Those of you who don't vote, why?

My mom never registered to vote "because I don't want to be picked for jury duty!" (stupid boomer face)
- WTF?! In some states, your registered for jury duty when you get a driver's license...
  
  That's what I told her!
- Wow so she was a bad citizen in two ways.
- Jury duty wasn't fun (child abuse case), but it was one hell of an education. I'm still greatful to have had such smart fellow jurors so we could really consider everything. You get to see how the world works.
- don’t pick me for jury duty because always guilty 100% idgaf
  
  I maliciously complied with Jury Duty. I went. I sat in the room 8 hours a day for a week reading a conspicuously large copy of "Atlas Shrugged".
  Weird, they didn't pick me... :)

Laziness / lack of any urgency that it will matter or make a difference to them personally
They’re a disinformation campaign, and taking time telling you about refusing to vote is their attempt to influence the election
I suspect that almost everyone will fall into one of those two categories
- 1/3 of the possible voting populace doesn't vote because they are told it won't make a difference, when the last presidential election came down to a few thousand votes. Bugs the hell out of me.
  
  Even if you’re in a non “swing” state, the totals shifting in some new direction will influence it becoming a non swing state over time. It still matters. Both ways.
  This was the way the crazy people got abortion banned: They picked something that was crazy out of reach, and kept working for it until it was in reach. Instead of just saying “oh well who cares, it is difficult, I will wait until someone else makes it easy.”
  
  "Making a difference" and "electing one of two unpopular candidates" don't necessarily go hand in hand.
- I think there's a third category, though may be a small offset of the first. Those who would like to, but don't have the day off and can't afford it.
  
  They're gonna have trouble affording smuggled oranges and tinned meat, too, when they're in the camps with bread and water as the standard food.
  I get what you're saying and I'm not tryin to sit in judgement. But also, this one is fuckin important.
- "Doctors of Reddit..."
  "I'm not a doctor, but...."
  That's your energy right there. Came in here hoping for actual answers and this trash comment is top. Pure speculation from someone on the opposite side.
- If you're not someone who doesn't vote and you're simply speculating, I would suggest you delete this comment.
  
  I will give your suggestion 100% of the careful attention and obedience that it deserves.
  
  Dude is just a douche who wants his soapbox.

In some Canadian municipal elections, you can vote for school board trustees.
Before I had kids, I was too lazy to educate myself on their platforms, so I wouldn't cast a ballot. I'd rather leave it up to people who care to make the decision.
Now that I have kids and school boards have turned into a culture war battleground, I am researching and voting.

I didn't vote for years because I was busy trying to keep my head above water and I just couldn't wrap my head around politics. I had my own shit to deal with during that time.
- And here's the long version - for those that are interested.
- It's one day, with most states allowing mail-in in advance. You have no excuse for not fulfilling your duty as a citizen to ensure least negative outcome of elections.
  I had my own shit to deal with
  So does every other fucking adult, and now we have even more shit to deal with, thanks for that
  
  Don't berate people like this man
  
  It takes one day to do the actual voting. It takes a lot more time to figure out who to vote for.
  
  He's saying he didn't even know what was happening. I bet trump won 2016 because in some peoples minds "it's boll clintons wife vs the guy from the pizza hut ads....well I LIKE pizza!"
  Before trump won, his "policies" weren't well known. It's hard to remember, but when he won, people were surprised that the joke candidate won. I'm sure some people clueless to politics did it for the lulz.

Please consider voting. Don't ignore your political voice.

I moved from the UK in my early 20s, prior to that I was young and stupid, so I neglected to vote there. Then I moved to America and started the green card process, and didn't feel it was right to vote for things back in the UK as it wasn't my home anymore and it wasn't my place to say what should happen there. I finally naturalized around a decade after I moved here, and immediately signed up to vote. I actually cried at the polling station because I was so happy to vote for the first time ever!
- Ok

I vote for Federal and Provincial. For local, I never seem to find out there even is an election until after it has passed
Still really irritating
- And even if you do know about the election, finding useful information on the candidates is a feat

I usually don't think to. I mostly just scroll All sorted by active so there's lots of people already voting on those posts. Plus my instance is upvote-only

Who are you supposed to vote for when you feel it doesn't matter? Or when you feel that all candidates are insufficient?
Additionally, if we're speaking of the US, the electoral college can and will supercede the popular vote. We literally put these people in power just to say we're wrong and they will quickly say we're wrong and work against the popular votes because we gave them the authority
- Ah yes the classic, “i cant decide between voting for fascism or against it. Really tough choice”
  
  OP wants to know why people don’t vote. If you believe in voting you’re probably not going to like any of the answers but they shouldn’t be downvoted for answering the question as asked.
  
  Hey. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf on social media. In situations like this, I will be absolutely serious, direct, and respectful. Regardless of if you disagree with my view, I politely ask the same thing. We need to talk to each other with respect regardless of our views. Agreed?
  
  Is the one trying to overthrow democracy the fascist or the one funding the ethnic cleansing?
  
  Kinda telling of how poor of a choice the Democratic candidates have been that they can't or can barely sway enough votes in their favor when this is on the line.
- The electoral college only applies to Presidential elections, but there are many more elections happening for primaries, local, and state elections, where the electoral college doesn't apply. Your vote in these elections is arguably more important than the presidential election and there have been many cases of elections coming down to under a hundred votes.
  As for candidates who are insufficient, your vote is not an endorsement of the policies of the candidate, and is an objection to other candidates. This is the flaw of our two party system, and the only optimal strategy is to vote against who you don't want to be president. Voting for representatives who advocate for ranked voting is how this can be fixed, but requires voting in non-presidential elections to create the change, along with a whole set of other challenges.
- when you feel it doesn’t matter
  Nobody should give a fuck about how it fEeLs. Elections are verifiable and essential. You cry about the electoral college and yet don't vote which gives said EC even more of an advantage.
  
  Having a rough day? Need someone to blame for it? That's cool. Have at it

Unfettered capitalism has masterfully created a self-serve corporatocracy that filters money straight to the political parties who, in turn, pose puppet leaders in front of the masses to grant a semblance of choice. No good will come of this "Weekend at Bernie's" farce of an election. Under current auspices, only more greed, lies, and violence are to follow.
Sorry, disenfranchisement and apoplexy are all that remain.
- You’ve given into despair and have opted out entirely, which is exactly what the people you gripe about want you to do. Congratulations, you’ve surrendered.
  
  You may well be correct on all counts.
  A question was asked, and I answered honestly from my perspective.
- No good will come of this “Weekend at Bernie’s” farce of an election.
  Hard disagree.
  Anybody who has actually followed what Trump has done / is doing vs what Biden has done / is doing knows there's a clear distinction between the two. One is clearly a worse choice. It reads like you're just intoxicated by the smelling of your own farts.
  
  How dare you accuse him of excessive fart-huffing. Jenkum plays a significant role in many cultures and economic systems. Educate yourself. Huff a splort.
  
  Ok.
- You're permitted to do more than be sad

I'm not allowed because I'm an immigrant, and I've only found out recently that I can vote while living abroad in national elections in the fatherland.

- This happened to me last election

I assume a good chunk of people who don't vote live in non-contested counties/states and feel that it's pointless to vote.
- Which is weird, because in those cases you can vote for whatever 3rd party candidate is closest to what you want. In the distant past I voted Green for this reason, knowing it didn't matter. (Since then the state swung left a bit and I vote Democrat. I even registered as Democrat to vote for Bernie in the primaries...)
  
  I do the same since I live in Basically a red state.

Depends on what is getting voted on. Posts on Lemmy? Eh... Maybe if I find them especially good or bad. Can't be bothered otherwise.
In that one instance where I didn't vote... It was a local election with exactly two candidates. One of which told ahead of election day that should he win he would refuse to take office. So yeah... Didn't bother with that.
- Just curious - why would he be a candidate if he's not running for office?
  
  Good question... If I remember correctly his motivation was to give a choice besides the only person that would have been on the ballot otherwise. Perhaps a moral choice because he thought that there should be at least another choice even if the result is the same in a good democracy.
  And it's a good right to exercise for everyone even if you then choose not to take that position for one reason or another. Who knows what reason someone has, maybe just to be more well known...

When all of the candidates on a ballot are going to actively work against my values, why would I vote for any of them? That said, I have written in choices before, but it's a lot of work to do when literally no one will be taking notice of that vote.
- Because one and only one of them might put you in a prison camp, and destroy the machinery by which you might ever hope to elect someone who would align with your values, without having to fight a war for it?
  Or maybe, "only" deport 18 million people who didn’t do anything. But hey! If none of those 18 million is you or your family, that’d be okay. And you got to make your statement.
  
  If I really cared about making a statement, I'd put more effort into regularly heading into polls to write-in my choice. I still would not be voting for either of the major parties.

I once couldn't vote because I had to rush to my dying grandfather the day before the election. Apart from that I have voted in every single election.

My state only does mail-in (AFAIK) and I don't have a stable address.
- My state only does mail-in (AFAIK) and I don’t have a stable address.
  Which state? I find it hard to believe this is a thing.
  
  Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado
- Imagine caring so little about the future of your country and the world that you dont even bother googling 'where can I vote'

I'll preface this by saying that I am Canadian, not American, and I do always vote. I will find a way to make a choice and vote in our next election, but lately have been understanding why someone might not:
Everyone who has even a remote chance of winning has at least one position that I find entirely unacceptable. Like, I cannot in good faith vote for this person because this issue is an absolute deal-breaker for me. If I'm throwing my vote away by writing someone in, why even leave the house?

I'm from the UK, I don't vote simply because I don't trust the shit politicians come out with during election periods and because of this I worry I will vote the wrong way. Time and time again promises are made and you never really seem to see the difference.
For example, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but it's been promised since Brexit more money will go into the NHS to release the pressure on the service. Yet the NHS seems to be in the worst condition currently it's ever been in.
- The NHS is bad by design. You can't convert a great system to whatever the shit is in the US that makes. Avery select few people very rich. You first need to break it down by pulling money out of it, pull more money out of it, more still, then when it starts breaking down, complain about how badly it works and propose this wonderful new system that will fix all of that! Privatize everything and then move to whatever shit they have in the US and get rich
  
  I mean, look at how great privatizing the rail system has worked out in the UK!

Because our system is so broken it's like playing TF2 in 2020.
- Probably more of a reason to vote.

I've given up. Especially with my new address (same state), I don't think any of the races are even close.
I voted as hard as possible until (and including) 2022, but Dobbs hurt, and this latest round of SCOTUS rulings and it is going to be harder to get to a voting station. It just doesn't feel worth it.

- Cool, I’m sure a second Trump presidency will do way more for you, so enjoy that.

I come from a deep blue state, but haven’t lived in the US in years and every time I get an absentee ballot, it’s too late to send it in. I still apply, but we’ll see if it comes in time

Voting is harder in the US. I can almost get that the one party has made it more difficult to vote because it benefits that party. I am ever in awe at the hardship americans can sometimes endure to vote, and then see it nullified.
Voting in Canada is quaint but effective: I go to a polling place, I - now, Americans, this is gonna offend you - bring my driver's license to prove my ID, they write a line through my name on a piece of paper, I take the paper fn ballot behind the cardboard half-screen like it's high-school, and mark a big X in a few boxes, fold it and drop it into another cardboard box carefully marked 'ballots'. Then people count them by hand and by the end of the night we're 100% done.
Not everyone has a system as simple and effective. It's a massive effort to vote in America, and I'd love to see that fixed as well.
- The last four times I've voted. I spent, on average, less than ten minutes from arriving at the place to vote, and leaving that place. And I don't mean at the booth itself. I'd say from when I parked the car, to when I left in the car... but I walked. 10 minutes (the first 3 times) and after moving, 5 minutes last time.
  It's amazing how shit things can get, when enough people deliberately want to make it more shit. You know who and what I'm talking about. If not, I'd be happy to clarify.
- Living in a state with universal mail-in voting, I honestly think I just don't understand how hard it is in states without that.
  
  In Texas, it's pretty easy if you fit within the criteria and you do it early. You apply for a ballot, get it, fill it out, and send it back. As long as the USPS does their job (which on 1 occasion for me, they didn't), it works out.

I used to vote. Then people told me I was doing it wrong. So I stopped.
- Adult up. This falls into the life basket of “you shouldn’t care what other people think”.
  
  Thanks for motivating me.
- You don't have to tell people how you voted. That's why we have voting booths!

I do sometimes vote, but as for the times I don't, the ballot is one big trick question.
- the ballot is one big trick question
  I’d like an explanation of what you actually mean by this and why not voting is better than voting for the least bad candidate, if you regard them all as bad.
  
  the least bad candidate
  ^
  It's a monarchy with extra steps. People deserve better.
- the ballot is one big trick question.
  It really isn't. It does require some basic engagement and research. Maybe 10-15 minutes max if you don't care to get too in-depth. You can always skip ballot measures - they are more time-consuming, for sure.
  
  So it doesn't bother you there are only two choices every four years?
- So in other words, you don't want to think or even google the candidates name and look at their website.
  
  As opposed to better ones? The system we have is one that has been overridden by normalized acceptance of a tiny pool of people not even good for the work.

I don't vote locally, because I live in a deep red state in which my vote doesn't matter. Because of the electoral college and first past the post voting, it also doesn't matter during presidential elections, but I vote in them anyway, because my dad always said you weren't allowed to complain about the president if you don't vote, and I like complaining.

Not me but a friend of mine is just very black pilled on all the political candidates. That said, he's also the only person I know who regularly goes to protests and he very often calls his local representatives. So he's definitely politically active, he just doesn't vote. I don't really know why that's where he draws the line.

I have missed a few in the past but I don't expect that for future as my state as mail in and I signed up for it as did my wife.

I don't like either candidate. I don't believe either one is better than the other so I have no stake either way.
Also the electoral college I don't trust my representative will vote the way I want.
Also this country has been bought and paid for a long time ago. Most political affiliations are garnered by lobbyists employed by massive bureaucratic corporations.
Just look at the supreme Court.
You want change? Revolution is the only way. The tree of liberty should be fertilized by the blood of Patriots and tyrants from time to time.

Apolitical spectator.
- You're part of the problem, removing a sane voice only allows the insane to be heard that much more.
  
  Whose problem? I just said I operate as an apolitical spectator.

I'm not sure the election system is not fixed.
But I would vote in this election if I were American. A lot is at stake. Which old man will smell the most.