I always vote. I've been registered since I turned 18. But, I'm also a Political Science major. :D

I've voted in every election since 1971. Now you know how old I am. ;) I registered at 18 in Kentucky when you still had to be 21 to vote in most other states. I still remember my grandmother telling me what it was like to be able to vote for the first time when she was in her mid-twenties. Its something I try never to take for granted.

My understanding is that you can register to vote at 17, provided that you will be 18 on or before the next election day. My son will miss the next presidential election by 2 months. :(

I think that if your son are going to be 18 in 2004, he can vote in the Presidential election. You should contact the Board of Elections to find out the correct answer.

you better believe i vote!

i turned 18 in 1996 so i was so excited to vote in the presidential election that year.

i don't understand why people don't vote. people worked so hard to get me that right, and i'm not going to let it pass by me

I have voted in every election but one, it was a town election where the incumbent recreation director was running unopposed. I missed that one.

I have voted in every election since I was 18, and I plan to be able to say that for the rest of my life. Why? Because I can!

My parents were very active in politics, and I worked at the polls since I was old enough to lisp, "Please vote for my Daddy." So actually, I've never missed an election since I was 4!

The year that I was an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention, I was the youngest delegate in the country.

Now I'm a registered Republican, and have worked in the White House, and served jury duty. I'll always be glad that I've had the experiences I did, but there's something to be said to enjoying the autumn & the spring without a heartfelt campaign ...!

Yep I vote.

I actually worked at the last election. I was the person who registers people to vote day of. I don't know about the US, but here in Canada, you just need proof of address and signature. Further to that, you don't even need proof. We like it, but you can swear and oath saying you're eligible to vote (blah blah blah, Queen, blah blah blah) and you'll be allowed. To deny someone the right to vote is unconstitutional...

I vote in all elections except municiple, since I've never had a municiple election in a city I was staying more than 4/8 months in since I turned 18.

I'd like to vote for the Green Party leader. He's running in the same constitutancy as Ernie Eves.... :)

so you're saying i should vote green?...even tho their platform makes me puke almost as much as hearing PC, Liberal and NDP...i think i'd rather destroy my ballot with graffiti.

No SHE didn't say YOU should vote green. SHE SAID SHE'D like to vote Green, and that he is running in the same riding as Ernie Eves.


The Green party is running 102 Candidates in 103 ridings. I think that is pretty damn good. I think it's about time the media started giving them some more recognition. By the same token, they need to do some better campaigning. I didn't know who my candidate was until I decided to look it up on the web.

i vote in all presidental elections. local elections i dont always get to because i either dont have enough time or i am not informed on any of the issues. i only vote when i know all the aspects of ths canadate's platforms and what the issues are all about!! :D

***dances a voting dance***

I *had* been voting in all of the elections, but I don't know how to register in my new town.

I don't get any official mail at my new address (ie. utilities and such, my fiance has them all in his name), which they required when I registered in college :(

I voted every year except for one when the Shaker Heights School District needed a levy to pass to continue their expenses.

i vote i vote i vote! i am very proud to vote. :)

i don't always make it for primary elections because i go to school a little far from home, but i always make the trip for the real elections. i really believe "every vote counts".. didnt' george w prove that to us?? :)

Ginger, although your vote will just be cancelling mine out, if you PM me I can help you figure out how to register.

I've voted in just about every election possible since my eighteenth, except for when I forgot to request an absentee ballot for school board. I voted in Platteville last year so I could vote for the candidate I had been campaigning for. Now I think I'll go back to voting in Waukesha County because somebody needs to vote Democrat there.

-471 times my daddy has voted for Mickey Mouse because he didn't like the Republican candidate and nobody else ever runs

i registered in pa when i was 18 and voted by absentee ballot in most elections while in college. i even got to work at the polls my first election. it was a primary, so someone had to switch the thingy if you were a democrat or a republican. i got to do that! my mom was the judge of elections in my town for years (until she started working for the federal government and had to resign). when i moved to mass, i didn't register. i went to the dmv to get a new license and i had waited sooooo long, i didn't want to spend any more time registering to vote. last year, i read over the propositions being proposed in the state...and with the governer's race, i knew i had to register. i would have felt guilty if mitt romney won and i didn't vote...lol. at least i can say that i put in my two cents!

I've voted in every election I could. Absentee voting is the greatest thing when you're in school, or else I had a friend who was registered to vote in the area she was going to school (still here in the state). I'm actually going to miss the CA recall election because I'm flying to Indiana that day, and I just mailed in my request for an absentee ballot so I can vote for the new governor of CA :)

I vote! The only one I missed was this past presidential (Bush v. Gore) race because I moved and b/c I put my mailing address at school which was a PO Box on the voting registration application. They rejected it because it didn't have my permanent address. Now that I have my voter registration card, I vote whenever there's an election.

When I worked the polls, the funniest write-in I ever saw was "Anybody but that bum!"

Little known voting fact: If you write in a candidate's name who already appears on the ballot, that vote is cancelled out! Save your write-ins for organized write-ins or protests such as the above!

They get it from your tax forms and what not.... My sister was pciked for jury duty before she was registered.
\

Chris

CutiePie lives in a different country than we do...

I always make it a point to vote. I'm also in the "if ya don't vote, ya can't bitch" camp.

Like I'd want to miss an opportunity to bitch.....;)

That's me too tinydancer! If you don't vote, don't complain!

ditto...i vote whenever there is an election.

He can go to the polls on Election Day and just vote for President (but nothing else) there, if you're not registered. This is what I did for my first election. Now I'm registered at home in Florida, and I've voted for every single election since I was eligible.

Of course I vote! As many people who fought and died for my right to vote, I'd be a fool not to.

After watching bits of the Democratic debate last night, I think when I change my voter registration for my new address, I'm going to register as a Democrat. I have always been independant, but with so many candidates, I think it's time I put my voice into who we put up for the election. I registered independant when I was 18 because, believe it or not, I had some conservative tendancies...Heck, if I dug a candidate enough I might even vote for them if they were Republican (Colin Powell - are you reading this?!?)

I vote! Me over here!!! I wish we had a Rock the Vote here in KY, I would so volunteer!


No vote... no b**ching!

I've voted in all but three elections since I became eligible to vote WAY back in 1986.

Like many of you, I do it because my voice gets heard, and, I don't believe anyone that doesn't vote doesn't have the right to complain about how things turn out. If you vote, you therefore have a probable chance of affecting the outcome, then you can complain as loudly as you want, but it seems most of the people I know that complain the most, never have voted - I just find that paradoxical.

The hard part is in know HOW to vote on issues/candidates - there's a lot of logic and emotion that goes into decision making - make sure your logical decision is sound, and only go against logic if your heart TRULY tells you it is the right way to go.

bump

Well said! :-D

I'm registered independent, so I can't vote on primaries, but there are always 2 or 3 issues that find their way into those elections, too. So I go vote. And the little old ladies ask me which party I am, and when I tell them independent, they say "You can't vote on primaries" and I have to remind them that I can vote on the issues. :rolleyes:

I vote because at least I know I did what I could to get who I wanted elected. Also I make sure that I'm educated on who I'm voting for, I don't just pick one because they sounded nice.

Re: How many of you actually vote.
 

Most of the students at Iowa State dont realize that since there is no state residency requirement to register to vote that they can register to vote at their school address. Of course most dont vote anyways or even understand voting issues...

The Iowa State Daily (our student newspaper) has had numerous letters to the editor and columns with students whining about how "unfair" it is that the sales tax went up a percent. Well- to raise the sales tax there's a public vote.
I'm proud to say that I voted to raise the sales tax. The money from the sales tax is building a new middle school in 3 of the county school districts as well as funding rennovations in the other 2.

In the past year I have voted in 2 city elections (school board and city council), 1 run-off, 1 primary, and 3 referendums. Next month is school board election.

edit: it probably helps that I grew up nearby and am active in city organizations and not just a mindless college student oblivious to the happenings of the city.

I agree with the no vote=no bitching thing. I have a lot of friends who didn't vote in the last presidential election and are complaining up a storm now. While I agree with a lot of what they're saying, they could have helped if they had voted.

I also vote every year, no matter how small the election. I send away for my absentee ballot and encourage my friends to do the same thing. I wish my school educated people more on how to get an absentee ballot. 70% of the students are out-of-state, and I think they're missing out by not excercising their right to vote.

I have voted at EVERY election since 1998. Even when I was in school away from home, I got my absentee ballot mailed to me. :D

In Iowa you can declare a party for the caucus/primary and thus participate/vote.

Me too. :)

My parents have both been very involved in politics...both of them have been elected officials in town in the past. I learned the importance of voting at a VERY early age.

On the "if you don't vote, you can't complain" theme....

I have a relative who was trying to tell me that even though she doesn't vote (doesn't believe in the system whatsoever)....she still has the right to complain because she pays taxes.

Well, I tried to explain something to her - where do taxes come from? No, not the government - that is where your taxes GO. Taxes come from politicians, who vote to approve them. So, then, where do politicians come from? That's right - you and me - votes.

So, you can't really complain about your taxes, or complain about your elected officials who implemented or continue the taxes, if you are refusing to take part in the process. If you don't like the way things are, find a candidate (or, run for office yourself) that believes in what you believe in, and VOTE for them to effect the change you desire.

i registered to vote when i was still 17........i was getting my license, and she told me that since i would be 18 in a few months, i could go ahead and register. so i did. been voting ever since......when i was in school 2 hrs from home, i would make the drive and vote. :) voted in the last presidential election, congress, governor......i love to push the RIGHT button. ;)

Just found this:

"America is a land where a citizen will cross the ocean to fight for democracy -- and won't cross the street to vote in a national election."

Bill Vaughan

Sad to say, ain't it the damn truth?
That is so f*cked up!

I always vote in the presidential election, should be better about local stuff but I admit I don't always vote in those.