Why do people who don't cast their ballot on election day bitch and moan?

...(about the government)

It's pretty straightforward really. If you really hate every option available to you, you could at least go in on election day and spoil your vote, making your discontent clear. Instead, plenty of lazy ****s don't bother, sending out a message of apathy... before these same people bitch and moan about what the government is doing later on.

dunno

It's called the sheep syndrome.
Basically, people who normally don't give two ****s about the government (hence the not voting) decide that they have a strong opinion on the government after seeing people around them complaining about the government.
This is why you see so many people who clearly don't know a thing about politics ranting about the government.
As an example, the other day, I heard a girl going 'Oh, I hate the Tories! I'm definitely not voting for them!'. When I asked why, she had no clear reasons.
The sheep syndrome explains everything.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3

yo radical one

If they don't feel any of the parties represent their views then why should they vote

In fact the LibDems for example did not even fulfill certain promises, so there is also an issue of trust here

Reply 4

TheGuy117

Original post by yo radical one

If they don't feel any of the parties represent their views then why should they vote

In fact the LibDems for example did not even fulfill certain promises, so there is also an issue of trust here

Erm, did you even read my post? :s-smilie:

Reply 5

suzylemonade

Original post by yo radical one

If they don't feel any of the parties represent their views then why should they vote

In fact the LibDems for example did not even fulfill certain promises, so there is also an issue of trust here

But then what right do they have to complain about it if they haven't used their vote to make a difference?

Reply 6

yo radical one

Original post by TheGuy117

Erm, did you even read my post? :s-smilie:

How on Earth is ruining your ballot paper any better than not voting? :confused:

the only time I would promote that, is if you are young and want the government to stop pandering to old people (who do vote in high numbers) so much

Reply 7

yo radical one

Original post by suzylemonade

But then what right do they have to complain about it if they haven't used their vote to make a difference?

Precisely because their vote would never have made a difference in the way they wanted it to...

It's like saying to a vegetarian "you had the option to eat pork tonight or you could have eaten beef, so stop complaining you are hungry."

Reply 8

TheGuy117

Original post by yo radical one

How on Earth is ruining your ballot paper any better than not voting? :confused:

the only time I would promote that, is if you are young and want the government to stop pandering to old people (who do vote in high numbers) so much

It actively shows you don't like any of the voting options available to you. Spoiled votes are counted when measuring turnout, so the difference between turnout and total votes would be noted...and if high enough, show the government that people are angry. Whereas not showing up just gives the impression that you are apathetic and don't give a ****.

Reply 9

yo radical one

Original post by TheGuy117

Personally I've always assumed people who ruin the ballot paper are immature *****, kinda like the kid who draws a picture of a penis on his homework, because he has no idea what to do

Reply 10

suzylemonade

Original post by yo radical one

Sorry? How would they know that exactly?

And that is a horrifically bad analogy.
It's more like giving a vegetarian a table full of dishes from which they can pick one, but the vegetarian chooses none of them. What right do they have to complain about being hungry if they didn't even pick a meal?

Reply 11

yo radical one

Original post by suzylemonade

Because if none of the parties appeal to them, then who are they supposed to vote for, in the same way a vegetarian won't want to eat any meet

For the record, I did vote last election (for the Green party in fact :colondollar:

) but I am not a smug git who thinks he is superior to typical non-voters who are people too

Reply 12

suzylemonade

Original post by yo radical one

) but I am not a smug git who thinks he is superior to typical non-voters who are people too

Fair enough. But my problem is with people who don't even bother to look at any of the parties and yet still moan about how awful the government is.

Good, okay :tongue:

Reply 13

ChaoticButterfly

Original post by suzylemonade

That equally applies to a lot of voters to. Not voting does not mean you are by default politically ignorant or apathetic.

Reply 14

St. Brynjar

I don't see any logic in not voting except for apathy or ignorance. I live in one of the safest seats in the country but I'm genuinely excited about voting. If you have a problem with the system, spoil your ballot or vote for a protest party/independent.

Reply 15

Ripper-Roo

Because their individual vote means jack****. People who do vote as opposed to those who don't arent superior. Non voters can still complain about the political system and may see none of the parties reflect their views of interests.

Reply 16

Ripper-Roo

Original post by suzylemonade

Because their diet doesn't consist of eating meat?

Reply 17

suzylemonade

Original post by Ripper-Roo

Because their diet doesn't consist of eating meat?

Yes, but they have a different variety of foods in front of them. Not all contain meat.

Reply 18

andrew2209

I don't get the whole idea of spoiling your ballot to make a point, does anyone really care about the number of spoiled ballots?

The solution is for apathetic voters to raise £500 quid between themselves, and have 1 of them stand for election, so they actually have someone to vote for.