Voter turnout is at a low. Has been for quite a while. There are a millions speculations as to why this might be, and I will add another.
People are annoyed.
There is a line, when you've asked so many times that a person will say: "You know what? No, I'm not going to go vote. And you know why? Because this is the 324th time you have asked me! This is the 1987th political ad I have seen that has told me nothing! This is the 2349th time I've been pissed off by everyone, Democrat, Republican, and neighbor."
People are tired. They are fed up. And a lot of the blame is due to the over-funding. No one candidate can acknowledge this and be less intrusive. Then they become invisible. The system has to change. People in this country do not trust that their vote even has an impact. Partly because we are all egotistical, and one vote is not about ego. It is about tide. After you vote, you'll never see your vote again. It doesn't have your name on it. You'll never hear, "Because of Paul, the Libertarians won today!" And so there is this false impression that your vote really doesn't matter. Partly because of population; there are so many people that one vote is an infinitesimal portion of the tide. But also, partly, because the system is corrupted. And people can see that.
So, to everyone who decided not to vote I have this to say:
Next time, just vote 3rd party. If you are so disenchanted with the electoral system and process, then simply vote 3rd party.
Imagine this:
Voter turnout, at its highest estimation, is about 65%*.
In a race where one candidate wins 55% to 45% (of the completed votes, seems pretty typical, we'll even leave no votes for another party), means the actual percentages are 35.75% Winner to 29.25% Loser to 35% No one.
If those votes for No one were a vote for the 3rd party, they would have almost won. They would have come in second. And that would have sent a message. But most likely, that 3rd party already had about 1-3% of the votes.
So they would have won.
3rd parties are not so disadvantaged as they seem. If you vote with your conscious. Vote for who you truly believe is the best candidate. Don't follow fear. Or, better yet, don't vote for the rich ass holes who have monoploized the advertising waves for the last 4 months, have filled your email and your physical mail with trash and junk, and phoned your house 78 times.
Well, then the 3rd parties will get all of the votes. The Dems and GOP will each get about 2%.
Wouldn't that be nice?
