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The problem with not voting (fedia.io)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/tumblr@lemmy.world
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[–] -3 points 2 years ago (6 children)

I tell our kids to turn in an empty ballot if they don’t want to vote. To at least do that is a minimum.

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  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    Counts the same as not voting.

    Yeah, that’ll show em.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago* (3 children)

    A little different actually

    Not voting at all can mean anything. You like them all, you hate them all, you couldn't care, etc.

    Sending in a blank but signed vote means you cared enough to show up and that you didn't pick anyone. Those ballots are counted. Over time, if enough of them start to pile up, the existing parties might change things up to cash in on the pile of votes sitting around. New parties may also form if there's a clearly defined group that isn't being represented.

    I'm not pushing for doing this in any particular election. We have users from all over the world here, voting in many different jurisdictions of elections. A blank vote can be an effective strategy in some situations

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    In the US it’s just a non-vote. No one counts non-votes. Perhaps you live in a country where they do, but not if you’re an American.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    I'm in Canada, and I think the term used here is 'rejected ballots' or 'declined ballots'

    Some links:

    The first article is specifically the effect I described, where people report the number of declined ballots, interview people who chose to do that, and talk about why it might be happening. That has an impact, but the magnitude depends on how prolific it is.

    Second link quoted:

    Ballots must be rejected if they were not supplied by an election officer, were improperly marked (including those voided by the elector), were cast for a person other than a candidate, or if there is any writing or mark by which the elector could be identified.

    After the count, the election officer fills out a statement of the vote, recording the number of votes in favour of each candidate and the number of rejected ballots. In this statement, the election officer has to account for all ballots received at that poll.

    I'm not as familiar with the US. My point was a blank ballot can have a different outcome from not showing up, and it can be a valid strategy depending on where you are in the world.

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