After Bernie got cheated in 2016 I can no longer convince myself that voting in fraudulent phony corporate elections matters. Thoughts? Are you voting?

submitted by EndlessSunflowers from self.WayOfTheBern

I voted for Obama. Twice.
I wanted Hope and Change.

Instead - no prosecution of criminal bankers. whistle blowers are getting the shit end of the stick. u.s. sick care got sold out to big pharma. big war still wages on endlessly. military spending runs out of control. prisons are a mess. education is a mess. the environment is a mess, and the natural world is being robbed and looted.

Fuck that.

I'm not voting for puppet politicians again.

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[–]NatureRocket 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

I vote, but I just go down the ballet and vote for anyone who doesn't have an R or a D next to their name

I dont usually know who I'm voting for, but I would take anyone not democrat or republican, and it makes me feel like I'm helping.

I would have voted for Bernie though

[–]allie 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Right. Just throw your vote away. But if you enjoy the process and don't care about doing something meaningless and pointless, go on.

Myself I vote strategically. I vote for the most leftist candidate with a chance of winning. I'm not throwing my vote away. Surely anyone who remembers the 2000 election knows that.

[–]NatureRocket 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

If more people voted like me, for 3rd party candidates that had no chance of winning, then maybe someday your only option wont be Democrat or Republican, and you wont be stuck voting for candidates like Hillary, you'll have an actual choice.

Thats my thinking at least, I may be right I may be wrong. It's either that or not voting for me though. Obviously not as clever as your strategy though

[–]allie 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You're wrong. And you put Bush in office.

[–]i_cansmellthat 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Not voting this year. Recently moved to a different state and dropped the ball getting registered, but it wasn't high on the priority list, sadly.

I read this post yesterday and didn't have much to add other than what others said about voting third party. But I thought of it this morning after seeing a local candidate (at least I think) holding a sign while standing on the corner of an intersection. He was dressed in a nice suit with a few onlookers around him and had a huge, fake smile. Felt like one of those kids in elementary school who would say, "I'll be your best friend if you let me have your cookie." You know, the one who doesn't really talk to you unless you have a cookie. I know voting means more in local elections, but I just have negative feelings about politicians of any sort these days.

[–]HibikiBlack 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes, if you are from the US you have a moral obligation to vote for Bernie!

[–]allie 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I consider voting a religious ritual, a prayer for democracy, even though I think the republicans have the systems fixed. So I still vote but am surprised when my side wins.

[–]httr_barbarian 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

if you don't vote you'll miss out on wishy washy amendments that attempt to marry two unrelated initiatives.

Example: From Florida.... NO. 9 CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION ARTICLE II, SECTION 7 ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 BALLOT TITLE: Prohibits Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling; Prohibits Vaping in Enclosed Indoor Workplaces BALLOT SUMMARY: Prohibits drilling for the exploration or extraction of oil and natural gas beneath all state-owned waters between the mean high water line and the state’s outermost territorial boundaries. Adds use of vapor-generating electronic devices to current prohibition of tobacco smoking in enclosed indoor workplaces with exceptions; permits more restrictive local vapor ordinances.

[–]asg101 5 insightful - 5 fun5 insightful - 4 fun6 insightful - 5 fun -  (0 children)

"If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal."

~Emma Goldman

[–]Mnemonic 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

These are a bit more local elections right? Get to talk to the persons you (might) elect. personal contact (even in the large America) and influence are pretty easily won BUT it costs time and dedication (which is hard to come by when you have an average job). Community (more local then the election span) can really help, like a representative for you neighbourhood (or a larger area) and ONLY focussing on the point you and your area are concerned out. [For example, maybe 1-2 (3?) border states {I don't know much about he subject, guessing} are concerned with the CARAVAN for example. Like the 1337 saying: if 127.0.0.1 is not stable, how can you ensure your country-wide or even global network is stable?

it's hard to achieve because 'everybody' watches the telybox or e-celbs on the YupTubes. A Zen-like (but don't be cocky like the Zen masters) or better said 'open' dialogue is prefered in your local community. (Yeah there are always people bitching about satan, islam and abortion, but try to focus on things YOU and YOUR community can and have to decide on.... again I know it's hard in a lare crowd) because it's 90% of the time about Infrastructure, health care, jobs. focus on those and get yourself up by the boots, real grass roots and not TV-grass-roots, like Bernie can't help you (he's too old, he can't help your grandma in the hospital, or help you fix your car when you get damaged by a pothole). Ideals should be sought more locally and adjusted to the local needs/local limits.

European advise, I don't want to claim to know it all, just some tips/focus points

[–][deleted] 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I'm only voting third party for president and voting out the incumbent for anything else if there's not a third party candidate.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

[–]HibikiBlack 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

You guys HAVE TO vote for Bernie!

[–]EndlessSunflowers[S] 7 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

I agree with this. I feel like a sucker if I have to vote for: (D)ivide & conque(R)

[–]FormosaOolong 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

(D)ivide & conque(R)

Oh this is SO good!

[–]magnora7 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

(D)ivide & conque(R)

heh I like it

[–]magnora7 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

That's kind of how I feel too, especially after he just bowed out and didn't say anything about it at all. He just kowtowed, so he basically might as well be controlled opposition.

I vote 3rd party, because if a 3rd party gets more than 5% of the vote, they qualify for additional federal funding. And if they get more than 15% they can participate in the televised presidential debates (even though they changed it from 10 to 15% because of Ross Perot, to box him out).

Voting's basically useless and designed to placate people, but it's not completely useless. Especially in local elections.

[–]EndlessSunflowers[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I would still support Bernie in 2020. I think it would be cool to see more of what he he was talking about in 2016. But there is a local election coming up next week and I'm just not hearing anything to get excited about, nothing to be interested in, nothing to engage me. I now think that elections are just the "bread and circus" and the strings are all pulled behind the scenes anyway. They don't care who we vote for. Frustrated. Thanks for letting me vent : )

[–]FormosaOolong 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks for such good venting! I feel the same way. The change needs to be so much deeper and more fundamental than politics. All our systems and institutions are built on corrupt principles that can never bring prosperity and thriving for all.

[–]magnora7 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I feel the same way! It's a kind of learned helplessness thing, by their design imo. Luckily ignoring it disempowers it to some degree. It only matters if we spend a lot of time worrying about it. Even though sometimes their laws and stuff cause problems that have to be dealt with, it's much less an issue in our daily lives than the media makes it out to be.