Voting: Do you vote FOR more candidates or AGAINST more candidates?

[GreenPartyVoter]

Poll question: Voting: Do you vote FOR more candidates or AGAINST more candidates?

And if you don't mind sharing in a reply, do you feel the election system we have in place works? Why or why not? :hi:

[uppityperson]

1. It depends. I voted for a lot of people, sometimes for, sometimes ..

Depends on who is running for what

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Yeah, I am a mixed bag myself, but unfortunately I would have to say I fall into the

"against" category the most often. And sometimes I don't even get that option, when the local and state ballots only offer Repubs for a certain office.

[uppityperson]

4. I'd say more "for"

[DJ13]

3. I voted FOR Obama in 08

I'll probably end up voting AGAINST the GOP candidate in 2012.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. That's come up a lot on the board lately.

[Hydra]

6. Other

I vote because people insist it makes a difference.

I believe otherwise, so I vote to show people how little it actually does.

I have to admit, President Obama managed to prove my point of view beyond anything I could have imagined.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Oops! I forgot to give you an "other" option. I have edited the poll if you'd like

to vote now.

[Hydra]

14. T/Y :D

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. No prob! I feel badly that I forgot to put it in. I don't think I would get hired by a real polling

outfit anytime soon. LOL

[Dawson Leery]

7. In local and state elections, I usually vote FOR the candidate.

This past year I voted FOR Democrats in congress and Blumenthal for Senate.

Next year, many of us will be working FOR Democrats to retake the US House and AGAINST whatever mid-evil, religious-tent revival fascist will be running for the Presidency on the Republican ticket.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. It is a shame, but I vote more against candidates than for them.

Too many choices that we have are bad or badder, no "real" people are able to run for office. The costs are getting too much for most of the population to have a chance. Even in local races, it is harder to do without money of your own to put into the chest. No one is there for the poor and working classes.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. My dad was running for state legislature as a Green, and he couldn't opt for

the Clean Election funds because he was a one-man operation and was worried about making sure he stayed on top of the requirements.

[Curmudgeoness]

20. I can't imagine how hard that campaign must have been for him.

I have watched people running for local races with a major party affiliation who have had an impossible time. Time, money, regulations.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Unfortunately, he didn't get far. That was the spring when he passed away. :^(

[Curmudgeoness]

24. I am sorry you lost him. He must have been a great

father, role model, and teacher to have had that much spunk. It is not an easy task to take on the ruling class. I hope that had nothing to do with his passing away.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. I hope not, too, but he was already not in the best of health. It may not have

been physically healthy for him, but mentally and emotionally he was happy to be doing it. :)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. My nose holding days are over. I vote for candidates now.

I can still overlook minor compromises I don't really care about. But, the "not as bad", "lesser of two evils", ploy rings up a no sale. I'm to old to play that game any longer.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. I think I would vote differently if we had a ranked voting system. More "fors" for me, I would hope.

[me b zola]

13. since 2010 i vote "for"

before it was a mixed bag. I will no longer for "against" someone.

[quaker bill]

16. If there is a republican running

then there is a candidate to vote against. I can proudly say that I have never failed to vote against a republican. I am not about to start failing either. I just don't want to encourage that sort of thinking. I would not vote for a republican to be dog catcher, nor will I sit on the sidelines when one is running, for anything.

[LWolf]

17. Other:

I have voted "against" candidates too many times in my lifetime. In the new century, I've moved further and further toward voting FOR candidates.

At this point in time, I only vote FOR candidates who either earned my vote or who I deem to be neutral; not who I'd like to see, but not a "lesser evil," either.

I no longer vote for lesser evils.

Why? I'm tired of my vote being taken for granted. I'm tired of my party thinking that I owe them whether they earn my support or not. I'm tired of watching lesser evils continue to move us in an evil direction, whether it is less quickly or not. After 3+ decades of voting, we've fallen of the right-wing edge of sanity; I won't enable that with lesser evil votes ever again.

If the rest of the voters choose to enable our destruction, that's on them.

[dana_b]

18. no, I do't like it

instant runoff/alternative voting would be my preference. Then more people could vote FOR someone rather than against others.

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. Other. I voted FOR Obama, and that was a first

I almost exclusively vote against candidates.

Cynicism sucks, but it is what it is.

[AndyTiedye]

21. It's All About Trying to Stop (or At Least Slow Down) the Insane Repiglickins and Fundies

[OrwellwasRight]

22. "Lesser of two evils" voting only promotes more running by "evils"

That is why I have always voted "for" someone even when in the past that has meant occasionally looking to Greens or Indies. If we don't make the Democratic party be the party of working people, then we have only ourselves to blame. Voting for Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman ain't gonna cut it. Nebraska and Connecticut can both be won by working class heroes if we want them to be. If politics is the art of the possible, and we define our own reality, then we determine what is possible. Or we can sit on our asses and keep saying "it can't be done" and keep letting the powers that be win. It is up to us.

[rbnyc]

25. In the primaries, I vote for candidates...

...in general elections I vote against candidates.

In general this is the pattern.

[GreenPartyVoter]

27. I've heard that from several people.

[karynnj]

28. In the general election in almost all cases BOTH

Especially in the last three decades, I am ALWAYS voting against the Republican. As to the Democrat, there have always been some parts of their platform I strongly believe in. There have been some cases where the candidate I wanted got the nomination - and some where one of my least favorites won - but there were always somethings to support - if only that they supported Democratic ideas.

It is hurtful that starting in 2004, people have tried to use the ABX language in the general election instead of the primaries where it originated. In that context if the majority of people dislike the frontrunner, but are split among several candidates, the idea of uniting behind one of them makes sense - though I never saw a case where it worked (unless you want to say that this was the dynamic behind Obama.)

In the general election, A large % of people are almost certain to always vote for the Republican or the Democrat. For example, in 1992, I was not an early primary supporter of Clinton's, but when he became the nominee, I never labeled myself as ABB. In 2004, Cavelle and Begala spent hours whining about Kerry being ABB. I assume they would not have been happy if two of the more important Democrats in media would have done that in 1992.

[LiberalFighter]

29. It should not be based on which is lesser evil.

It should be which is the best candidate. And if the person has not won the nomination regardless of which level the election involves it is because they failed to win that nomination for whatever reason. Some people win the nomination and don't deserve it. But we are stuck with the result and have to make the best of it. And learn from our mistakes and help get the right candidates.

[treestar]

30. To me, that is irrelevant

I vote against Republicans, period. I would write in a useless vote if there was nothing but a Republican running (I have actually experienced that locally). But I also vote for the Democrat.

I don't need to be coddled and inspired. Politics is part of daily life. It's not a drama.

[dsc]

31. It honestly depends

When I lived in MS it was almost always voting against with the exception of my Congressional vote. In Ohio, it was a bit of both. In North Carolina I vote for my state house, state senate, and occassionaly governor along with congress and President. Senate was a vote against. I hated Dole with the intensity of a thousand suns and voted Hagan to get rid of her.

[undeterred]

32. I generally vote FOR candidates because I choose to live in Democratic areas.

I like living where I have Democratic elected officials, as much as possible.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. That works out well for you. :^) I would definitely choose to live in liberal areas if I could, but

the mixed bag area where I am now (Maine) isn't so bad.

[ornotna]

33. Generally against

I live in Florida. 'Nuff said.

[BzaDem]

34. Both. n/t

[TheKentuckian]

35. Other: Both, sometimes simultaneously.

[unkachuck]

36. generally, 'for'....

....because voting 'against' usually causes me to fall asleep before I reach the polls....

....sometimes I'm excited when I'm 'for' the 'against' and try to vote twice....

[OhioBlue]

37. Almost always for

I look at a race, I have a choice to make and I make it. I vote for the person or persons that I think are best.

I will say that in '06 there was one state race in which I didn't like the dem candidate, but voted for him anyway b/c I wanted the dems to get the apportionment board. so.. I guess that might have been an against the R vote to get the seat... or I guess you could also look at it as a For vote for a Dem...

come to think of it... yeah.. they're all FOR unless I'm clueless about someone like in a school board race but KNOW the opposition and don't like them. Actually - everyone's vote for candidates that are known are FOR votes - that is the only responsible thing to do. Look at the choices and then pick the one that you think is best. it is our civic duty.

[BeFree]

38. Vote for Democrats

Vote against repuglycans.

Really, there is no other choice.

[DearAbby]

40. Why continue voting against

than for a candidate, when eventually your needs will never be met, and vote always counted upon?

[Dappleganger]

41. Unfortunately here in FL it's usually "against" candidates.

From the grassroots up, I am usually voting for the GOB assholes just to keep the ridiculously bat-shit crazy zombie motherfuckers from moving in. It's an uphill battle. :shrug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

42. That must be frustrating. :^(

[Erose999]

43. Obama was the 1st candidate I ever voted "for" in 2008. And probably the last. Its likely 2012 will

be my first "write-in" vote.

[GreenPartyVoter]

44. Two firsts, then. Are you a long-time voter, if you don't mind me asking?

[Erose999]

47. My first vote in a Pres. election was for Gore in 2000.

[lumberjack_jeff]

45. Against, mostly. Doesn't that suck? n/t

[Xithras]

46. I have a genuine moral objection to "voting against" candidates.

And I'll gladly admit that, in 20 years of voting, I've never done so.

If there's nobody on the ballot that I want to vote FOR, I just leave that race blank (or I'll do a write-in). I refuse to vote for people who do not advance my ideals.

[akwapez]

48. Obama is the only candidate I ever voted FOR....

and if I cast my vote that way again it will be back to against the opponent.

[Iggo]

49. I vote FOR Democrats.