The Eight Stages of Voting

by Bitjuggler

I'm thinking that there are probably some common stages that most people go through with respect to voting (akin to the Kubler-Ross model of grief) -- and that individuals have to recognize them before they can address the underlying personal problem of why they put any credence in the voting process.

1. You believe in the story you’ve been fed about the system; you enthusiastically research the candidates’ positions; you discuss and debate those positions with friends and relatives; then you vote for whom you decide is the best candidate to fill the position.

2. You see that government is “not working” and blame the people currently holding positions in it. You look over the electoral options available and vote for the non-incumbents you determine are best suited to fill the position. A follow-on iteration to this is that you search for the non-incumbent candidates who have never held office.

3. You say to yourself, “if only a wise and benevolent individual of high moral fiber and character could be convinced to run for office”; and you eventually recognize “the one we’ve all been waiting for”; and you contribute to, and campaign for this individual as though he or she were the physical manifestation of all that could be considered “the way”.

4. You come to the conclusion that the two party system is only half as bad as a one party system like communism – and you strike a blow for liberty by casting a ballot for a third party.

5. You return to the two party fold – realizing that the only way change can be invoked will be by working within that existing system. In this stage you’ve actually convinced yourself that there is only one party that stands a chance of being converted to good.

6. You’re not happy with any of the available candidates; but go to the polls to cast a ballot for the lesser of the two evils that are likely to win.

7. You submit an empty ballot – hoping that others will join you and that, somehow, someone will notice.

8. You stay home on election day and do something worthwhile with your time.
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The following was written by Bitjuggler on the Wendy McElroy forum.

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