About a week ago, Drudge ran a headline something to the effect of: SHOCK: NYU STUDENTS WOULD TRADE THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE FOR IPOD TOUCH. While I wasn’t part of the poll even though I’m in the journalism building pretty much all day (posting to CG, natch), I think it’s safe to say I’d give up my right to vote for an iPod touch.
Why, exactly? Because I’d get more out of an iPod touch than I would voting. Allow me to explain.
It comes down to this: my vote wouldn’t mean a damn thing. Take a look at this election snapshot from 2004.
I live in Dutchess County, NY; I’m only in the city for school. The county more than slightly leans Republican, so if I were to vote for a Democrat my vote would be pointless. Since we use a FPP system, the winning Republican gets all of the county’s votes. I might as well have stayed home.
Now let’s look at New York state.
Kerry won handily, with some 59 percent of the vote. So even if my vote counted at the county level, which it wouldn’t since I want a Dem in office, my vote wouldn’t be pivotal; it would just go into a giant pile of Kerry votes. Why leave the house and wait in a line in some dumb high school gym if I’m just adding to a gigantic pile of Kerry votes? I could be watching TV, playing WoW or screwing around with my iPod touch, as it were.
Never mind that I won’t even be voting this time around anyway because all the candidates, on both sides, are wishy-washy question-dodgers.
Now where’s my iPod?
Most at NYU say their vote has a price [Washington Square News/Politico]
That reasoning was borderling offensive to me. First of all a little respect for the people who came before you to secure that right to vote that you (and others would give up so easily). While I can expect many would surrender their right to vote, or for that matter their privacy for the latest tech “hotness” as a “journalist” one would think you would be able to identify the gaping hole in your own logic as to why your vote is meaningless.
Sure, individually your vote would not have changed the outcome of the election one way or the other, but if you calculate the different in votes in your county, and multiply that number by the price of the ipod touch… then I guess it is possible to buy an election….
Anyway, despite thye tone of my comment, I am a big fan of your articles, and this site… I just think you may have suffered a blunt force trauma to the head before typing this article :)
Hey, if I buy you an Oqo, can I have all your social security checks when you retire?
You are basing your entire argument on Presidential election. Have you -ever- voted? Seriously – have you???
If you have you should of noticed a number of things – such as elections for all sorts of things. Such as for the House (every two years!) and Senate (which may or may not be up depending on your state) not to mention a flurry of local elections and ballot initiatives. Many of which are settled with just a few votes. So get off your ass and spend an hour or so every two years and vote. At least my state allows me to not vote for something which is highly likely on the presidential election.
No, Tim, I haven’t voted. Ever! For anything! In 2004 because I didn’t want to take the train an hour north and by 2006 I was already disgusted with politics. HTH.
-nd
I am not so sure I would give away my voting rights for an iPod touch. We Americans are truly blessed to be able to vote for people who represent us.
But I will admit, if I had $399 laying around, I would BUY an iPod touch in a heartbeat! They truly rock!
This is just one man’s opinion, but I think if you don’t vote, you have no right to criticize anyone in political office or any political issue. You’ve disqualified yourself from the discussion by not taking a few minutes out of your day to do something that might actually have an impact on REAL life.
I’m an Ohioan (a swing state), so my vote almost always has an impact on something and I feel guilty if I ever forget or miss an election because of business travel, even if it’s just the smallest of issues on the ballot.
My advice- if it’s too hard to make it to the booth (or you’re too lazy) look into absentee balloting. You get to vote and you can stay at home playing your precious WoW.
whoa Nicholas, you must of struck a nerve
who would have thought gadget geeks would be so into democracy
must be from voting on all those Digg articles
i guess its a good sign
I’ll take my Itouch
That’s “democracy” for you. The electoral college system is a joke.
anyone with any sort of economics bg knows voting is worthless! I’ll take my touch pls.
Jeff (above comments) hit the nail on the head, give up your right to vote? Even if your vote never made a difference because of your voting area…you still vote. A vote is a American right that was fought for and won…and won more than once. You would give that “right” up for a electronic toy that would be a door stop in 5 years.
I’m forty years old and your article, if it hints at what the youth of America are like, then America will be taken over in the next 50 years.
Sad
Mr Deleon:
In your analysis, you fail to consider the unknowable number of other citizens coming to the same conclusion (”my vote won’t effect the outcome”), deciding not to vote, and thereby having an indirect effect on the outcome by failing to cause a direct effect.
Further, you are analyzing a historical election (2004). Hindsight allows your unreasoned conclusion to seemingly hold water. However, you do not have the benefit of hindsight in any future election.
The willingness to trade suffrage for a toy is the mark of a fool–I hope you merely wrote this article to generate traffic to your site and failed to actually consider the issue.
We got a hot one here. Your vote counts, I mean, it is technically counted, just that at the end it doesn’t. The voting system has to change. Hopefully California will lead the way.
WAVA I would love to see this country with a popular vote
As an individual, you may feel like one drop of water in an ocean – but if your thought process became widely accepted – do you realize how quickly you’d lose the things you’ve clearly taken for granted? Your vote, amongst a majority, is an activating part of that majority. Your vote amongst a minority is an activating part of the ascent to victory (regardless of the outcome). Resist the temptation to view it any other way. That’s completely counter-productive.
It’s actually pretty scary to hear someone talk like that
you can say you’ll not vote because you don’t know the value. as an immigrant from asia who came from a country where there is no chance to vote even for your local council let alone your president, prime minister, i think you should respect your country has at least a resonably fair election system. mind you, no political system is perfect
If you listen to what he’s saying, there’s good logic there. It’s not that VOTING is not worthwhile, but that the “First Past the Post” system is totally flawed, especially when it’s used to decide a whole county, or whole state’s “vote” is counted.
The system that’s in place is flawed. It was designed for another time.
i am the greaest kung fu master alive and i dont sleep i wait
I AM CHUCK NORRIS IN ARMORE.