Re:Joe Biden stands down as Democratic candidate
by _heimdall on Monday July 22, 2024 @04:56PM
(#41039722)
> Most people seeking to justify civic nonparticipation ignore primaries and early campaign work. Or the fact that ballots have more than one line item
At least for the Democratic Presidential candidate, we weren't offered a primary or early campaign work for anyone that may actually be the candidate.
I will almost certainly vote for down ballot races this year though. I should have been more clear in earlier posts, my issue is with the presidential ballot specifically and not down ballot races.
Sure. And I agree someone thinking that way shouldn't vote. None of that changes the effects of not voting when one has the right to.
> Where will we be if we all agree that the two parties have full control and we have no choice but to accept whatever they offer us?
Most people seeking to justify civic nonparticipation ignore primaries and early campaign work. Or the fact that ballots have more than one line item.
> accepting one of the two parties no matter what the options are does allow for that scenario later
Not voting cedes control. There are zero historic examples of civic nonparticipation resulting in a more responsive government. Someone who doesn't vote functionally accepts the status quo. That they don't understand what they're doing isn't relevant.
Put another way: there were hundreds of elections in 2023 [1]. A non-voter had precisely the same impact on each of them as they do where they live.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elections_in_2023