YOU! AMERICAN! YOU BETTAH VOTE!

[STrRedWolf]

I'm going to be working the polls as an Election Judge this November 7th, so I'll be out for 15 hours tomorrow, and therefore not online. I'll catch up with everyone on Wednesday.

However, it's not time for you Americans to become slackers. There's no reason not to vote -- infact, you loose your right to grouse about the goverment if you don't. Not being registered isn't even an excuse anymore -- you can get registered for the presidential elections in most states (including Maryland) on Nov 7th (your vote won't count because you weren't registered, but you'll be covered in two years).

So, if you're an American and able to vote, you better be out there! You really oughtta vote!

(( Note to Kisai, Merc, and mods -- if I don't cut this down by Wed morning, feel free to slap it back to normal -- but not until then! ))

[Cortland]

I've been votin' ever since I turned 18. Boo-yeah for the republic!

[Grabmygoblin]

I'm even hosting a party tomorrow night for the daily show coverage.

[Ahaugen]

voted in the primaries, and nothing will keep me away from the polls tomorrow. nothing

[Rkolter]

I always vote.

As Redwolf suggests - you relinquish your right to complain about your government, if you are able to vote, but choose not to vote.

I wish I could pick between Talent and McCaskill. They both need to be fed cats until they explode.

[CJBurgandy]

as important as voting is, this thread seems very off topic and not really needing to be Stickied/annoucmented

[Spqrblues]

Thank you for posting this; it's an important encouragement.

I did a sort of PSA filler comic for tomorrow, and I hope it's at least amusing enough that it doesn't turn off any readers.

[Legendary]

November 7th is a very important day.

That's when Guitar Hero II comes out.

I'd vote, but I'm 17.

[Escushion]

I think it's important to have a thread about it. Way too many young people are too lazy to go out and vote--plenty of them are on my campus and are even friends of mine.

I'll be out there tomorrow morning.

[Taiwanimation]

Anything on the ballot anywhere that may have to do with comics?

[Ahaugen]

Anything on the ballot anywhere that may have to do with comics?

Net-Neutrality

[Legendary]

Anything on the ballot anywhere that may have to do with comics?

Buzzcomix

[Dutch!]

It's compulsory to vote in Australia. If you don't you get fined.

You can still put in a donkey vote though, so no doubt that gets done a lot more than the officials would like the believe.

[Joel Fagin]

It's compulsory to vote in Australia. If you don't you get fined.

You can still put in a donkey vote though, so no doubt that gets done a lot more than the officials would like the believe.

Although technically against the law, they don't actually care. They're mainly concerned with removing the apathy angle and getting people to the voting stations. If they choose not to vote while there, that's fine.

- Joel Fagin

[Dutch!]

Heh. They don't care, yet don't want us to be apathetic. You have to admire the Australian character, eh?

That or just shake your head quietly.

[Joel Fagin]

Heh. They don't care, yet don't want us to be apathetic. You have to admire the Australian character, eh?

Allow me to re-phrase: They respect our freedom not to vote but insist that we don't just not bother with it.

- Joel Fagin

[Rock_dash]

There's no reason not to vote -- infact, you loose your right to grouse about the goverment if you don't. Not being registered isn't even an excuse anymore -- you can get registered for the presidential elections in most states (including Maryland) on Nov 7th

Heh, I actually got excited that I might still be able to get in tomorrow to vote...

your vote won't count because you weren't registered, but you'll be covered in two years

...and then I read that part.

[Sortelli]

HEY AWESOME EVERYONE LETS VALIDATE EACH OTHER'S VOTES AND OPINIONS IN A SOCIAL MANNER. THEN WE CAN SHUN THOSE WHO DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT.



I'm voting, but I find the idea that you forfeit your right to expressing opinions whether or not you go to the polls an uncomfortable one. Even in "neutral" threads like this it's creepy.

[Rkolter]

I was going to write a response to Sortelli, but my response ended up changing my opinion. Like a dutiful little science geek, I discarded the old.

My thinking went like this:

If you do not vote when you were capable of voting, then you did not participate in the process of electing officials, so you should not have the right to complain that you did. Accept the consequences of your actions.

Then though, I wrote this:

If I vote for someone and then later don't like him, I should have the right to complain about him.

And then I thought, no... by my own logic that wouldn't be true. I did not choose to vote for the other party, so just like someone who chose to not vote at all, I couldn't complain about the party in office.

... so, I discarded that idea, and now feel you really should vote and you're a fool if you don't when you could... but you're allowed to complain about the government, regardless.

[Sortelli]

Not voting is still a way of registering complaint. For example, if more people were voting for the Democrats this year, they wouldn't be biting their nails. I think this election will be decided by whether or not those who have been electing Republican majorities all these years show up to vote versus staying home to let the Dems make gains and oppose a not-very-conservative administration.

And as a matter of principle, I think the right to free speech overrides a person's civic responsibilities.