Quote Originally Posted by 8182KSKUSH
Really? What about your local elections? So after November 4th are you just going to not say anything here in the politics forum again for 4 years since you forfeit your vote?:wtf:
This is a good point. (Crap. Now I'm agreeing with Kush too. I need to get my brain scanned.)

Your local officials usually have a lot more to do with things that really directly affect your life than the national elections. Also, Markass, I know you think third-party candidates should have a better shot than they do in the current system --- well, third-party candiddates DO get a good shot in local elections. I've seen a lot of third-party candidates win seats on city councils, county boards of supervisors, and other local offices.

I agree with Kush that people who do not vote forfeit their right to bitch and moan. If you arent't going to even spend a few minutes to make your choice official, even if it is for a third-party or a write-in, then you can just shut the hell up for the rest of the time. Registering in your new address is the easiest thing in the world. And voting takes maybe 15 minutes. If you don't care enough to even go through that tiny effort, then you really don't care enough for me or anyone else to bother to consider your opinion. Take a real stand or shut up.

I know a lot of people are pissed off about the fact that our system gives power to two parties and excludes the rest. I don't like it either. But let's face reality and deal with it. Nothing in our Constitution REQUIRES a two-party system --- it is not the LAW that their only be two parties. But the way the Constitution defines how elections are run, the two-party system naturally occurs. It's part of the game theory of how an election is won under our Constitution --- if you are going to win, you need to be big enough to get a majority (or really a plurality) of the vote. In order to have a system that allows third parties to really have a part in government, you need a parliamentary system, and that would require a major rewrite and lots of amendments to the Constitution. You can start fighting for that now, which is a real longshot, or you can just accept what we have and work within the system to see the changes you want.

Whatever you do, don't just sit on the sidelines bitching.