Too bad you can't vote your way out of a shitty electoral system.
this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2024
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You can, except people focus on the wrong issues.
The catch is that the politicians who promise electoral reforms would have to be able to win in the current system. And why would they want to change a system is which they are winners?
Trudeau promised electoral reform in Canada, which some people foolishly believed. The federal Liberal Party has won under the first past the post system many times in the past. It makes no sense to expect them to suddenly give an advantage to the underdogs.
New York State, which has the most powerful, well funded political parties in the country, recently adapoted ranked choice voting.
stop saying reform is impossible
How do you elect a good candidate when all the candidates suck?
Top of ticket candidates obviously matter, but voting in primaries, down ballot and local elections can have significant impacts. I know it's trite, but the only answer is vote in every election you can. Voting for better candidates in smaller races can and will eventually work it's way up to the top of ticket races.
A recent example would be both the democratic primaries in 2016 and 2020. While yes the more progressive candidates lost, their strong showings did help push the national party further left. Bernie's message in 2016 has endured and grown in popularity nationally in the last decade.
When it comes to state and local elections, there are constant stories about right wing zealots (Mom's for Liberty and the like) using school board and local elections to expand their power and influence.
I know it's unpleasant, but you need to vote. If your state allows mail in voting, sign up for it. You can get your ballot, research the candidates and make more informed choices. Personally I'll spend about an hour with the ballot researching the down ballot races and judges and the like.
And if you're particularly motivated, volunteer for candidates. Your time can be an invaluable resource if you want to support better policies and candidates.
Sorry if this got a bit long winded, but apathy and non-participation is effectively a vote for the status quo. Political change can be slow and uneven but can only be gained with persistent effort.
I wasn't really clear, but apathy is absolutely not my position. You can't vote your way out of the system because so much more is required.
I always vote, it's a very low-effort way to have a tiny bit of influence. I'm also in Canada where the system is a bit less worthless, for what that's worth. But I don't come home from the polling station all proud that I've done my part.
You can contribute to any candidate in any race. You can make phone calls or stuff envelopes for the local ones.
You can work for Bernie or Liz Warren or AOC or Ilhan Omar or anyone else.
Good I'll just quit my job and be a slave to the political system. Did I mention I fucking hate our political system and people?
Joy
So, you hate the political system and also refuse to do anything at all to change it.
Have I got that right?
That's an exaggeration. How many people do I have to ask who have worked on a campaign and achieved nothing before your argument becomes invalid?
Good I’ll just quit my job and be a slave to the political system. Did I mention I fucking hate our political system and people?
Joy
Start at the bottom. Republicans are.
County officials, boards, planning communities, public private engagement councils, minor political offices. Maga types are weaseling into all of that.
It adds up and builds momentum.
Exactly. Last November, there were two candidates running for the board of a local school, not even the district itself, more like a local education center. It’s a nonpartisan position but there’s no such thing as an apolitical elected office, so I did my research. One was a garden variety conservative, so she sucked, the other was a Mom For Liberty, so, you know. I had no choice, I ended up leaving that part of the ballot blank because there was nobody else trying for the job, and now some petty fascist is directly affecting policies at this one education center. It may not be much, but it’s a start, and brain worms spread quickly.
Wanna make change happen? Fucking do it then instead of complaining and expecting there to be a viable candidate at the top when there are none at the bottom.
Tap for spoiler
Disclaimer: I’m not doing it because I don’t have a molecule of charisma
Two questions for this:
- What is the alternative?
- Would people vote for it?
Proposing either is extremely difficult, and I'd wager that most people wouldn't want to change it, either through ignorance of the system, and manipulation from those that like the current system.
I would say that the alternative is a long way off, especially in the USA. The current system is deeply entrenched and looks more likely to fall into outright fascism than get better, unfortunately.
In general...the way forward is for the working class to take control of the government. This can happen through electoralism or revolution.
In the US, the nation's mythology is so embedded into people's minds it will take a long time just to unwind those threads and get enough people thinking that maybe things actually could be better. In the meantime, as others have said, there is some hope in the lower levels of government, and engagement there is certainly worthwhile.
I feel like voter turnout on (especially) local levels would be greater if we had to participate in Highschool. Get used to researching local politics would go a long way to instilling it in adulthood.
That and mandatory time off for voting would help.
Get used to researching local politics would go a long way to instilling it in adulthood.
It's certainly a skill, which is half the problem. Every election I research the hell out of the local candidates/positions, and routinely there is little information on the candidates. Some races are better than others, but at a certain point it becomes difficult to even figure out anything other than a name.
The information about these candidates needs to be more readily available.
Yeah and some of the positions are just so… esoteric. Really hard to care about the ones that aren’t really clear what they actually do and whom there’s only one candidate to vote for.
Agreed. How am I supposed to make a choice to vote when the candidates have given me no information to make a decision?