Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicole
Being American living in Canada, I can tell you that this statement is VERY true. Most people I know will not vote, rather than vote for the 'other' party. I have dual citizenship but only vote in Canadian elections .. the last presidential election I didn't bother even registering to vote b/c I can't stand either Bush or Kerry.
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Well, if you look at what Calgaryborn said, his point was somewhat different--that the only reason people would even vote Democratic is hatred of Bush, which is simply untrue--and has been untrue for years. What I was objecting to was his statement that "the average American" will not vote for the Democrats" which appeared to be based on, well.... nothing.
Apathy is actually a different issue than voter choice. If you live in Canada, you can't vote in very many elections anyway, since you have to have a home district to participate in local and congressional elections. Your presidential ballot is counted in the District of Columbia, unless you have a legal residence in the U.S.
Which is really the major point here; many Americans don't vote because they a) don't like the 2 party system (like you) or even more troubling, b) because they don't trust the electoral process to be fair and above board. Couple that with how inconvenient it is to register to vote, and sometimes how inconvenient it is TO vote, and that's a recipe for low turnout. But not participating because you don't like the choices amounts to letting someone else decide on your system of government for you. Feel free to do it, but I can't say it's a course of action I agree with. I've voted in every election that I've been allowed to cast a ballot in. (right down to S.U. elections at the University of Calgary!)