Below are my reasonings for not voting...

Elections are a waste of time if you don’t see much value in reducing - even slightly - the extent of injustice and deprivation imposed on vulnerable people.

Elections are a waste of time if you think corporate power has grown so immense that state power has become irrelevant.

Add to these...

Elections are a waste of time if you think there is no realistic chance of a legitimate third party that is powerful enough to fend off the incumbent Republicans and Democrats and soundly defeat them.

Elections are a waste of time if you think the very voting machines, as manufactured by Diebold, etc, are not merely imperfect but rather very flawed and thus highly vulnerable to corruption (Memphis, New York)

Elections are a waste of time if you think Citizens United has essentially destroyed any hope of a government "for and by the people" as it now empowers Corporate America to, essentially, purchase votes in clandestine fashion.

Elections are a waste of time if you think the electoral system has already proven that it can in fact be bought and corrupted to serve a few individuals (2000 presidential election).

The time for elections to make a difference is past.

It's time to organize undergrounds.

00:51 — Anonymous (not verified)
The time for elections to make a difference is past.

It's time to organize undergrounds.

Agreed.

Solomon's logic is, I think, solid. And no ideologue will convince me, a priori, that Kucinich, Lee and a few others are useless; they are beacons of hope and (small) progress. But despite the passionate elegance of Solomon's closing statement, it leaves the following open:

Electoral politics is not exclusively about voting -- and pointedly not in the too-frequent cases where the choice is really a lesser evil. (Look back on Solomon's points and see how many are lesser-evil arguments). So:

Where are the "grassroots," and where does our energy go? For many of us (including, alas, the President) it is easier to say or write to suggest "another world is possible," than to know much about bringing our vision to life. I sure don't know -- except it's obviously more than rescuing Speaker Pelosi not only from the Repubs, but from her own pragmatism.

@Miner987, while I admire your noble beliefs on voting, it's simply not pragmatic in this day and age and it grows increasingly pointless every cycle. Don't think for a minute that I'm gullible enough to be guilted into voting because if I don't then it will lead of fascist victory. That won't fly with me or most other non-voters.

Fact is, America is already a burgeoning fascist state as that seed was planted roughly years ago. The Fascist-Americans, clearly, are currently working to rig the elections and steal the votes (as they did in 2000), and to participate in this just feeds fascism and strengthens it. But please, don't think for a minute that not voting leads to fascism - we're already there my friend.

Who said anything about giving up? Have you considered that maybe some non-voters are taking action in unconventional ways? How do you know that's not going on?

Yes, voting is a waste because of the very reasons you yourself just mentioned. You destroyed your own argument with your inherent conflicts. Unless you're actually wanting everyone to intentionally and willfully participate in a widely-known corrupt and flawed system that favors the elite. In which case, I would highly be suspicious of your motivations because you're essentially saying "do it anyway".

Not to be argumentative, but your logic isn't there.

If voting made a difference elections would be illegal.

To hell with cynicism.

We have an election to win.

Hey Folks,
 
How hard is it to vote? Does it take some amazing effort? Basically it is as simple as signing a petition or calling an elected official. Heck, I called the city and told them about some potholes that were endangering bike riders. Guess f**king what- they got fixed within the month. Sit on your a** if you are a Right winger, GET TO THE POLLS (or fill in your mail in ballot) if you believe in Democracy (no matter how flawed and messed up it currently is [perhaps even non existent in some areas due to Diebold rigging etc.], or how you 'know it makes no difference'). It is the Republicans who have always worked to suppress turn out, to limit the franchise, just as they continue to. The more cynics who sneer, who walk away because they are 'too cool', 'too knowledgable', 'too fed up', etc. are just playing into the right wing's hands.

I, too, am unsatisfied with Democratic actions and selling out, however my 50 years have taught me one thing, UNDER REPUBLICAN RULE IT IS ALWAYS WORST FOR MORE PEOPLE. In fact, even the rich don't do as well economically. It just seems that way because everyone else does so much
worst.
 
And, yes, I am not naive- elections are stolen and we are way too close to being just like the banana republics we like to manipulate and look down on, but it is easy to vote and it does make a difference. Do you really want a violent revolution in the streets? Do you really want Newt Gingrich or Sarah Palin for president? Do you really want to stroke
your own damn ego by thinking that not voting makes any kind of positive difference (unless, of course, you are a tea bagger :)?

Wake up!

You seldom get the savior you pray for... or the politician you dream of, but if you want to stand by and let the G*P back into majority status just look in the mirror on Nov. 3rd and repeat to yourself "I am a cowardly idiot, a f**king cowardly, lazy idiot, and I deserve the screwing that I just bent over for."

I know it can seem hopeless, and quite futile, but until we can get progressive, green candidates elected to the local school board, to city councils, to utility boards continuously, we will have more Scalias and Roberts, more Reagans and Bushs, more Iraqs and Afghanistans, perhaps even an Iran...
Your choice. I know what mine will be. VOTE.