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How Do You See Voting?

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  • How Do You See Voting?

    I'm listening to a podcast, which is talking about perceptions of voting in the U.S. The speaker is talking about differences between how voting is perceived by political parties and position on the political spectrum (i.e., liberaraian/authoritarian, progressive/conservative). They are noting that some people see voting as a right, some as a privilege, and some as a responsibility.

    It made me curious to hear what people here think. I don't know how tod o a poll, so I thought I'd just start this thread for people to post their views and (hopefully) why they think that way. Note, it does not have to be either/or. It is possible some will see voting as some combination of the above, or even as something else.
    31
    Voting is a right
    29.03%
    9
    Voting is a privilege
    19.35%
    6
    Voting is a responsibility
    41.94%
    13
    Voting is Something else (explain in thread)
    9.68%
    3
    The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

    I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

  • #2
    I have some thoughts on this but I'm mainly posting here to remind myself to come back to it this evening.
    "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

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    • #3
      I see it as all 3. It is a right, a privilege and a responsibility. Many people died so that I could vote. I take it seriously.

      Comment


      • #4
        I added the poll to the thread. Let me know if you want to add or change anything.

        Comment


        • #5
          I often hear it explained as a "civic duty". Maybe I'll go with that.
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by KingsGambit View Post
            I have some thoughts on this but I'm mainly posting here to remind myself to come back to it this evening.
            Hey, KG -- don't forget to come back to this.
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Sparko View Post
              I added the poll to the thread. Let me know if you want to add or change anything.
              Should add "all of the above"?


              Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by mossrose View Post
                Should add "all of the above"?
                It is multiple choice. they can check as many boxes as they want.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                  I added the poll to the thread. Let me know if you want to add or change anything.
                  Nice! Thanks!


                  (P.S., maybe that poll should be called "How Do You See Voting?")
                  The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

                  I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                    Hey, KG -- don't forget to come back to this.
                    Yeah - KG - please come back....
                    The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

                    I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by carpedm9587 View Post
                      Nice! Thanks!


                      (P.S., maybe that poll should be called "How Do You See Voting?")
                      I have no idea what you mean

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I don't consider voting to be the single most important act in a representative democracy. It isn't the only way--and it might not even be the best way to be involved. Donating money or time, for example, might help bring back a bigger "ROI". So might lobbying--either professionally or as a concerned citizen--and consumption patterns--that is, what is popular is often favored by law and policy. Voting is symbolic of the layers of participation, but it can give the impression that once one has voted, one has fulfilled his civic duty.

                        To me, voting also carries a strange moral hazard, for both the voter and politician. The voter puts his stamp of approval on a person with whom they don't fully agree, and the politician tries to walk a fine balance (sometimes) between representing what he thinks is good and true and then doing what his constituents (voters or purse-string pullers) deem good and true. For that reason, I don't always vote for main stream politicians. I am more likely, these days, to cast a symbolic protest vote, than to seriously engage with either of the mainstream parties.

                        fwiw,
                        guacamole
                        "Down in the lowlands, where the water is deep,
                        Hear my cry, hear my shout,
                        Save me, save me"

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                          I have no idea what you mean
                          Shhhhuuuurrre....you don't...
                          The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

                          I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Voting is an interesting one because it is not an inherent or inalienable right -- after all, God doesn't run a democracy -- it's a "right" created by and solely dependent on the existence of some sort of governing body. If that governing body decides that people shouldn't vote, such as in a monarchy or a dictatorship, then you don't get to vote. It's as simple as that, and I really can't think of a universal argument for why people should be allowed to vote in every circumstance. In my own family, sometimes the parents will solicit the opinions of the children, other times the children must simply do as we say even if they have a different opinion. It depends on the situation.
                            Last edited by Mountain Man; 02-07-2018, 11:54 AM.
                            Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                            But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                            Than a fool in the eyes of God


                            From "Fools Gold" by Petra

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Sparko View Post
                              It is multiple choice. they can check as many boxes as they want.

                              I didn't see that earlier.



                              Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                              Comment

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