Voting Doesn't Matter! Voting Changes Nothing!

[MineralMan]

Neither of those is a true statement. Both are false statements.

In November 2012, there was an election held in Minnesota. On the ballot were members of Congress and members of the Minnesota State Legislature. There was also a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot that would have made marriage equality unconstitutional in the State of Minnesota.

Here's what happened in that election, instead:

1. The state voted No on that Constitutional Amendment. The result was that no such amendment became part of the Minnesota Constitution.
2. The state voted out the Republican majorities in both houses of the state legislature, and voted in a Democratic majority in both houses, to go with our Democratic Governor.
3. In May of 2013, that state legislature passed a bill making marriage equality the law in Minnesota. The next day, our Governor signed that legislation. Same sex couples will begin getting married in our state on August 1.

We voted. It mattered. Our votes changed things in a dramatic way. We became the 12th state to enact marriage equality. That happened in just six months from the time of the election. Change.

Voting changes things. Not voting changes things sometimes, too. Had Democrats not voted in Minnesota in November, 2012, instead of marriage equality, we'd have a Constitutional Amendment that made getting marriage equality far, far more difficult.

But we did vote. The change happened. Among those getting married in August are my wife's cousin and his partner of 28 years. Don't tell them that voting changes nothing. Don't tell them that voting doesn't matter. My wife and I are celebrating with them today, and we'll be celebrating with them in August, again.

Voting matters. Voting makes changes happen.

GOTV 2014 and Beyond!

[Buzz Clik]

1. Let's hope Wisconsin catches that bug.

[MineralMan]

3. I see no reason why it shouldn't.

2014 is just around the corner. The work begins now. We must take control of our state legislatures away from Republicans. If there was ever a reason for every Democrat to go to the polls, that is the reason.

GOTV 2014 and Beyond!

[sheshe2]

2. Yikes!

You scared me there for a moment, MineralMan!

I thought you had taken leave of your of your senses~

Yes! We VOTE!!!!!

[MineralMan]

4. Well, I've seen that sentiment written here many times.

It's not true. It has never been true. Just the opposite is true. I phrased my post that way to make a point.

Thank you for your vote!

[MineralMan]

5. Another Vote happened in MN in 2012.

Another constitutional amendment was on the ballot. That one would have required photo ID to vote in our state.

We voted that one down, too. Voting works. Voters have power. Non-voters have bupkis. Non-voters change nothing.

[sigmasix]

6. enlightened citizens know voting works

Often it is the extremists that insist voting does not work. This has more to do with the intellect of extremists than it does the condition of democracy. If every American with the right to vote actually voted, we would experience a more stable, less partisan political discourse as well as the death of any political party that relies on extremists as their base. Lot's of right wing extremists believe there ought to be restrictions on voting rights to communicate the gravity of the choices made in the voting booth.
This bit of bigotry is shameful on it's face and antiAmerican in intention.
Why don't teabaggers have the courage to accept responsibility for their actions and beleifs? Intellectual and moral cowardice goes hand in hand with teabaggerism.

[MineralMan]

7. That's my opinion, too.

Anyone who says that voting produces no results is either not watching the news, or is trying to get people not to vote for some reason. That voting changes things is proven. My example is just a recent one. There are many, many other examples.

[mmonk]

8. Reality in North Carolina.

Less than 1 in 8 people voting can affect the outcome due to gerrymandering. Your statement does not work for everyone.

[MineralMan]

9. You're right about that, of course.

In those cases, though, people can at least affect local elections. Simply not voting has no good effect.

However, I have no answer for people in red states that have gerrymandered their districts. My own state, fortunately, makes it very difficult to gerrymander in a truly discriminatory way. After the 2010 census, the job ended up being done by our Supreme court. The result was OK.