Voting

[A_Wanderer]

Would you (if push came to shove) vote out of necessity or principle?

I think that I would very quickly either abstain from voting (if I voted in a country with that option) or vote against principle (of course this would be more apt in cases without preferences ~ Australia seems to balance it reasonably well) ~ although to be fair only in cases where it was better the devil I know.

Or to use an example that may have more relevence here (it isn't unbased, we did polling ) how many American citizens voted for the Democrats when they in principle would have prefered to vote Green or other third party in order to beat Bush?

 

[BonosSaint]

I voted Democrat to get Bush out of office, while underwhelmed, but I wasn't particularly jumping over for joy for the third parties either. But yes, if I preferred a third party that did not have a chance to win, I would jump ship on my principles for pragmatics.

 

[Anu]

Nailed my defensive position: Despite a severe dislike for Kerry, I voted for him anyway as a vote against Bush. I voted for Nader in 2000. Before that, I never voted for a president, even though I was old enough.
When Clinton sat in the front row of an Arkansas execution on the eve of 1992's vote to prove how "tough" he was, that cheated him out of my defensive support.
These governors who kill their own in states with active death penalties (Clinton, Bush Jr.) becoming president really creeps me.
"If voting could change anything, they'd make it illegal."

 

[Kieran McConville]

If voting could change anything, they'd make it illegal? Why bother, just make it voluntary. Bingo, problem solved.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

Since we're stuck in a two-party system, I don't see myself voting outside of it.