Politicals: Does it matter if you vote in a non-swing state?

[Clay]

If you live in a SOLID blue state like California or Oregon, or a SOLID red state like Texas or Louisiana, does it even matter if you vote?

I'm confused if it even matters since its electoral college and not popular vote that counts.

[kane]

This is part of the reason I think we need to do away with the electoral college.

There are states where the outcome is never in doubt. I suppose some of those people, like me, could vote for a third party candidate, but I think a lot of people end up not voting because they don't think it matters.

If the Electoral College was removed and it was a straight up election people in those states would be more motivated to vote, not to mention the corruption that sometimes takes place in important battleground states would likely stop happening because the risk vs reward would no longer be there.

To answer your question, voting only really matters for people in those states when it comes to down-ballot stuff like local elections and ballot measures.

[Nicky]

Depends, what if everyone thought like that?

[woj]

you could ask the same question about any state, even swing state... what are the chances that election in your state would be so close, that your vote, would be the deciding one? and then on top of that, what are the chances that overall election would be so close that your state would decide the election? chances of both happening are probably 1 in a billion...

save yourself some time and gas $$, and do something else instead... but tell everyone you intend to vote...

[Barry-xlovecam]

30% of US voters agree with this thinking. They believe their vote is meaningless for reasons of apathy, frustrations or bitterness I would imagine.

I think of the Electoral College more of a checks and balance sort of thing. A firewall against tyranny.

True democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding who is for dinner.

[suesheboy]

you could ask the same question about any state, even swing state... what are the chances that election in your state would be so close, that your vote, would be the deciding one? and then on top of that, what are the chances that overall election would be so close that your state would decide the election? chances of both happening are probably 1 in a billion...

save yourself some time and gas $$, and do something else instead... but tell everyone you intend to vote...

What? About 500 more votes in Florida in 2000 would have given the race to Gore. As it was a badly produced paper ballot allowed more than a 1,000 votes to go to a 3rd part guy. People realized when they got home they voted wrong and created an uproar.

Please don't comment without the facts.

[woj]

What? About 500 more votes in Florida in 2000 would have given the race to Gore. As it was a badly produced paper ballot allowed more than a 1,000 votes to go to a 3rd part guy. People realized when they got home they voted wrong and created an uproar.

Please don't comment without the facts.

without your contribution, it would have been 501, resulting in Gore still not winning... so the fact that you voted made no difference at all, you wasted an hour of your time + $3 in gas... but at least you left with a warm and fuzzy feeling that you participated in democracy, I guess that counts for something...

...but don't get me wrong, you should all vote... (I'm certainly going to vote even though IL has been D by a wide margin for decades... )

[fitzmulti]

It MATTERS that you vote...if EVERYONE felt like it didn't 'matter', then nothing would ever change.

[kane]

without your contribution, it would have been 501, resulting in Gore still not winning... so the fact that you voted made no difference at all, you wasted an hour of your time + $3 in gas... but at least you left with a warm and fuzzy feeling that you participated in democracy, I guess that counts for something...

...but don't get me wrong, you should all vote... (I'm certainly going to vote even though IL has been D by a wide margin for decades... )

Like you said, the odds of it coming down to 1 vote are nearly impossible. However, 500 votes when 5.835 million were cast is about as close as you can get. That means if just one out of ever 11,650 voters (roughly) decided to blow off the election, or vote a different way, we could have had a different result.

One actual vote likely isn't going to change an election, but every vote does matter when it gets close. If one vote didn't matter during there wouldn't have been teams of lawyers on hand during the recount looking at each individual ballot and arguing whether or not it should be allowed to count.

I would argue that many politicians want people not to vote regardless of what they say. The fewer voters there are the fewer people they have to convince.

[Clay]

What? About 500 more votes in Florida in 2000 would have given the race to Gore.

Florida is a swing state.

[Coup]

If you live in a blue state the odds are that you should just stay home IMO, OP.











;)

[fitzmulti]

To me...what is WORSE {or at least a bad thing} is that East Coast US results start coming out with projections of the possible/probable winner(s) before Central & Pacific time states have finished voting.
Potentially deters people from going to vote...
THAT is stupid.

[suesheboy]

I would argue that many politicians want people not to vote regardless of what they say. The fewer voters there are the fewer people they have to convince.

Very wise words.