Quote:
Originally Posted by John Doe
So I went out and did my civic duty last night. I had previously looked at all of the party platforms and checked out the releases, backgrounds and interviews that were online for all of the candidates. I left the polling station satisfied that I had done everything I could to make an informed choice.
My choice received 14% of the vote. The Conservative candidate is a militantly anti-rights, pro-life, homophobic, racist jerk. He has the potential to be the next Rob Anders. He won with 69% of the vote, solely because of the party he belonged to.
Can somebody explain to me again how I didn't waste my time last night voting?  |
Yup, you did. But just because it was a waste of your time doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do. You're certainly not alone. Many voters voted for a candidate that did not get elected. Most voted for a government that did not win. We kinda implicitly agree that we're going to engage in this activity which will probably be a waste of time on some level for the majority of us, but collectively it's not a waste of time because the alternative (very few voting, and a government elected by the few) would be very harmful to us.
Look, it's possible that if you live all your life in the same riding, you'll spend your whole life voting for candidates who don't get elected, and are represented by someone who's views differ greatly from yours. That sucks. I don't have an answer to how you're supposed to not get discouraged. But voting is just one of many ways you can make a difference in your community and nation. You know what? Say "I want to make a difference in my society, but voting is a waste of my time. Fine. Instead, I'll spend a few hours volunteering at a local homeless shelter. At least then I'll know that the time I've spent has had some sort of positive impact, somewhere, on someone." Or some other cause that addresses the change you want to see in your society.