Sort of a political question but hopefully allowed

[mom31257]

What do you do, when in good conscience, you don't feel you can vote for any candidate in a given race for an important position? 

I think this will be allowed because it's not about exact political positions but personal beliefs on voting in general. Maybe if we can keep it civil it won't be taken down? 

 

[Jen500]

Well, I would definitely find a reason to VOTE for someone. Don't just not vote.

There are few people and things in life that we'll agree with completely. Maybe research the history of the candidates more?

[Sherry in OH]

You can do a write-in vote.  

[Pawz4me]

I wouldn't vote for either of the candidates for that office. 

I'm a huge believer in a citizen's responsibility to vote. But I don't think we are required or should be expected to vote for anyone who we don't respect and/or truly don't think is capable of doing an acceptable job. If I don't think either candidate is capable but yet I grit my teeth and vote for one anyway then IMO I'm partially responsible for any harm he or she does while in office.

[Junie]

One time dh and I liked both candidates equally well.  We agreed that he would vote for one and I would vote for the other.

Edited August 30, 2018 by Junie

[HomeAgain]

I would vote anyway with a write in. 

Voting is important enough to me that even if I thought it wouldn't make a big difference, I'd make my voice heard.  If I abstained from politics then complained about said politics, it would go against my moral beliefs.

[KrissiK]

You can do a write-in, or just not vote in that particular race. There aren’t many other options.

[scholastica]

When that happened to me, I found a write-in eligible candidate that I could in good conscience vote for. Not all states allow write-ins and some states, have restrictions on which write-ns they will accept. 

[klmama]

I believe I still have a responsibility to chose the candidate I think will do the least harm, even if I don't like or respect any of them.  The only races I don't vote in are those with an unopposed candidate I don't like. 

[TechWife]

21 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I wouldn't vote for either of the candidates for that office. 

I'm a huge believer in a citizen's responsibility to vote. But I don't think we are required or should be expected to vote for anyone who we don't respect and/or truly don't think is capable of doing an acceptable job. If I don't think either candidate is capable but yet I grit my teeth and vote for one anyway then IMO I'm partially responsible for any harm he or she does while in office.

This is my approach as well. I base it on the fact that in the US, we vote for candidates, not against them (it is the mathematical way votes are counted). If I can't, in good conscience, bear the responsibility for electing a candidate to office, I don't vote for him/her. If I can't, in good conscience, vote for any of the candidates, I write in a candidate where possible and if that is not possible, I don't vote for that office.

[Lanny]

I vote absentee, in Texas.  I vote for the person I dislike (occasionally hate) the least.

Here in Colombia, where my wife votes, they do have a thing about voting for none of the candidates who are running for office.

[Aura]

I've never done this, but I wonder if you can cast a ballot without actually voting? I've always been able to find a 3rd party candidate or someone that I would vote for if I could just not vote for either major candidate, which is, unfortunately, becoming more frequent. But, I feel like casting a ballot with no vote is voicing my extreme dissatisfaction of the available candidates. I'm just not sure if that's an option.

[bolt.]

I’m on team “least harm”.

[Lecka]

I have left parts of my ballot blank when I have not been informed enough to make a choice.  

I tend to think it would be better to try to make an informed choice on one side or the other.

But I think it’s okay to leave part of the ballot blank and just vote for other races or for more local issues that may be on the ballot.  

[AmandaVT]

I left a section blank on my primary ballot this year. I was not familiar with either of the candidates and did not want to blindly choose one. So, I filled out the rest of the ballot and left that section blank. 

If it was a big race - like Gov or congress or President. I'd hold my nose and pick the one that I felt would either surround themselves with a better staff/team or whichever one I felt would do less harm.

[TechWife]

16 minutes ago, Aura said:

I've never done this, but I wonder if you can cast a ballot without actually voting? I've always been able to find a 3rd party candidate or someone that I would vote for if I could just not vote for either major candidate, which is, unfortunately, becoming more frequent. But, I feel like casting a ballot with no vote is voicing my extreme dissatisfaction of the available candidates. I'm just not sure if that's an option.

Yes, it's an option. Not all offices have to be voted for and a partially complete ballot is valid for the offices that it contains votes for.

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

If I don't think either candidate is capable but yet I grit my teeth and vote for one anyway then IMO I'm partially responsible for any harm he or she does while in office.

But if you don't vote, you are still partially responsible for whatever happens by the person that takes office, because your vote could have prevented them from winning. 

It's a darned if you do, darned if you don't. 

In that situation though, I vote for whom I think will do the least harm. Because although the lesser of two evils is still evil, it seems obvious to me that LESS evil is better than MORE evil, if those are my only options. 

[Guest]

In the past, I have written in a candidate or voted for a third-party candidate if that was possible. 

I have begun to question my previous belief, though, that, no matter what, I must vote. I feel like some people have used this as a way to say, “you have to vote for XYZ Candidate because that is your party’s nominee.” I am beginning to consider if, in fact, I must vote. If my belief is that NO available candidate is fit for the position, then I will not be responsible for the outcomes. If I voted in the primaries, which I do, than I did my (small and likely meaningless) part to push forward nominees that I can support. If thos nominees are not who wins the candidacy, though, it isn’t on me. 

I don’t know...I’m still mulling that over. 

[Chris in VA]

I don't vote for either. Never really felt right about that. 

[ktgrok]

24 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

I left a section blank on my primary ballot this year. I was not familiar with either of the candidates and did not want to blindly choose one. So, I filled out the rest of the ballot and left that section blank. 

 

Yes, the only time I don't vote in a race is if I don't have enough information to make an informed choice, and was unable to find that information. (usually this is for judges, which are elected here. Some I can find info on by asking lawyer friends, bar association, etc but not always). 

I do always show up to vote, no matter what, as that forces me to take the time to research, lol. I'm very lucky that most of my friends are active in politics and so I have a good number of people to turn to to ask questions about candidates, issues, etc and discuss with before making up my mind. I don't just vote for who is popular, lol, but knowing that so and so is actually a jerk who grabs women's behinds or that the guy who claims to be a scientists has actually never held a real job and faked his linked in profile is stuff I can't find out other places. 

[ktgrok]

I look at it as, if someone is going to feed me poison, and I have no choice but to eat one dish or the other, than as much as I don't want to actively choose to eat poison in anyway, it is just plain smart to, in that case, choose the dish with the least amount of poison. Or the shortest acting. Or whatever. With the idea of living to fight again and all that. 

Often though, even if I disagree with two people's morals or stances equally, if I look at what they are actually likely to accomplish, at the practical effects of their stances, there IS a difference. In the case of abortion, for instance, many pro life catholics will make the decision to vote for a candidate that is pro choice because they feel overall, more lives will be saved via that candidates policies, even if they are not against abortion, than the pro life candidate, who opposes abortion but has little to no chance of actually stopping it, and whose other policies may cause loss of life in real and immediate ways.(health care, poverty, war, etc would fall into that category of pro life issues as well). This often happens in other issues as well, such as education, war, etc. 

And if it is a matter of just not liking them personally, or thinking they lack ethics, then again I look at the effects their leadership will have. If I think both are cheating scum, but one will at least save children's lives via better children's medicaid or food stamps, then I'll vote for the cheating scum that will help them, rather than letting the cheating scum that will cut food for children, you know?

There are always differences, and generally one is going to cause less harm. And for me, to protect my fellow humanity, I have a moral obligation to vote for that person. 

Still sucks, and I might go home and have a drink or a long hot shower afterwards. But in real life sometimes we have to do things we don't like. 

Edited August 30, 2018 by Ktgrok

[vonfirmath]

54 minutes ago, Aura said:

I've never done this, but I wonder if you can cast a ballot without actually voting? I've always been able to find a 3rd party candidate or someone that I would vote for if I could just not vote for either major candidate, which is, unfortunately, becoming more frequent. But, I feel like casting a ballot with no vote is voicing my extreme dissatisfaction of the available candidates. I'm just not sure if that's an option.

 

It won't voice anything. If there is nothing chosen in a particular race, then the ballot is not counted for that race. There is no record kept of "Ballots turned in without a vote chosen for this race"

 

and yeah, when faced with only two choices, no allowance of write-in, and I don't like either candidate. I go down into everything I can find to figure out which candidate I want to vote against even if I don't particularly want to vote for either candidate. In the United States, and in Texas, SOMEONE is going to win that election. If I want to have any say in who it is, then I need to vote. Not voting is not participating and allowing others to make the choice.

 

Edited August 30, 2018 by vonfirmath

[mom31257]

Thank you for all the responses! I definitely am going to research the candidates more than what I have, try to dig into their histories. I might even call campaigns and ask questions and voice my concerns. Maybe I can get some of those issues addressed. 

I'll have to check and see if a write in will be allowed as well. I don't think there will be a third party, unfortunately. 

[Lady Florida.]

In a non-partisan race if I don't like either candidate I will choose the candidate I believe is the lesser of two evils or I'll write-in if that's allowed. In a partisan race I will choose my party even if I disagree with the particular candidate because they belong to a larger organization with which my values align. 

[SKL]

If I was truly 50/50 on who won the "important post," I would vote on the issues I did want a say in and leave the rest blank.

So far I usually feel strongly enough to at least vote "against" one side as the "lesser of two evils."

For a very very important post, I think I would keep researching until I could lean one way or the other.

[edelweiss]

I don't know that I have ever filled out a ballot completely.  If I know nothing about the candidates (like candidates for judge), I just won't vote at all.  I also have, at times, not voted for an office at all, if I thought that both candidates were awful, or if I couldn't support their major stances.  That will continue to be what I will do, including for major offices.  If I can't support either candidate, I could not vote for one of them in good conscience.    

[GoodGrief]

Story of my life as a supervoter ? I choose the one who is the least horrible.

[katilac]

5 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

 choose the dish with the least amount of poison 

 

 

This. If I already know enough to know that I don't like either of them, then I do have some knowledge, and I think you can always make some distinction between two choices. 

This played out in a very large way in my state in a race for governor in the early 90s. It was a choice between a known racist and a known crook. There were actually bumper stickers and signs that said, "Vote for the crook: it's important." 

And that's what I did. It was not an endorsement of theft or backroom politics, it was a vote against something I felt was much more dangerous. I think it's important to make a reasoned choice about what will do the least harm, and I don't think that compromise is a dirty word. Not voting, or writing in a vote, is just evading that responsibility in my mind. 

Edited to add: in the same situation, someone else might vote for the other candidate, concluding that personal racism does less harm than stealing from the public. I disagree with that, but if they make a thoughtful decision, they have done their duty as a citizen. 

Edited August 30, 2018 by katilac

[Angie in VA]

Write in. 

[umsami]

Usually I vote for the lesser of two evils.  If there is no way I can choose, I may leave that office blank, but vote for others.

[EMS83]

10 hours ago, mom31257 said:

What do you do, when in good conscience, you don't feel you can vote for any candidate in a given race for an important position? 

I think this will be allowed because it's not about exact political positions but personal beliefs on voting in general. Maybe if we can keep it civil it won't be taken down? 

 

If no third party candidate is viable either, then I abstain, and I've received flak IRL for doing so.  But I just can't do what I can't do.  I'm just one person, so I don't feel troubled that my non-vote affected much.  I realize the potential skewing that can happen if most people feel like I do, but I don't think that's the case.

[ThisIsTheDay]

I have never had a problem voting for the "lesser of two evils."

However, I am currently in the same boat. We have a very important election coming up, and there is no way I will vote for either candidate. I will not vote for one strictly because of his political affiliation (which I believe truly is evil), but the other is just a really crappy person and a disgusting, dispicable candidate. I cannot and will not support that person on ANY level.

So I don't know what I will do, but I know what I won't do.

[LucyStoner]

Generally, this is not an issue for me.  I can find a reason to vote FOR someone for the most part.  Sometimes though my vote is truly irrelevant (unopposed Judges or state senators for life whom I may not like much) and I will leave that race blank.  I used to write-in random people but I don't any more to save the election workers from having to tally my random non-vote.  

[ThisIsTheDay]

On 8/30/2018 at 4:42 PM, katilac said:

And that's what I did. It was not an endorsement of theft or backroom politics, it was a vote against something I felt was much more dangerous. I think it's important to make a reasoned choice about what will do the least harm, and I don't think that compromise is a dirty word. Not voting, or writing in a vote, is just evading that responsibility in my mind. 

 

Thank you for this. I read your comment last night, and it has truly stuck with me all of today. I posted earlier about my own dilemma similar to the OP, but your words here allowed me to look from a slightly different perspective, and now I know what I must do. Ick, ick, ick, but problem solved!

[PrincessMommy]

I usually vote 3rd party anyway, so that would be my choice.  If you do not have that choice then I would write-in.  Or leave that portion blank and vote on other issues that may be on the ballot.  

[Lady Florida.]

20 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

 I used to write-in random people but I don't any more to save the election workers from having to tally my random non-vote.  

When I've done a write in it hasn't been random. Often it's someone who qualified too late to make it on the ballot. Sometimes something happens that causes a candidate to drop out or be disqualified but the ballots have been printed. In those rare situations another candidate can take that one's place but they won't be on the ballot and you'd have to write in their name.

 Our school board members are (supposedly) not partisan. In our primary earlier this week here was a candidate who qualified late and was listed on the website of the Supervisor of Elections as a valid write-in candidate. I voted for her. She was a valid candidate, just wasn't on the ballot. 

Edited August 31, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[Reefgazer]

I vote third party or write in a candidate. 

[Farrar]

The only time I don't fill in someone is when it's a hyper-local thing. Like sometimes I don't vote for the delegate slates for the conventions when there's not a lot of info about them. Also because while I do think intra-party politics matters... I mean, it's not a real office.

I've never personally not been able to vote for any candidate in an actual race. I have written in someone in the primary before. In some of those cases, I then voted for a third party or opposite party candidate in the general. But in some, I sucked it up and voted for the candidate of "my" party.

I'm basically on "least worst" for elections.