Voting: a civic right, or a civic duty?

Elai · November 08, 2018, 11:02:41 AM

I believe it is the duty of every citizen to participate in their democracy, and I find it shameful that a good portion of the eligible voter population simply can't be bothered. This is true for the 3 most prominent countries frequented on Sep7agon (~45% didn't show up for the 2016 United States Federal Election, ~40% didn't show up in 2015 for the Canadian Federal Election, ~30% of eligible voters didn't turn up for the Brexit decision in 2016).

Verbatim · November 08, 2018, 11:17:31 AM

i don't like to think of voting as a civic duty, because of the idea that you can vote while not knowing shit about politics

the civic duty should be to study and stay informed about your area's political issues (or any issues whatsoever) and the candidates who want to solve them, and then maybe vote once you feel 100% confident

people who choose not to vote on the grounds of not knowing enough about the candidates should not get any shit, imo

i don't think just anyone should be allowed to vote, either; i think you should have to pass a test of some kind, but that's another subject

Elai · November 08, 2018, 11:32:40 AM

Quote from: Verbatim on November 08, 2018, 11:17:31 AM

i don't like to think of voting as a civic duty, because of the idea that you can vote while not knowing shit about politics

the civic duty should be to study and stay informed about your area's political issues (or any issues whatsoever) and the candidates who want to solve them, and then maybe vote once you feel 100% confident

well that is a separate conversation imo and is more specific to your country where (and I just found this out not too long ago) you guys don't teach civics in high school, which absolutely boggles my mind.

i also don't blame some people in your country for not feeling capable of understanding politics given how shitty your news outlets are. CNN might not be Fox News-tier, but they're fucking horrible in their own right. watching the election tuesday night, i can't tell you how many times i wanted to throw wolfe blitzer off a cliff in a wheelchair.

also i find the "i don't know enough" excuse to be kind of thinly veiled for laziness. if you force people into a booth they'll vote, and if they're truly uninformed then they'll just void their vote.

Genghis Khan · November 08, 2018, 12:02:38 PM

I prefer people staying home who are not informative than giving everything the right on birth. It should be earned somehow.

challengerX · November 08, 2018, 12:59:50 PM

This user has been blacklisted from posting on the forums. Until the blacklist is lifted, all posts made by this user have been hidden and require a Sep7agon^® SecondClass Premium Membership to view.

Verbatim · November 08, 2018, 01:47:48 PM

Quote from: challengerX on November 08, 2018, 12:59:50 PM

Quote from: Verbatim on November 08, 2018, 11:17:31 AM
i don't think just anyone should be allowed to vote, either; i think you should have to pass a test of some kind, but that's another subject
congratulations you agree with the Russian bot

i don't agree with it, it agrees with me

challengerX · November 08, 2018, 02:00:00 PM

This user has been blacklisted from posting on the forums. Until the blacklist is lifted, all posts made by this user have been hidden and require a Sep7agon^® SecondClass Premium Membership to view.

Dietrich Six · November 08, 2018, 02:07:04 PM

I don't think most of the American population has the critical thinking skills to look past the targeted ads and shit flinging that goes on in most elections.

There's a reason the two party system is so widely accepted here and it's because you don't have to think or research anything about your candidates other than if they have a D or an R after their name.

It's gotten to the point where amendments are attached to party names so you don't even have to research the laws you're voting to put into place.

maverick · November 08, 2018, 02:14:46 PM

The people that are actually engaged in these issues will show up on their own accord. Pressuring everybody else into voting is pretty backwards.

Verbatim · November 08, 2018, 03:14:23 PM

Quote from: Eli on November 08, 2018, 11:32:40 AM

Quote from: Verbatim on November 08, 2018, 11:17:31 AM
i don't like to think of voting as a civic duty, because of the idea that you can vote while not knowing shit about politics

the civic duty should be to study and stay informed about your area's political issues (or any issues whatsoever) and the candidates who want to solve them, and then maybe vote once you feel 100% confident
well that is a separate conversation imo and is more specific to your country where (and I just found this out not too long ago) you guys don't teach civics in high school, which absolutely boggles my mind.

i also don't blame some people in your country for not feeling capable of understanding politics given how shitty your news outlets are. CNN might not be Fox News-tier, but they're fucking horrible in their own right. watching the election tuesday night, i can't tell you how many times i wanted to throw wolfe blitzer off a cliff in a wheelchair.

also i find the "i don't know enough" excuse to be kind of thinly veiled for laziness. if you force people into a booth they'll vote, and if they're truly uninformed then they'll just void their vote.

it's definitely lazy, but like you just said, it's hard to know who to trust these days, and some people just don't have the time nor the energy to sift out the wheat from the chaff in terms of reliable unbiased sources

personally, i'm content with the silver lining that a great deal of people who didn't vote were probably morons who had no business voting anyway, and that a not insignificant fraction the people who did end up voting probably should've abstained

so i'm not gonna condemn non-voters wholesale when there are indeed valid reasons not to vote

only sheer laziness and apathy are inexcusable, but those people aren't gonna vote no matter what

DAS B00T x2 · November 08, 2018, 06:28:42 PM

Bring back poll tests

Super Irish · November 11, 2018, 07:18:19 AM

Only the landed gentry should vote, for they surely recieved proper schooling and recognise the seriousness and priveledge of voting.

Everyone should be allowed to vote. If too many retards become the majority vote for something that is inherently bad, then you immediately know you need to invest more into education.

Solonoid · November 19, 2018, 11:10:39 PM

I personally believe it is the duty of every citizen to determine whether or not issues are important to them, whether or not they can fully understand issues, and finally know which side of the issue Israel is on.

Failing any of these criteria, I leave that part of the ballot blank.

Cheat · December 30, 2018, 02:57:47 PM

If election / voting day were a mandatory day off for all businesses or if you could just vote online (or both), then I'd say it should be mandatory, but as it is, you sometimes have to take off work to drive to some obscure location, stand in line in the cold (sometimes), and then vote in your little cubicle space.

I'm pretty lazy, so...