I would have preferred the statistics to use the total number of REGISTERED voters instead of total eligible voters. The unregistered population already have chosen to live with any election outcome on any subject. Registered voters at least profess to care about the outcome - like local taxation and bond issues as well as state and national elections.
I understand that point, but I wanted to note the very large portion of the population that is disinterested--for whatever reason--in either candidate/party to show that this view of democracy as somehow being representative of the "people's will" is ridiculous. When people choose not to partake in the system, I do not believe it is accurate to say that they have chosen to live with any outcome--perhaps they do not wish to support the system itself, which is very different from accepting it (even though those in power will try to bend such people to their will anyway).
I analogize it to having two different sports in an area. We can look at the percentage of "registered" sports supporters and see how many support Sport A versus Sport B, but that ignores the people who want nothing to do with either sport and are uninterested in being forced into or forcing others into one of those sports. I do not believe it is accurate for me to say that those who choose to opt out of supporting a sport have somehow tacitly agreed to accept whatever those sports and their supporters choose to do to them.
To be clear, I believe there are some issues such as tax increases (or, gasp, decreases) for which voting is important because it is perhaps the only non-violent way to avoid such usurpations of basic rights, but in most elections in which we vote for people to somehow "represent" us--which is impossible on its face--those who opt out are clearly signaling that neither choice is what they want, so please leave us alone. The outcome such people want is "none of the above," which is just as valid as either of the two prepackaged choices, in my view.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree; unfortunately, we can expect that type of uncritical examination after a decade plus of school propaganda. Hopefully, our voices can help to balance things out a bit and provide some much-needed criticism of the sacred cows in politics and life.
I would have preferred the statistics to use the total number of REGISTERED voters instead of total eligible voters. The unregistered population already have chosen to live with any election outcome on any subject. Registered voters at least profess to care about the outcome - like local taxation and bond issues as well as state and national elections.
I understand that point, but I wanted to note the very large portion of the population that is disinterested--for whatever reason--in either candidate/party to show that this view of democracy as somehow being representative of the "people's will" is ridiculous. When people choose not to partake in the system, I do not believe it is accurate to say that they have chosen to live with any outcome--perhaps they do not wish to support the system itself, which is very different from accepting it (even though those in power will try to bend such people to their will anyway).
I analogize it to having two different sports in an area. We can look at the percentage of "registered" sports supporters and see how many support Sport A versus Sport B, but that ignores the people who want nothing to do with either sport and are uninterested in being forced into or forcing others into one of those sports. I do not believe it is accurate for me to say that those who choose to opt out of supporting a sport have somehow tacitly agreed to accept whatever those sports and their supporters choose to do to them.
To be clear, I believe there are some issues such as tax increases (or, gasp, decreases) for which voting is important because it is perhaps the only non-violent way to avoid such usurpations of basic rights, but in most elections in which we vote for people to somehow "represent" us--which is impossible on its face--those who opt out are clearly signaling that neither choice is what they want, so please leave us alone. The outcome such people want is "none of the above," which is just as valid as either of the two prepackaged choices, in my view.
Edit: See, in particular, #3 in Lysander Spooner's brilliant explication of voting: https://mises.org/mises-wire/voting
Great piece.
When people hear "democracy" they simply think "good." Their analysis extends no further than that.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree; unfortunately, we can expect that type of uncritical examination after a decade plus of school propaganda. Hopefully, our voices can help to balance things out a bit and provide some much-needed criticism of the sacred cows in politics and life.