I'm struggling with the concept of voting this time around.....

[gimmethesimplelife]

Voting has always been a requirement for me as I know that many died for me- for all of us - to have this right. This time around though - it's hard for me to muster any enthusiasm. I am utterly repulsed by DJT.....that hasn't changed. But I also believe that Biden is not up to another 4 years. I have a hard time voting for him due to this. So I may just sit this one out.

This is so sad. Voting for me has always been as important as offshoring all costs I can to Mexico - something akin to a moral and ethical imperative with no excuses for non-participation. But this time around I can't even guilt trip myself into voting.

Anyone else on the same page? Rob

[Tradd]

I’m also seriously considering voting but not for prez. Kamala is even worse than Biden. And hell, no to the orange one.

[Tybee]

Voting has always been a requirement for me as I know that many died for me- for all of us - to have this right. This time around though - it's hard for me to muster any enthusiasm. I am utterly repulsed by DJT.....that hasn't changed. But I also believe that Biden is not up to another 4 years. I have a hard time voting for him due to this. So I may just sit this one out.

This is so sad. Voting for me has always been as important as offshoring all costs I can to Mexico - something akin to a moral and ethical imperative with no excuses for non-participation. But this time around I can't even guilt trip myself into voting.

Anyone else on the same page? Rob

No, not on the same page because I cannot conscience that with DT on the ballot.

[iris lilies]

This is my take on it: if we don’t show up to vote, we just look like we were too lazy to show up.

This doesn’t mean one has to actually mark a ballot, it means taking a ballot and leaving some races blank.To me, this shows the Powers that Be they did not present candidates who were palatable.

Besides, there are plenty of other issues to vote on besides the Presidential race. People who vote only at Presidential races remind me of C and E Christians*. i think 2022 was the first time in 30+ years I did not vote. I was still registered in city of St. Louis and the election there wasn’t worth driving from Hermann.

I will vote in next week’s election which has only school district issues: money items and board positions to vote on. Once I ascertained all school board candidates seem like reasonable human beings (no one is running to get God back into the classroom) I am chill about who/what wins.BUT I WILL SHOW UP TO VOTE.

* C and E Christians: People who attend church only on Christmas and Easter.

edited to add: keep in mind that when you vote for a third-party candidate, it raises their status in ways that every state defines differently, but your vote for third party counts more than just for one Presidential race.

[catherine]

I think it's critical that we vote. Pick a third party candidate if you have to. Or, as IL said, leave it blank. But show up. Rob, now is not the time for despondency!

[jp1]

There’s a novel I read that takes voting a blank ballot to the extreme. In Seeing by Jose Seramago 83% of the voters turn in blank ballots. As one might expect the government freaks the eff out…

[rosarugosa]

Rob, I'm not crazy about our choices here either, but if one of those two men will be president for the next 4 years, do you not have any preference? Would you be just as OK with Trump regaining the White House as with Biden staying in office? If that is truly the case, then sure, don't bother, but otherwise you should get out and vote.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Rob, I'm not crazy about our choices here either, but if one of those two men will be president for the next 4 years, do you not have any preference? Would you be just as OK with Trump regaining the White House as with Biden staying in office? If that is truly the case, then sure, don't bother, but otherwise you should get out and vote.

Sold, Rosarugosa. I'll go vote then. But only because I'm voting against DJT. But yeah upon relection that's enough to get me to vote. Rob

[ToomuchStuff]

Seems we have had this discussion before. People talking about voting for Perot, or Nader, etc. and how others were saying those third party votes were wasted or taking away from whichever candidate they supported, rather then understanding choosing the one of two other evils.

[Tradd]

The AZ abortion thing has tipped me to voting for Grandpa Joe. I will have to hold my nose while doing it.