Commenting on this post, Nathaniel asks me to re-post this essay (entitled “I Won’t Vote!”) — or, I think that this is the essay he’s asking about. Then again, perhaps it’s not, because a (confessedly very) quick look turns up no evidence that I posted it earlier.
Or maybe the link at this post contains the essay Nathaniel has in mind.
Share
{ 21 comments }
I don’t vote because I don’t want to. But its more than that. I have a right to not want to, and to not do what I don’t want to do. So for me, voting would be a tacit admission that I belong to the state, that I buy the propaganda of the state’s men, that I accept their moral premise. I don’t.
I vote a straight Libertarian ticket as a means to undermine our rigged election system.
Your means is not achieving your desired end.
Yeah, but it does give me some psychological satisfaction. I think of it as giving the election system the finger.
There’s a lot to be said for psychological satisfaction. It does have a much bigger impact on you than your vote does on the election. Congratulations on finding a way to extract the maximum benefit from your vote, sir
*LOL*
Except your signal strength is very low, so the system just shrugs.
It’s not undermining the system. I would like to believe that if greater then 50% of the people voted for a libertarian candidate he/she would be elected and put into office.
I think a great idea would be for independents of all ideologies to start a campaign to NOT vote for either of the major parties. Vote … definitely vote but for some one other then a major party candidate.
An intelligent post from muirgeo… call Guinness!
It does undermine the system, or more precisely, it undermines the propaganda of the system. Disrespect has brought down many a seemingly invinceable regime and the Progressives will be no exception. You know its true, or you wouldn’t bother to comment here.
Or just make sure the parties don’t exist for their own sake.
Voting LP also really ticks off Democrat and Republican partisans too.
“You did what? You wasted your vote? You fool!”
partisans deserve to be ticked off. it’s essentially what they signed up for – to be perpetually offended.
You should tell them your motivation (psychological satisfaction) and then throw in that the alternative was not voting at all. Just for fun.
The first comment my muirbot that vaguely makes any sense in about 3 years.
One thing I would love some MSM reporter to ask the President or future Presidential candidates is their position on ballot access laws. Something like “Do you agree that ballot access laws are too restrictive, undermine choice and are a means by which corruption ensues?”
No matter what I think libertarian-minded people are screwed. We get the option to vote for a Republican, but that’s a losing proposition as most GOPers are big tax-and-spend liberals anyways. Essentially America has lurched to the left big time the last few years and it’s time to hunker down, shift assets to gold.
What we need is instant runoff voting. I deplore holding my nose when I go in to vote. It’s a slap in the face to everyone who has ever felt he had to vote against, rather than for, a candidate.
Don–
How do you square this position with your rationale for working at an institution that receives state funds?
I’m not trying to call you out on this, because you are free to do whatever you want. But I think I know the answer. The marginal value of your vote as a freedom lover is tiny, while the marginal value of your teaching hour is high. You are able to influence more people through teaching and writing than voting. Essentially, your civic-minded students vote for you by proxy. That is, until they come around to your way of thinking!
I think your position is commendable, but it’s also disheartening. One of my knee jerk responses to your Freeman piece was “This is why libertarians get so little political traction.” Thinking about it for awhile, my considered response is “libertarians get so little political traction because getting political traction isn’t what life is all about.”
I just noticed this post as I was scrolling through my Google Reader. I must have missed it at the time–not sure how that happened. Either way, thanks for granting the request!
Ha ha ha.
Voting is one of those strange things that is really “important” as a societal norm yet it isn’t. There are a number of areas of life like this that would boggle some neutral third party.