this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2025
6 points (61.5% liked)

Asklemmy

51788 readers
159 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
Cloak@lemmy.ml
mekhos@lemmy.ml
tmpod@lemmy.pt
14specks@lemmy.ml
6
Why do you think voting is or isn't important? (reddthat.com)
submitted 1 week ago by PumpkinDrama@reddthat.com to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
24 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I haven’t voted in years after reading the argument that voting mainly serves to slot you into a cohort, making it easier for governments and corporations to profile you. Recently I heard someone argue the opposite angle: don’t vote because none of the politicians deserve you. A comedian mocked that stance as basically holding your breath when you are angry.

Now I’m conflicted because both arguments feel compelling in different ways. What are your strongest arguments for voting, or against voting?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Against voting:

  • feels like it doesn't matter
  • the choices often suck

For voting:

  • it evidently does matter
  • it's the most efficient way to give your political opinion some weight

Also I assume the down votes are for the following reasons:

  • not voting only serves unpopular politicians and parties
  • not voting being promoted through a post like this one would exacerbate this issue
  • the science is pretty settled that voting matters, even if it feels like it doesn't, so making this topic debatable seems disingenuous

I assume you are being honest, so let me make this clear once again: a voting populus is what stands between a democracy and a dictatorship. Not only do dictators dismantle voting rights wherever they can, but it's also the best tool to keep them away.

"You are but a cog in the machine yet it is your decision to turn." - me, high off my ass

[–] Dalacos@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Canada (I'm Canadian) had quite the turn last election. We were almost surely going into a conservative religious-dominant government until our southern friends showed us the error of that way.

I generally don't vote to be honest. But now? Well. To be entirely frank...

Fuck me.

As someone who is very poor and one step away from being on the streets (which I won't do so one step away from... y'know) I was expecting a conservative government to gut everything I rely on.

Instead I've been at a work resource center and they've been telling me now is a "hot time" to do things like government funded retraining. Specifically due to the government that's in power now.

So yeah. Maybe I should get in a line and vote. Turns out it makes a difference.