the be-all end-all of political knowledge.

[Lalaki]

And more than one election on the ballot.

And ballot questions. I like ballot questions.

Ballot questions can have far more direct impact than presidential races.

In Nevada, we're going to be voting on decriminalizing marijuana, universal background checks for guns, abolishing sales/use taxes on certain medical devices, and dismantling the monopoly that a state energy provider has built up for over 1.3 million residents. At the county level, we'll be voting on a sales tax increase to fund the construction of new schools and to repair existing ones (I actually work on the Yes campaign for this initiative).

I'm far more interested to discuss these issues and our city council/state legislature/school board candidates than the heartbreaking Clinton vs. Trump fiasco.

[Novus America]

And ballot questions. I like ballot questions.

Ballot questions can have far more direct impact than presidential races.

In Nevada, we're going to be voting on decriminalizing marijuana, universal background checks for guns, abolishing sales/use taxes on certain medical devices, and dismantling the monopoly that a state energy provider has built up for over 1.3 million residents. At the county level, we'll be voting on a sales tax increase to fund the construction of new schools and to repair existing ones (I actually work on the Yes campaign for this initiative).

I'm far more interested to discuss these issues and our city council/state legislature/school board candidates than the heartbreaking Clinton vs. Trump fiasco.

Exactly. Why would someone in Nevada not vote on those important issues just because they hate both Clinton and Trump? I hate them both too. But the election is much more than just them.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Yes, people should be encouraged to vote.

Opinions count. The more opinions we have, the more democratic a society we form. The less opinions are heard, the less democratic society we cultivate. This is important.

Informed opinions count. Those with uninformed opinions shouldn't be dissuaded from voting, but I don't see the value in encouraging them to do so.

[Ostroeuropa]

No. We need to recognize that some people are not politically invested, and not shame them for not caring enough to devote time to learning about it. As is, all we're doing is encouraging a bunch of people to go out and vote based on nonsense.
It's a hobby/lifestyle to be politically active. It's absurd to think a hobby could be earnestly shared by a large majority of the population.

Unfortunately, it's in politicians interests to go out and push uninformed masses to the voting booths.

[Novorobo]

Even if you grant the premise that it's about apathy, I think what this ultimately boils down to is whether or not the vote of those currently apathetic is necessarily worse than everyone else's, which boils down to at least two further questions:

1. Will those presently apathetic continue to be if encouraged to make a decision on this matter?

2. If encouraged to make a decision on this matter, will that decision necessarily be worse than one motivated by being steeped in an ideological echo chamber?

[Valystria]

No.

Voting should only be for citizens who care enough about the electoral process to take part in it by their own initiative.

[The Two Jerseys]

I honestly have no problem with actively encouraging the people who would go just to cast a write-in vote for a joke candidate like Deez Nuts or Harambe to stay home so we can keep the line shorter for the people who actually take voting seriously.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Even if you grant the premise that it's about apathy, I think what this ultimately boils down to is whether or not the vote of those currently apathetic is necessarily worse than everyone else's, which boils down to at least two further questions:

1. Will those presently apathetic continue to be if encouraged to make a decision on this matter?

2. If encouraged to make a decision on this matter, will that decision necessarily be worse than one motivated by being steeped in an ideological echo chamber?

1. I hope not.

2. No, but that's a different issue entirely.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

I think we should.

Now, I do not mean GOTV efforts. I do mean, however, education since young, proper education, about how our government works.

Nowadays, there's very few people who actually understand at a basic level how government works, and what they are voting for. This, I believe, is what causes apathy or misinformation that a vote does not matter.

[USS Monitor]

People who know nothing about Trump but will still vote for him will most likely vote for him even if they were the most in touch with current events. Same for Hillary, and Johnson, and Stein. I don't believe being informed or not makes that much of a difference (unless you legitimately have no knowledge of the candidates, in which you won't vote anyways). It is and will always be about belief, not information.

People can change their minds when they learn more about the candidates.

My first impression of Bernie Sanders was that he was an addle-pated left-wing nut. Ended up really admiring him and voting for him in the Democratic primary once I got to know him better. I always thought he meant well; just took a while for him to convince me he was sane.

I liked Jill Stein at first glance, but the more I learn about her the more I think she's an addle-pated left-wing nut. Sort of the opposite of Sanders.

I talked shit about Gary Johnson when he was running for the Republican nomination in 2012. This year, I did some research on 3rd party options and decided Johnson was all right, but didn't realize at first that it was the same guy. Then after a month or two of following his campaign, I went, "Wait a minute... Is he that guy I was making fun of in 2012 because his campaign tanked?" And yeah, it is the same guy. I'm actually a little embarrassed about some of the stuff I said about him when I really didn't know what I was talking about. I just sort of assumed the worst because he was a Republican.