#poll vault

"Big american shot putter. Big american man"

Today is the big day, and it’s everywhere, on the streets and online - everyone is getting involved. I happened to mention on Facebook that I wasn’t voting, and I received quite a lot of input from my friends on why that is wrong.

I’m not having a bash at anyone here, but I felt the need to write down why I have yet to cast a vote in my adult life (mainly for personal vindication as I know hardly anyone reads this). What I will say is that I was not particularly thrilled at having so many people essentially tell me what I fool I was for not participating; I don’t feel like my opinion was respected enough, as if not casting a vote somehow meant I was less intelligent. 

This may seem an incredibly naïve sentence, but I have no interest in politics. I am a self-professed ‘noob’; I couldn’t tell you what makes someone left/right wing, what the mantra of any major party is, or what the difference is between the Houses of Lords/Commons. But what I do know is that to my untrained/uneducated eye, they’re all the bloody same. I don’t mean what they stand for or their policies, because as I’ve alluded to, I couldn’t tell you were David Cameron stands on salt/vinegar on his chips, let alone tax reform.

What I mean is that they all speak in the same illusive, non-committal, defensive way. It’s even worse when there’s a face-off between parties - without fail, each one will go on the offensive, attacking their opponents, trying to draw the public’s attention to the parts of their policy that they will dislike the most, rather than promote their own proposals. They are afraid of what people will think about their ideas, so rather than stand up for what they believe, they all simply try to discredit each other, in much the same way children do when they know they’re in trouble. And as for the House of Commons (I just googled it to make sure I got the right one), where our elected MPs gather to discuss the important issues of the day, I see very little difference between that and a school classroom, summed up perfectly by the first YouTube video I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWeaLGealHQ

They spend all their time jeering and laughing at whatever it is their opposite numbers have to say, which, most of time - you’ve guessed it - is of a slanderous nature. Watching these ‘debates’ leaves me incredulous and enraged - these people lead our country?! How I am supposed to choose someone from this sorry bunch? They have no credibility, dignity, or common courtesy.

I have also been told by multiple people that it my duty/obligation to vote, that I can have no say in anything if I do not vote. I disagree - I have wilfully chosen not to vote for anyone, because if I see no one that I wish to elect, why should I have to pick someone? This has been countered by “pick the least worst option” - why is that better? If I don’t like option A or B, why must I decide which one I dislike the least? And if I am supposed to vote for one candidate to simply spite another, that seems like more of an abuse of a vote than choosing none at all. 

Election day is in less than two weeks — and while you already know that casting your ballot is very important, you might not know that there are a lot of resources to make the process fun and easy. Behold! Our list of awesome organizations we’ve been working with to make voting easy:

First off, you should check out the Countable Congressional Compatibility Quiz. Has your relationship with your congressperson been feeling a little stale? They’re taking you for granted? Ignoring your calls? We’ve put together a short quiz with real legislation to help you decide if you and your representative are meant to be, or if it’s time to see other lawmakers this election.

Before you can head to the polls, make sure you have everything you need. Don't fear, we have a checklist of things to do before you can cast your ballot (in English and Spanish), thanks to the Brennan Center for Justice and Election Protection.

VOTE411.org is a one-stop-shop for election information from the League of Women Voters. Enter your address to find all the resources you’ll need to vote:

early and absentee voting options;

your polling place;

a note on what kind of ID (if any) you need to bring with you to vote;

and a personalized voting guide.

Want a cheat sheet? Create your sample ballot with candidates and ballot information to take with you when you vote. 

PollVault makes voting simple and smart by making it social: check out a sample ballot, and dozens of voter guides, while getting voting advice from friends and organizations you trust. This site is about helping you and your friends talk about how to vote, together, more quickly, and wisely.

MapLight is a must-see for people who care about how money influences politics. In addition to looking up your ballot information, you can connect data on campaign contributions, politicians, companies, unions, wealthy donors, and more to find out who are the top contributors to each campaign. Visit VotersEdge.org to follow the money while you research how to vote.

Ballotpedia — the “Cliffs Notes of politics” — has all your election information published on a wiki platform, where all registered users are welcome to add content. All content is researched, fact-checked and curated by Ballotpedia’s professional editing staff at the Lucy Burns Institute. Get comprehensive coverage of federal, state and local politics as well as American courts and judges through their sister site, Judgepedia.

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  We want you to have fun voting, so make sure you stay motivated! Rock the Vote is killing it with the #TurnOutForWhat and #CareLikeCrazy campaigns. Take a break amidst all the voting prep to watch their videos:

And lastly, nothing is more powerful than you — yes YOU — asking someone you know to vote. Videos, links, and hashtags only matter when you share them and ask a friend to turn out this election.

We joined Voto Latino’s “Pride in our Culture; Power of Our Vote” campaign — the #1 reason they found people weren’t turning out is because nobody asked them.