Why is there so much abstention in USA ?

Hello,

I'm a non-US citizen and I would like to understand. Why so few american vote ? There is around 40 % to 50 % of abstention in USA making probably the USA one of the country with the biggest abstention ? What could happen for US citizen to stop to vote and so use their democratic right ?

 

No offense, but why should you care. I don't care what happens about voting in your country, and frankly, it's not my business.

Also, we do better than a few countries, worse than most.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/02/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/

We do fairly well as a percentage of registered voters.

 

Many of us are just lazy. It takes work and time to vote...and many just don't.

I'm proud that I have voted in every election since I became eligible...and I am 80 years old now.

For the record...I happen to think that the people who do not vote...probably should not be voting. Anyone too lazy to vote probably will not cast an intelligent vote.

So...a "sampling" of the electorate will actually do the electing. And we end up with something like Donald Trump as our president.

We deserve him.

 

I believe most Americans have no idea what they have and what many in the world don't have. As a mass I believe Americans are to self-absorbed and only worry about themselves, and as long as they have their smart phones and 500 channels of digital entertainment they don't really give a ****.

I also agree with Frank though. If they are to lazy to make time to vote they probably shouldn't be voting since they probably don't know anything.

 

Mostly because of curiosity. Most people are like "THIS IS THE END OF THE WORLD" if their is around 25 % of abstention during a presidential election in my native country.

Secondly, because the USA is for the moment still the most powerfull country in the world, so the result of elections matters, especially when some special snowflakes like Bush decide to mess up the whole middle east. The whole middle east and Europe are still paying for Bush decision in 2003.

Half of the american citizens don't vote, a big part of the other half seems like deaf people shouting at each other (no offense for the deaf people BTW). That's probably a good question for every people supporting democracy around the world. What can happen in a country for democracy to turn so bad ?

 

Without bringing up any candidate I essentially agree 100%.

Glad I read the posts first.

 

In my country, I know a lot of extremly smart and erudite people who don't vote.
They seems more to don't recognize themselves in the choice they have.

 

I'm sure the same applies here to a smaller extent.

 

For me the main reason 50% of the US population do not vote is because they're semi-educated at best. Most of the kids graduating high school are lucky if they can get hired at McDonalds. We call those Democrats.

As for the other 50% most of them do turn out and vote. We call them Republicans.

 

The good news is that what you say is probably false. The bad news is that in every country their is people like you who consider the political debates are the fight of the angelic smart people on one side and the stupid evil people on the other side.

For my own country, I tend to think it's a urge to reforme democracy for more democracy. For that we can inspire of Switzerland, those people are far to be perfect, but they reached one of the best model of democracy. One of the big point of swiss democracy is to offer the possibility for the people to initiate some referendums on some questions. They don't depend of their leaders to initiate some laws. The referendum on minaret is the most known but they can be on a lot of questions.

Secondly, any people who want to advance should be pittiless for any form of corruption. Corruption can destroy every states more surefly than most invaders.

 

Personally, I'd like to see a multitude of changes here in our system of running a democratic Republic.

Ending all political or other forms of corruption though, I fear, is pretty much a pipe dream... History has shown us this, & from my experience, humans love them some corruption....

 

You asked a question and I gave an honest answer. No need to get all worked up I was trying to say there are lot of people in the US who think it's more important to buy lottery tickets than vote or buy health insurance.

 

Democracy was a long time a dream too. We put ourselves some imaginary barrier. By the way, their would be always some forms of corruption, but we can do always better. I think the problem of some western countries and USA is to want to be "great again". Their is no place for nostalgia, the world changed deeply, and we can go bach. The only solution is to go straight forward and do our best.

 

There is always room for greatness.

American Greatness has nothing to do with America putting herself on a pedestal over all other nations... At least how I interpret it.

No, it has to do with remembering our foundations, & sticking to them. It has to do with continuing to be a place that others can be safe coming to, & starting another life.

Provided they love our foundations as well.

It also means to be a leader again. Not afraid to make tough choices, but not making choices based on lessening American prosperity, or strength, but based on how those choices will help better all parties concerned.... Long term, rather than for a few years.

 

Give some greatness to USA for the inner policy seems to me much more easier than for the outside part.

USA outside policy was criticized for a long term, but for me the invasion of Irak totally transformed the image of USA as a protector to a random destructor. I don't know for inner policies what president could have been the worse, but for the outside policies, G.W.Bush was the worst.

 

We aren't a democracy, and never have been. We are a representative republic.

What is your native country?

 

Complacency, laziness, and stupidity?

Those marvy things which have visited obesity and under-education on your once slimmer and smarter nation.

 

France, we are right now in a really catastrophic situation. The country is flooded by the corruption of politiicans.

 

Civil complacency. Ordinary people are simply satisfied that the status quo will remain the status quo, with, or without their participation. America, and American values, to many are a constant, regardless of political tumult in any given election cycle. A lot of Americans simply put their faith in god, and the constitution and live their lives without politics. It's a luxury afforded few other countries citizens.

 

I'm asking too the question, because I believe for my own country that our political institutions are deeply deficient. So, I would ask a second question :
The fact that half of the american don't vote could be the sign too that the USA political institution are deficient ? Maybe a lot of people don't vote because they think that their opinion is not counted ?

That's simply open question, not rethorical questions.

 

If only republicans voted, the last eight years would have been very different and our latest election would not have been as close as it was.

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First off, to vote there needs to be an election, not a selection. Second, here in the US, those wanting to protect their entitlements select the one perceived to be the lessor of the two evils selected for their choice. Third and most important, this is not a democracy, never has been and will be the cause of our next revolution if democracy comes about.

 

One person, one vote works. It works because it's goal is not to hear everyone's opinion—most of us think most of have nothing of value to say (we just disagree about which most of us).

We have elections because it means all of us to have an equal impact on the election result. We are all equally responsible for what happens. Each vote, cast for, against, or discarded has equal potential to move the meter and shift our collective choice.

So when the bad stuff happens, when we make a mistake (and it is when not if—live long enough you can't help but make some)... that mistake belongs to all of us. One guy can't point at the next guy and say "you did that, I didn't vote for him" because he can point right back and say American chose him and America includes you.

The second person may have got it wrong but the first one failed to show enough of us that another option was better or failed to speak up at all. He dropped the ball too. The country made the mistake, the country needs to clean it up, and we are all an equal part of the team that owns that mistake.




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What an arrogant statement, perhaps some are trying not to be ignorant and have a desire to learn something.

Registered, to beg to do something, what a concept. But in order to register one must first become qualified. Now as man comes into this world as a free person with all inherent rights intact, then what does one have to give up to become qualified? Also, to become registered, voters must declare support for the red team or blue team or they are left out of a perceived selection process for their team.

 

Time and work but you still vote. Something is at odds here, probably the work part, being pumped full of crap is not work, it's a loss of conscientiousness.

I stopped voting when I discovered that I didn't need representing which in and of itself is a misnomer. When has any elected dolt represented anything other than their own interests?

Imagine that, King Donald as the lesser of the two evils. Yes this is what the voters deserve but personally I find it amusing. Counting the days until the explosions start, going to be an exciting time. Hey if you start now you may be able to beat the race to extermination.