this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2023
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2020 was... truly unique. It was so hard to stay away from doom scrolling, and I (and many others) were pretty disillusioned by the sad fact that so much of our country legitimately supported the Orange Man. I didn't get a wink of sleep the night of the election because I genuinely considered it to be a make or break decision for America.

My point is that looking back on it, in the end the only real difference I made was at the ballet box. This year I'm going for the Head-in-the-Sand approach. I'm done with the political memes. Done with the Twitter screenshots. It just riles me up and this year I'm gonna do my best to fight that.

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[โ€“] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Third party. I sincerely believe the threat of Trump is completely and utterly overblown (compared to any random neocon), and I don't care about blue tribal rage. This election isn't "too important" to vote for someone you'd actually want; that's the argument literally every time, and it's still not true. Until a major party earns my vote, I'll spend it wherever I please.

[โ€“] ASeriesOfPoorChoices 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You need to learn how the electoral system works in the USA.

For your desire to be that in reality, the USA needs to switch to a preferential voting system. Then your vote would never be wasted.

As it is, your vote isn't spent, it's wasted. It's the same as not voting, but with extra steps. Which is a shame, because (some) 3rd parties are really worth voting for.

EDIT: some areas in the USA are slowly changing to preferential systems. So... ๐Ÿคท

[โ€“] Sami_Uso 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's not wasted for me. I'll vote for whoever I want. I don't care if they don't win, I understand the politics of this country, but I refuse to vote for someone I don't agree with and who my values don't align with. I'm not here to play a numbers game, that's not for me to play, I just want to vote for the candidates best aligned with my views.

[โ€“] tacosplease 2 points 1 year ago

Might be your last vote if Trump wins. Definitely won't be your last vote if Biden wins. It's that simple.

Or you could be selfish and vote for who you really want while knowing they can't win. May as well write in your best friend's name.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nah, it is a waste. What does it accomplish? Making you feel superior while actually doing nothing. What does it not do? Prevent a literal public fascist who wants to be president for life and doesn't like democracy from coming into power.

This isn't even mentioning non-presidential votes. There are likely lots of local elections that need your help.

If you want to do something more than voting for something boring, get involved. Wasting your vote doesn't go towards changing anything, but there are ways to involve yourself that can.

[โ€“] Sami_Uso 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'll exercise my right to vote for whoever I want. It's honestly wild to have this argument with liberals every single year. The Dems don't deserve my vote just because I don't like the other guy and you aren't going to shame me into voting for their guy.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You have the right to. Sure. You also have the right to burn your money. That doesn't make it useful. Do whatever you want, but stop pretending it's doing anything. If you want to make change happen you need to be involved outside of voting. If you want to prevent things from getting worse then voting for the right person can still have an effect.

[โ€“] Sami_Uso 0 points 1 year ago

I'm not on here talking about the "change" I'm enacting by voting third party. I'm not pretending I'm doing anything except for voting for the candidate I believe in and I don't really see why it's such a controversial take on these boards.

[โ€“] Sami_Uso 2 points 1 year ago

Preach, brother.

[โ€“] Witchfire 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Must be nice to be privileged enough that the premise of a christofascist authoritarian with a bone to pick doesn't affect your life in any way, shape, or form .

Unfortunately, that's not the case for a huge chunk of our population.