You have the right to defend yourself, and if your vote will prevent a maniac from seizing power, you nearly have a duty to vote.
So not only do I have to identify what is objectively a maniac but I have to identify the other individual that would win had I not voted for the maniac and vote for them instead? Isn’t this pretty much the problem that ties up a large portion of those who currently vote (and many even admit the dilemma)?
Absent of that reasoning, I would never have voted for the “2” de facto candidates anyhow–so why bother? I hesitate to say, but I would wager most of the candidates don’t even share a majority of my opinion i.e. I can’t even pick one that I “mostly” agree with; perhaps a few outliers that have no chance which again means: why bother?
At that extent–I’d rather not even re-register to vote so I can save myself the phone calls. Value added!
It is possible to increase liberty (for years) by voting. Not voting yields a small increase in free time.
Is the trade-off of a little free time worth the chance of increasing liberty? That is the rational choice that we all make in every election cycle. This is why some years have higher turnout than others. People weigh the value of voting against the value of staying home. The closer an election is expected to be, the more value your vote has, so turnout increases. If an election is expected to be a landslide, more people just stay home. I guess this is the expected marginal utility of voting.
As much as I value my free time, I always vote. For me, the trade-off is has always been worth it.
It is possible to increase liberty (for years) by voting. Not voting yields a small increase in free time.
Is the trade-off of a little free time worth the chance of increasing liberty? That is the rational choice that we all make in every election cycle. This is why some years have higher turnout than others. People weigh the value of voting against the value of staying home. The closer an election is expected to be, the more value your vote has, so turnout increases. If an election is expected to be a landslide, more people just stay home. I guess this is the expected marginal utility of voting.
As much as I value my free time, I always vote. For me, the trade-off has always been worth it.