I met a relative of Al Gore today.

[ScreamingMeemie]

I was at the sporting goods store (local mom and pop) picking up my daughter's gym uniforms. They didn't have her school but are due to get a shipment in soon.

To make a long story short after chatting pleasantly about this and that, the man hands me his card and says to call on Monday, so I don't have to make a trip for nothing. I look down at the card and it says Bob Gore. Of course, I ask "any relation to...?" and he says yes, his father is a cousin of Al's grandfather. Not exactly close, but interesting for what came next. I said,"Well that makes voting easy." His reply? "Oh, I don't vote." WHAT??? Here is a small business owner with absolutely no customers in his somewhat overpriced store, related to a polititian ( no matter how distant) and he doesn't vote. I asked him why. Because the country is a mess and my vote ain't gonna fix it. All I could say was that his vote might just save his store from dying a painful death.

I will never understand people who underestimated the right to vote. Even if you don't believe your vote counts, I could never sit back at the end of the day knowing I had thrown away my one possible chance at changing the state of this Union. And Bob Gore no less...sheesh.

[StrongBad]

1. I have quite a few apathetic friends who refuse to vote.

Their general responses when I press for a reason:

1) My vote is statistically insignificant.
(apparently they don't grasp the concept of aggregates)

2) There is no difference between the two parties.
(this is why I despise Nader, for perpetuating this myth into the mainstream consciousness when it is so glaringly untrue)

I do all I can, but unfortunately these people are comfortable just letting themselves be taken advantage of by those in power.

[AP]

2. I have friends who have ENDED friendships with people who won't vote.

I'm serious. I have heard several friends say this. Guess what they have in common? They're black. Wonder why black people really care alot about voting. Hmmm.

[monkeyboy]

3. The reason I vote...

...is so that I can talk politics without looking foolish:

"I believe blah blah blah".

"Did you vote?"

"Why bother".

Makes one look rather idiotic...

[Doomsayer13]

4. try having family who refuse to vote

My brother makes it a point to mock my political fervor by saying that he will never in his life vote. When I ask, "do you care about this country and your well being?" he answers "no, not really."

And my mom, who was a naturalized immigrant, hates Bush but when I try to get her to register she just throws those reigstration cards away. Why? "I'm too lazy to go to the polling place".

ARGHGHGHGHHG

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Condolences to you. I guilt my family, call them all day, offer to go with

etc. They do it to shut me up.

[LeftistGorilla]

6. I think he might vote...

just didn't want his business to be affiliated with politics or political parties...

[catzies]

7. My personal standard is not to discuss politics with nonvoters

IMO, if you're not participating in the system then you have abdicated your right to complain. It works for me.

Are you in Tennessee? I'm inclined to use your example as a rebuttal to the tired argument "Al Gore didn't deserve to win; he didn't even win his own state!" I say, "Yeah, because voters there are too discouraged from participating, and non-participation usually favors the GOP."

[magnolia]

8. I used to get upset over non-voters...

...but, you know what...people who don't bother to vote, generally don't take the time to learn anything or become informed. If they can't make an intelligent decision...then why do I want them to vote. If they did vote, these people would go by what they hear repeated (as in "Bush is such popular president") or name recognition (as in Swarzenegger)so I'd just as soon they stay home and watch reruns on election night.

What does really bother me is when they tell you...like my very intelligent nephew...that they voted for Nader to make a statement! What statement...you are in the booth by yourself, who's going to hear your statement...if you want to make a statement, get a soap box and stand on it and talk yourself silly...but in the meantime, vote Democratic!!!!!

[Lisa]

9. wow, that's ironic ...

Especially considering that election 2000 sure showed us that even a "small" number of voters can make a difference. (Yeah, aside from that one guy on the Supreme Court.) But seriously, there are plenty of examples of district-level races where the margin of victory could be counted on your fingers and toes.

Does this mean he is also related to Gore Vidal (a cousin of Al)?

[sangh0]

10. I ask people who say "One vote doesn't count"

"Then why does the RNC put so much effort into keeping people from voting?"

[gratuitous]

11. The Republican plan is working

Let's face it, folks: We are in the majority. More people believe in and support the Democratic platform than support the Republican platform. As a nation, we are comfortable paying taxes for the services we get (roads, food inspectors, prescription drug certification, etc.). So, how do the Republicans win so many races? Turnout. Specifically, they depress turnout.

When Newt Gingrich swept to victory in the Republican "landslide" of 1994, less than 40% of registered voters bothered to cast a ballot, and Republicans won race after race by 51-49 or 52-48 margins. That means that about 20% of the voting populace was running the whole show for the rest of us.

Initiatives like "motor voter" and voter registration drives are heavily opposed by Republicans. Why? Because they'd get their brains beat in if 3/4 of the folks who could vote actually did. And Democratic candidate after candidate has let them get away with it, and I think it's because they're getting bad advice. The more voters we get to the polls, the better for our candidates. Yes, you'll motivate and energize a certain percentage of Republican, Libertarian or Green voters, but you'll turn on far more voters likely to punch the card or pull the handle for a Democrat.

When you bump into someone who says they don't vote because "my vote ain't gonna fix it," ask them how they expect the mess to get fixed, then. Then inform them that by not voting, they're endorsing the status quo, and the rule of the nation by the greedy, grasping pigs who've made such a mess of things. If you want it to change, there are probably a hundred things you can do. The easiest thing, by far, is to get to the voting booth on election day.

Talk it up. Cheerlead. Wheedle. Cajole. Do whatever it takes to get these disaffected voters to re-engage. They're dissuaded from voting by a very sophisticated, very focused campaign to daunt them, and it clearly works. You and I are the antidotes to that campaign.

[The_Golden_Child]

12. It doesn't matter what we vote, or who votes...

They will just lie and steal ballot boxes, or else just have their cronies in the media change the numbers.

[tlcandie]

13. Everywhere I go .. it seems the status of the nation and/or world

is coming up here in Florida. Young, old and in-between are all VERY unhappy with the current status quo...from what I've seen this past week and they want * out!

Today my hair stylist said she does not vote. I told her YOU HAVE TO! We all have to if we don't we will lose our country...it is that important! She said her son age 14 or so was asking about voting, but she couldn't tell him anything. So, I got on her computer and pulled up a site that showed in basic terms how the system worked and told her TO REGISTER NOW!!!

During another discussion, we were talking and it was the same scenario, but one did and one didn't vote. Discussed the lesser or two evils general format in presidental voting, but I told them this time it is different that a man by the name of Dennis Kucinich CAN change the tides if people can only get past the 'electable quotient' and just do it! They asked for the spelling and said they had not even heard of Dennis Kucinich, but said they would definitely go online and check him out!!

Keep those torches burning and we will be that brushfire that takes out all the shrubs!!!