2016 Postmortem

The Velveteen Ocelot

(123,008 posts)

13. You have no argument from me.

Fri Dec 2, 2016, 11:53 AM

Dec 2016

My point was, if you took the trouble to showed up to vote but left the president section blank, you must have cared about some aspect of the election. Maybe you cared only about the down-ballot candidates, but it wasn't necessarily a case of "Oh, just fuck it all!" I wonder how many people showed up to vote and then couldn't bring themselves to vote for either major candidate, and why that was.

There was an off-year election in Minneapolis some years ago in which both of the candidates for mayor were, in my opinion, hopelessly awful. I voted in the election, filled in the ballot for the various council critters and judges, but didn't vote for mayor. That's the only time I have ever left any part of a ballot blank, and my attitude at the time was something like, "Yuck, is this the only choice we have?" But I didn't feel bad (or apathetic) about not voting for either of those tools; the mayor of Minneapolis does not have access to the nuclear launch codes, and actually doesn't have a whole lot of power at all. I don't even remember who won, but the city chugged along pretty much the same, regardless. I do not understand not voting for president, though.

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Massive Voter Apathy - The Undiscussed Factor in 2016 [View all] MineralMan Dec 2016 OP

In Michigan, there were about 90,000 ballots without the presidential section filled out. muntrv Dec 2016 #1

Yes. Every state has many of those ballots. MineralMan Dec 2016 #2

If you count voter preferences another way, it was actually a landslide for "None of the Above." TonyPDX Dec 2016 #26

45% didn't vote. Mz Pip Dec 2016 #3

That is true. MineralMan Dec 2016 #4

80% turn out in my neck of the woods. Mz Pip Dec 2016 #14

Look at the areas that didn't turn out, much were in conservative areas. The Indy & X-Over Reps. TheBlackAdder Dec 2016 #30

I read that it was more like 50% mitch96 Dec 2016 #37

Apathy - or "They're both terrible", marybourg Dec 2016 #5

Although true. Faux new has about 2.5 million watchers yeoman6987 Dec 2016 #6

Well some medium is spreading identical memes marybourg Dec 2016 #8

Yeah the entire media is changing. It is sad to watch. yeoman6987 Dec 2016 #11

If someone has bothered to vote but didn't fill out part of the ballot The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2016 #7

It's an election. You have choices on the ballot. MineralMan Dec 2016 #10

You have no argument from me. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2016 #13

I have been posting about this topic Mosby Dec 2016 #9

Many people treat elections as some sort of wish fulfillment, MineralMan Dec 2016 #12

I don't get it either, but then I have voted in every election since I was 18. Mosby Dec 2016 #16

I couldn't vote until I was 21, in 1966. MineralMan Dec 2016 #22

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2016 #15

Reported by whom? Links please. Kingofalldems Dec 2016 #39

The 2016 vote totals are damn close to the 2012 vote totals. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #17

Apathetic or Vindictive? otohara Dec 2016 #18

There were some who voted out of spite. MineralMan Dec 2016 #23

Half of the millenials were especially silent flamingdem Dec 2016 #19

It's Official re: Millennials otohara Dec 2016 #24

It might help flamingdem Dec 2016 #25

I just dont get it. Often those having the most to loose sit and let others determine their future, RKP5637 Dec 2016 #29

I think we discourage voting in this country. iscooterliberally Dec 2016 #20

Well said!!! Many just don't seem to understand the importance of voting and especially as an RKP5637 Dec 2016 #28

I agree although I have never tried voting by mail. iscooterliberally Dec 2016 #32

... RKP5637 Dec 2016 #33

Don't mistake voter disenfranchisement and suppression for apathy BainsBane Dec 2016 #21

Disenfranchisment has another face sweetroxie Dec 2016 #34

Now they can see the consequences of that false equivalency BainsBane Dec 2016 #36

A point of apathy for those that do vote is failing to review and vote for judges where such is the RKP5637 Dec 2016 #27

There were at least 20 judges on my ballot. MineralMan Dec 2016 #38

It's often hard to soar like an eagle when one is forced to fly along with a bunch of turkeys. n/t RKP5637 Dec 2016 #31

Yeah, we can hate the "rural, redneck" voters all we want. cwydro Dec 2016 #35