Check out some similar questions!

justcurious55 · Feb 6, 2008, 12:16 AM

This is for everyone who is eligible to vote but doesn't... why not exercise your right to vote?

George_1950 · Feb 6, 2008, 07:06 AM

There are lots of reasons, the main one being apathetic ("absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement"). On a humorous note, I heard one fellow say he didn't vote because he didn't want to be responsible for electing any of the politicians.

Synnen · Feb 6, 2008, 07:35 AM

I didn't vote yesterday.

I DO try to exercise my right to vote... but sometimes it's just not feasible.

While you are supposed to be allowed time from work to go vote, and the polls are open for a LITTLE while afterwards--the reality is that the economy is such that I JUST got this job, and I wasn't asking for a long lunch after less than a week to go vote.

Then, after work... the lines are LONG. I had things to get done, dinner to get on the table, laundry to do.

Had I been able to get through the line at lunch yesterday, I would have voted---but the line was an hour long, and I just couldn't wait.

George_1950 · Feb 6, 2008, 07:41 AM

Synnen: please check in your state the new rules on voting; where I live, there is a one week period before the election to vote, as well as absentee voting, which has been around for years.

Synnen · Feb 6, 2008, 07:47 AM

Oh, I know... but I didn't realize the lines would be so long, is all.

I went to vote, with my brand-spanking-new voter's registration card, and was amazed.

I just recently became a resident of MN again, after 10 years away. When I lived in Texas, it rarely (if ever!) took me longer than 20 minutes.

So... since I didn't PLAN to not vote yesterday, the absentee voting thing didn't work (you have to have it in advance, right?). Same with voting ahead of time.

I reallyjust had no idea that it would be so busy!

Skell · Feb 6, 2008, 08:54 PM

Why are all the US's voted held on a Tuesday and not a weekend when everyone can vote? We have compulsory voting down under here and election day is a Saturday. It is quite a simple process actually.

George_1950 · Feb 6, 2008, 08:59 PM

Voting strategies in the US have emphasized suppressing 'their' vote as well as turning out 'your' vote. Check this: Why is Election Day the first Tuesday in November? — Infoplease.com

Skell · Feb 6, 2008, 10:45 PM

That link you provided gives and explanation but in this day and age not a real valid one. Surely with today's technology and that little invention known as the motor car, the reason given that "since most residents of rural America had to travel a significant distance to the county seat in order to vote, Monday was not considered reasonable since many people would need to begin travel on Sunday and this would, of course, have conflicted with Church services and Sunday worship" does not really apply?

justcurious55 · Feb 7, 2008, 12:22 AM

Wow. How did I miss that in my history book... so often people go on about a division between church and state but we started our voting schedules around church schedules... something seems off about that.