Voting is EASY! There is absolutely no excuse for not voting. Don't vote? Then don't complain.

[LBM20]

Last edited Sat Oct 20, 2018, 10:03 PM - Edit history (1)

Are you also sick of the excuses people give for not voting? "My vote doesn't matter." "I don't have time." "I don't trust them." On and on and on.

The first time I voted I was in South Korea in the service. Sent in for an absentee ballot. Got it. Did it. Sent it back. Not hard! When out of state for college, stopped by my town hall before heading off to school. Put in for an absentee ballot. Took five minutes or less. Voted from college by mail. Done. Simple. (People can also register at college in your college town. Your choice.) People can register at their city hall or DMV office. You can apply for an absentee ballot online. There is also in-person early voting in the majority of states. In my state of Maine, voting has now been going on for weeks. My spouse and I have already voted. Anyone can do an absentee ballot through the mail or in person at your city hall. Some places also have polls open for special in-person early voting for the week before Nov. 6th. In my state you can also register and vote on election day. Other states also have this.

If there is time for using electronic devices for endless hours, video gaming, etc. etc. then there is plenty of time to vote. Need a ride? Use public transportation or find a ride if needed. There is always a way. Also, on election day rides are provided.

Don't think your vote counts? Trump won by 77,000 votes. IT COUNTS. GET OVER THAT!

Don't trust parties or politicians? Don't think they are doing enough of what you want? Then vote for the best of the lot in your view. And go one step further and campaign. BUT, don't expect a perfect world. And you can't fix something by simply avoiding it.

If people don't vote, there is absolutely no right to complain. Period.

[hlthe2b]

1. With the exception of the odd troll or Russian disruptor, you are preaching to the choir....

[LBM20]

2. There are those here who make LOTS of excuses for those who don't vote. There are plenty of ways

people can try to get non-voters to vote. Sharing how easy it was for yourself is one way.

[hlthe2b]

5. I'm glad if you are using that on those you encounter.

But, those who elect to come here are largely doing these things already. We used to have more activist "check ins" when DU first came to be... Posting in your state forums is a good way.

[shraby]

3. One more reason to vote. You live by the rules the people the voters elect make.

[wasupaloopa]

4. Some people wait in long lines for hours. Some have to figure out where they are supposed to vote.

Some have to remember exactly how they filled out some government document. Some need a street address where there are no street addresses. Some have the right to vote where they currently live taken away. Some who have served their debt to society can't vote.

But a large majority of these try to vote. I makes it foolish for me to say I can't fill out the ballot laying on my table and mail it in.

[Blue_true]

9. Every single reason that you gave for some people not being able to vote is BS.

Every single issue that you listed can be overcome with organization and focus from voter rights organizations and the DNC and US. We have restoration of the rights of some ex felon's voter rights on the ballot, I am getting scare tactic mailers that restoration of some felons voter rights will somehow make them have more say that victims. The Amendment may pass (60%+), or it may fail. If it fails we come back as soon as possible and try it again.
Long lines - we have early voting in person in Florida, people can go during off peak ours, even working people, to vote. Since a person can early vote anywhere, a person can find the nearest station to work or home and go there before starting work, at lunchtime, or before heading for home and vote. We vote, get our people in office then demand that they make voting easier for everyone.

If we sit on our asses complaining about republicans running dirty tricks, they win everytime. But, if in every election, we erode away more of their office holders, soon we will be in a position where we are making the rule, rules that are constitutional, have integrity and are fair.

[LBM20]

18. Can avoid that in many places by voting absentee by mail.

[wasupaloopa]

30. Native Americans in Idaho can't even do that.

They need a street address to vote and the reservation does not have street addresses

The piling place in Dodge City KS is a mile away from the last bus stop.

My point is these people will put in more effort trying to vote that I will have to.

[Brother Buzz]

6. Don't boo. Vote.

[edhopper]

7. You are right about the people who don't vote

and say it doesn't matter.
But we must do something about those who want to vote and are prevented through various acts of suppression

Those 77,000 votes you mention were less than the suppressed vote in WI, MI NC and FL.

[shanny]

11. this

[LBM20]

19. Gotta make sure they are registered, meet the deadline, and have ID. Bit of pain, but very doable.

[edhopper]

21. Unless they think they are

and have been thrown off the roles.
Or the State decides their ID isn't valid.
Or they move their polong place too far away for them.
It should be up to the government to enable people to vote, not try to stop them.

Like I said, those 77,000 votes were suppressed.

[Blue_true]

8. I totally agree.

I see post after post on DU from some that whine about the various republican voter suppression efforts. The problem for the whiners is that every effort can be defeated with organization and determination, then when we get our people in office, we change the system to work fairly for everyone. The whiners want you to believe that things like republicans requiring IDs, or reducing early voting days, or purposely making sure that there are not enough voting machines in some areas, or preventing groups from busing in to vote in mass, can't be overcome. BULLSHIT!!!!!!!, every single republican trick can be defeated and every vote counted if the whiners truly gave a shit about making voting and society fair.

[shanny]

10. Voting IS easy*

*unless you are a Native American on, say, a reservation, or an old person, or a person of color, or a poor person, or maybe just some random person who gets dropped from the voting rolls for no fucking reason at all.

[elocs]

12. There are people in countries who get the right to vote maybe for the first in the nation's history

and they might walk for miles to cast their ballots, sometime risking their lives and safety and maybe without any good choices. But they do it with honor and pride.
They put to shame people in this country who could easily vote but no excuse is too small to skip it.
Unfortunately too many of those people who self suppress their votes in the U.S. are Democrats, or at least claim to be.

[oberliner]

13. It's definitely not easy for many people

1. Many states do not have early voting

2. Many states do not allow you to use an absentee ballot under normal circumstances

3. Many states have polling locations that are not near public transportation

4. Many states have polling stations with wait times of several hours

5. Many people work on Election Day and cannot take time off

This OP is quite patronizing.

[Hoyt]

15. Many states do. In my red state, one can vote by mail and I and

many sick, elderly, minority, and others have already taken advantage of easy voting.

I know there are some states where you have one day to vote, but those are in minority. It won’t change if we don’t vote.

37 states have early voting. 27 allow absentee without an excuse. A few even mail everyone a ballot.

[Retrograde]

29. All the more reason to vote in all elections

so we can elect people who can change these laws and make voting more accessible to all. That's why it's important to get as many Democrats as possible out for the non-presidential elections. The GOP understands this, and got is base out in 2010 and 2014 so they could put more right-wingers in local and state offices who would in turn put in more restrictive voting laws.

Edge cases aside, I agree with the OP. If people want to do something they'll find a way; if not, they'll find an excuse.

[keithbvadu2]

14. Not voting? Surrender

Not voting? Surrender

[pnwmom]

16. It's only easy if you don't have a 50 page voter guide and don't feel the need

to inform yourself and vote correctly on every single referendum and non-partisan race.

I had to explain to a very busy young adult -- with a PhD -- that it wasn't necessary to vote on each and every thing on her long, long ballot.

But if you think voting only means finding and checking off all the D names on the ballot, then it's easy.

ON UPDATE: It's not easy if you happen to live in a locale where you have to stand in a line for an hour or two to vote.

[treestar]

23. But how to get people in office who will change that by making more polling places

unless you stand there that two hours?

You can do it for Rolling Stones tickets. That's not the worst thing in the world. Older people or disabled people, perhaps, but someone has to fight the battle to win the war and not just give up. People can help others by standing in line for them. With cell phones that would be possible.

[pnwmom]

24. I don't know any young people who think it's EASY to stand in line for 2 hours.

Of course we SHOULD be motivated and do whatever we have to, but let's not pretend this is always easy, as the OP was.

[treestar]

25. All the other excuses let the Republicans create this one

And of course the Rs would stand in line for two hours. Why are they so much more fanatical?

[pnwmom]

27. What is your evidence that they are so much more willing to make a huge effort to vote?

2.9 million more people voted for Hillary for Trump, despite all their efforts at voter suppression.

I think the main difference is that they are so much more willing to CHEAT by suppressing votes of minorities and anyone else they think might vote for Democrats.

[treestar]

31. They don't seem to have a problem getting out the vote

Which is why they controlled so many state houses, giving them power to make changes to suppress the vote for Democrats but not themselves. Yet you are likely right that they have enough polling places in areas that would favor them, so as to prevent their voters from long waits (I've never been in a line to vote that I can recall, and I live in a majority R district, but that's just one example).

[Baclava]

17. "16 percent of eligible voters ages 18 to 29 turned out to vote in the 2014 midterms"

Those with the most future to lose just don't seem to get out to vote...





https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/08/01/are-young-voters-going-to-sway-the-midterms-new-data-show-thats-not-very-likely/?utm_term=.d28fba8b645b

[Turin_C3PO]

20. I've said this in other posts but

if we can get youth turnout upwards of 25-30%, Democrats will clean up on November 6th.

[Baclava]

22. Seems obvious, doesn't it? It's there for the taking n/t

[pnwmom]

28. We aim almost all our GOTV efforts on likely voters -- which means NOT NEW voters.

And, according to Maria Teresa Kumar on MSNBC, only 8 states require civics classes in high school -- so students aren't being taught how and why to vote.

[DinahMoeHum]

26. I put the following inscription on my canvassing runs.

If you don't vote, Republicans win.

If you vote 3rd party, Republicans win.

If you write in candidates, Republicans win.

Any vote that is not for a Democrat, Republicans win.

Too many people are preaching, not enough people are leading.

We need leaders first, activists second.

Vote Democratic. Simply put.

Vote Democratic.