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Yes, I think voting is a necessity. In Canada's last federal election, there were regions near me where liberals won by only a few votes. Every vote matters.

Yes, it's compulsory

Yes, I always vote at every opportunity. The reason is that I live in a US state that has universal mail in voting so it’s incredibly easy for me. I receive a ballot in the mail, fill it out whenever I have time, and drop it back in the mailbox, if I want I can check the status online to make sure it’s accounted for. No reason not to unless you have some kind of moral or political opposition to voting.

Yes, ever since I became able. I feel like most people are absolute morons that blindly throw support for whoever seems popular or catchy, but I take the time to research every candidate from every party and see what their positions/stances are on topics, who they are trying to support (and why), how much of a commitment do I see (do they have a website, or just a Facebook page? Are they detailed in why they support/oppose certain things, or are they vague and repetitive? Do they have any online presence at all, or are they just a name on the ballot?). Are they advertising or have groups promoting them, and if so, who and why?

I have a couple of topics that one must meet, and most others are flexible. For example, a candidate must not be against LGBT individuals, full stop. Something like renewable energy is a positive thing, but if the only candidate is pro-LGBT but neutral on renewables, they are still getting my vote. Repairing infrastructure, important, but if they are making an effort to balance the budget for a term, totally understandable to hold off. Other things are more nuanced - bringing in more travelers means more money for the town, but can our transit network bare the additional load? Would we simply be bringing in money to immediately spend it, therefore more congestion, more pollution, for no real benefit? Can the businesses that are built around this plan survive if the basketball team relocates, or are we dooming the town with grandiose ideas that may wither and fail?

Most people I feel are 'taxes bad' and 'I saw their name somewhere so they must be good', so I try to inject a bit of logic and sanity into the system.

Yes, it's a legal requirement in Australia.

There are fringe groups who vote consistently. If you don't use your vote, those fringe groups become the majority, and you end up with politicians that don't represent the majorities interests.

There is always a greater evil that can be voted against, even if it means voting for a lesser evil.

all of em - and almost always for a third party candidate. im the person giving the openly socialist candidates 0.001% of the vote.

Yes I do, especially in the small local elections. My vote proportionally counts for a lot more in those. In an election with hundreds of votes, I have much larger say in who wins.

No, but only when disability or similar issues prevent it.

The reason I try to is that local shit matters to me. I know some of the assholes running for things, and I'll be fucked if I'll let them get in without an opposition vote.

Seriously, if it weren't for that I'd only vote for state and federal major elections. Those, you kinda have to vote if you give a damn at all. But locals, it's easy enough to shrug off for something as minor as a headache if you aren't (well, if I'm not) invested in some way. As it is, knowing the assholes is good motivation to push past minor issues.

I look at the other side of the Pacific and see how hard the Republicans are fighting to take away minorities' votes. I'd need to be a moron not to value My vote after seeing that.

I never voted in my life (almost 40)!

I always vote :3 in the presidential, parliament, and EU elections at least. Not so much the municipality ones, but that's more to do with my bad memory leading to forgetting to lol.

But yeah, in school they always emphasized how important voting is, so I guess that's why :3. Not that my vote has accounted for much so far lol