Lower voter turnout=better outcomes?

[Yevetha]

Could low voter turnout benefit democracy? Would the blog-reading Jon Stewart-watching, on issue-voting crowd voting would lead to better Outcomes. Especially considering the fact that young people tend to have less of an emotional attachment to either party.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The lower the voter turnout, the less democracy is expressed. Low voter turnout endangers democracy. The answer is "no".

 

[T'Girl]

Jon Stewart-watching

Basing your political choices on a comedy program that heavily advocates one of the parties?

 

[Yevetha]

The lower the voter turnout, the less democracy is expressed. Low voter turnout endangers democracy. The answer is "no".

I feel much safer with these people voting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqAiarOhC2U

Basing your political choices on a comedy program that heavily advocates one of the parties?

I just watch it recently and he goes after dems quite a lot and you have to have some idea about politics to watch it.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The lower the voter turnout, the less democracy is expressed. Low voter turnout endangers democracy. The answer is "no".

I feel much safer with these people voting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqAiarOhC2U

I'm glad.

 

[Yevetha]

It was irony, only 10% of people vote while looking at the issues. Iraq might have never happened if those were the voters Bush relied on.

 

[Roger Wilco]

No.

 

[Yevetha]

Care to elaborate?

 

[Roger Wilco]

Not really. It's a rather absurd suggestion in a fucking democracy. And who the fuck are you to even deem yourself able to tell "good" voters from "bad" ones, or smart ones from dumb ones? What arrogance! The strength of a democracy depends on participation, in fact by definition it does. An "outcome" of an election isn't good or bad based on whether you agree with it, it's based on whether or not it produces a capable government that is legitimised by the people. At least the latter is critically dependent on high turnout.

Actually the more I think about it, the more I'm disgusted by this idea.

 

[Yevetha]

Not really. It's a rather absurd suggestion in a fucking democracy.

I tought its a Republic, thats why you have an electoral college.

And who the fuck are you to even deem yourself able to tell "good" voters from "bad" ones, or smart ones from dumb ones? What arrogance!

I am sure there are objective standards by which we could select the well informed voters.

The strength of a democracy depends on participation, in fact by definition it does. An "outcome" of an election isn't good or bad based on whether you agree with it, it's based on whether or not it produces a capable government that is legitimised by the people.

Which is something you currently dont have if you look at how well Congress is polling.

Actually the more I think about it, the more I'm disgusted by this idea.

Which idea?

 

[Roger Wilco]

I am sure there are objective standards by which we could select

Bullshit. That's fucking fascism at best.

Which idea?

The idea that [some] people not voting would be a good thing.

 

[Kemaiku]

No.

This.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I tought its a Republic, thats why you have an electoral college.

And btw. because I overlooked this at first: There's no contradiction between Republicanism and Democracy, the two term mean different things, it's neither contradictory nor equal.

The UK is a monarchy, and a democracy, Russia is a republic and not a democracy, Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and not a democracy, Germany is a republic and a democracy.

And I'm not sure what the electoral college has to do with any of this, if anything it's a throwback to pre-republican power structures imo.

 

[Yevetha]

This.

Again, i could use little bit of elaboration.

Bullshit. That's fucking fascism at best.

I said nothing about the government implementing anything.

The idea that [some] people not voting would be a good thing.

I am for everybody voting as long as he can name 10 amendments to the Constitution, 3 Supreme Court Justices, his own congressmen and thye latest political scandal.

 

[Roger Wilco]

And I'm for everybody voting.

 

[Yevetha]

i already know that.

 

[cooleddie74]

The greater the turnout the more civil participation in the democracy they cherish and hold dear. Any free society where the people can't be bothered to get off the sofa and drag their asses to a polling booth is a free society that is doomed in the long run. Democracy requires participation, and when 50% or less of the voting-age population even gives a damn about casting a ballot its a profoundly sad indication that the society is somewhat or very dysfunctional and prefers to let a minority of the population make most or all its decisions for it. It's a recipe for disaster and the rise of fascism and strongmen.

 

[Lumi]

The more the better.

 

[Yevetha]

Any free society where the people can't be bothered to get off the sofa and drag their asses to a polling booth is a free society that is doomed in the long run.

For a long time only property holders had the right to vote yet the US had not collapsed. I am not advocating going back for that.

Democracy requires participation, and when 50% or less of the voting-age population even gives a damn about casting a ballot its a profoundly sad indication that the society is somewhat or very dysfunctional and prefers to let a minority of the population make most or all its decisions for it.

Plenty of industries function well that way.

It's a recipe for disaster and the rise of fascism and strongmen.

So why is Autralia not a fascist dictatorship yet? Because the government is forcing people to vote.

 

[cooleddie74]

Who says most Australians wouldn't vote even if it weren't a federal law to do so? Aussies are a First World, modern and advanced people who are pretty well educated and seem to have a tremendous love and respect for their democracy. I imagine that even if the law requiring all able-bodied, registered citizens to cast ballots was repealed that Australia would still have very high turnout. Even higher than the United States I think.