• squid_slime@lemm.eeM
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    3 months ago

    seems as if the United States electoral system has become systematized where using ones democratic right to not vote or vote third party is now an attack. in the UK where i am based we had a push to spoil ballot papers, this was a democratic protest against an unchanging system which many see as failing them. this election spoke for itself with the lowest voter turn out since 1918. how have we gone the Orwellion rout of framing democracy in such an undemocratic way.
    either way good luck in your election i hope the Democrats neither the orange man gets in.

    • Hacksaw@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      You’re playing yourself.

      It’s almost universal in the west that the higher the voter turnout the more left the government. Just look at France, first round, typical low turnout: far right won. Second round hight turnout massive: leftist win.

      Spoiling the ballot is just not voting. When I was young, I used to think that you could make a point by not voting, or by spoiling the ballot. By waiting until the perfect representative showed up. Then I saw elections where the winning party got 43% of the votes with 40% voter turnout. Then I realised that 17% of people just forced us into another garbage right wing government and that spoiling ballots wasn’t even reported in the news AT ALL.

      Vote EVERY TIME. It’s a tug of war, the harder you pull the more the whole thing shifts to your side. Look at the right in the US, this situation was impossible a decade ago, but they kept voting and the window kept shifting. And now it’s fucked up.

      Don’t let your side down just because some of the people pulling don’t agree with you on where we should stop. Pull your weight, we can’t accept fascism.

      • squid_slime@lemm.eeM
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        3 months ago

        Like I said, we had the lowest voter turnout since 1918. We’ve been under a Conservative government for 17 years, and now we have a Labour government that’s sticking to the same austerity measures—removing rent caps on social housing, increasing utility prices. Essentially, nothing has changed, and in some ways, things are getting worse.

        I’m not a liberal so there isn’t much rope for me to pull.

        I want real change, so I organize with a socialist party. I’ve gone door-to-door with TUSC candidates in the run up to the general election, spoken at counter-demonstrations, shown up at pickets, and helped set up community outreach throughout my local area. Just last month, I attended an international meeting in Germany, so it’s not like I’m some ill-informed internet loony. I’m more than happy for people to vote how they like, and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from doing so, but I also won’t use vapid slogans like “not voting is a vote for Trump.”

        • Hacksaw@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          3 months ago

          How can it be any other way? The fewer little vote the more likely Trump is to win. In the American system not voting IS a vote for Trump.

          I’m sorry change is too slow for you. The first round of liberal/leftist victory is often crap. They barely win, or they don’t have his leftist candidates. Every election with a massive turnout on the left opens up space for leftist representatives. I think I’ve said this before. Change is slow. Right now the window is WAY over to the right. We have to bring it back by voting in droves until we’re represented. It’s simple math, but we keep losing because we don’t get what we want right away.

          If a new socialist party can work in the UK then more pretty to you. I know some European countries have 20 parties with elected representatives and the most any party can hope for is 20%. But in countries with two parties you have to change them from the inside. Each situation is s different battleground and we have to optimise our strategy. And we don’t win by attacking eachother for starting simple facts because they’re not true everywhere.