You mean #makehalocanonagain

Also, seriously, your votes are statistically irrelevant based on how numbers work.

You're conflating statistical significancy with relevancy. Those are two different things.

It sounds like you're trying to say, your vote doesn't matter, because lots of other people are voting.

If that is what you mean, again, it sounds like you're conflating two concepts: the idea that something that "matters" with the idea that something is counted.

Based on other stuff you've written on this forum, I'm guessing you would say stuff doesn't matter, but that's a personal value judgement, not a statistical or numerical conclusion.

Will one vote change an election? Probably not. But that's why the system is set up the way that it is. It is impossible for both everyone's vote to count and for everyone's single vote to determine an election.

But if a significant number of people think that way, and particularly if the tendency to think like that is affected by demographic factors, then it can have all the effect in the world. That should be especially clear in this election, where there's been almost no discussion of policy and everyone is just trying to get their constituents to be the ones that feel like voting.

Voting for AIDS because it isn't Cancer is moronic at best.

How so? How are lesser-evil stances any dumber than most-good stances?

If you dislike both candidates, it's not like not voting will cause your dream candidate to take office.

It is all up to you to save us, bro.

Do you reduce all tough problems down to really simple comparisons to make it easier to not have any responsibility?

You do you... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sounds like a lesser known trolley problem.

I think everyone should vote, and I think if you don't have the time or ability to do even the most basic research into the policy positions of both candidates, then you must be incapable of even the most basic decision.

This isn't true at all.

Prop 61.

Can you tell me if that's a good idea? Can you predict what will actually happen to drug prices if passed? Nobody can. So how can I be informed?

Do you think you have the required knowledge to assess every candidate's policy positions? Or do you just look at what the experts tell you? Or worse than that, look at pundits who share your leanings?

Get real. Being fully informed is impossible, which is why we have a republic in the first place.

Yeah, as someone who works in life sciences , I don't even think I'm informed enough about a ballot measure like that. I wasn't specific enough in my commentary. I think Ballot Measures are hard to be informed about and people SHOULD research them to the best of their ability and see if they can come to some kind of conclusion on them before voting. I would advise that they read the arguments for and against and yes, check out what the pundits that THEY support have to say about it. You should always be critical of the pundits you follow, but they can also provide you some kind of insight into how you feel about something.

Before I voted I found a couple of voting guides based on my postcode, checked each option and noted which way I would vote regardless of party lines, and which options I wouldn't vote for.

I can easily imagine a ballot measure like the one that you linked, that I wouldn't feel comfortable voting either way because honestly, it sounds like a poorly put together measure. There WAS a ballot measure locally here for Raleigh that I knew within an instant how I felt about it, so I voted for it. As for presidential elections, and to a lesser extent other down ballot things like senators, it really should only take about 20 minutes to figure out which option you'd prefer.

Oh and I fucking HATE the 2 party system.

Also, seriously, your votes are statistically irrelevant based on how numbers work. Especially since 80% (closer to 90) of states are just going to vote for whatever figurehead is put on the ballot by the party that is going to win.

I think everyone should vote, and I think if you don't have the time or ability to do even the most basic research into the policy positions of both candidates, then you must be incapable of even the most basic decision.

This isn't true at all.

Prop 61.

Can you tell me if that's a good idea? Can you predict what will actually happen to drug prices if passed? Nobody can. So how can I be informed?

Do you think you have the required knowledge to assess every candidate's policy positions? Or do you just look at what the experts tell you? Or worse than that, look at pundits who share your leanings?

Get real. Being fully informed is impossible, which is why we have a republic in the first place.

For the record, I already voted, but I love this clip:

Haha yeah, dude is hilarious.

I did find the comment about who has "no right to complain" interesting. I've never thought about it that way, sounds silly to think that one can diffuse their responsibility or absolve it altogether when they have an opportunity by just not doing anything.

I think everyone should vote, and I think if you don't have the time or ability to do even the most basic research into the policy positions of both candidates, then you must be incapable of even the most basic decision.

If you want to protest by not voting at all, what a waste of what little initiative you have, it's like having something to say, but going out into the desert and whispering it to a sand dune. At the very least protest votes for 3rd party candidates or organized write-ins (where available) demonstrate the direction you want things to go in. (As an aside I'd much prefer preferential voting, which would have avoided the disaster of the republican primary and tends to support non 2 party system interests...).

And if you think voting has no impact, history proves otherwise. Every great or horrible thing a politician has done, has been because they were elected... with votes.

Fascists don't seize power in a vacuum, they have done it once they have been voted in.

Anyways... go look into each candidate, check out their policies, see who is endorsing them (seriously, the KKK is endorsing one of the 2 candidates for the president of the United States...) and cast your vote in where you want this country to go.