How many here refused to vote in the past but came out of the woods for RP?

[Edward]

1988 Bush (Yes, I regretted it.)
1992 Did not vote
1996 Did not vote
2000 Did not vote
2004 Did not vote
2008 Paul (write-in)

I may have written "none of the above" once or twice.

 

[Wesker1982]

I can't stand people who refuse to vote yet bitch and whine about the current state of the nation.

How is being unhappy with the State relevant to voting? The people who don't vote but still complain, it is because they view their limited options as Hitler vs Stalin, Obama vs Romney, getting shot in the left foot vs getting shot in the right foot, etc. If all options are equally bad, there is no point in voting, yet complaining still makes sense.

"You can't complain if you don't vote!"... is making the assumption that you don't view your limited options as equally worthless. It also assumes that your vote is the same as having an actual choice.

Dupes — a large class, no doubt — each of whom, because he is allowed one voice out of millions in deciding what he may do with his own person and his own property, and because he is permitted to have the same voice in robbing, enslaving, and murdering others, that others have in robbing, enslaving, and murdering himself, is stupid enough to imagine that he is a "free man. - Lysander Spooner

I am voting for Ron Paul because I actually agree with everything he says.

But when face with Mr. X who I disagree with 90% and Mr. Y who I disagree with 90%, I will not vote, and still complain. Even if I agree with one person more than the other, but still disagree with both of them mostly, there are certain things I cannot morally support. Any candidate who is a warmonger instantly loses my support, I don't care if I agree with everything else they say.

 

[Elwar]

I refused to call myself a Republican until Ron Paul.

 

[iamse7en]

I have never voted before. I will be voting on Feb 7th in the MN caucus. RP temporarily cured my apathy, but I know our battle is too great to overcome tyranny without divine intervention. My motivation is to help others awake to a sense of their awful situation, so that they can prepare for tough times to come.

 

[affa]

I'm glad you both decide to vote. I can't stand people who refuse to vote yet bitch and whine about the current state of the nation.

That's because you never thought it through. Refusing to vote is a valid option. More importantly, it's a rejection of either, or both, the candidates on the table and the system itself.
If you DO vote, you take part in a system that's been a sham for decades (and that's being kind). You validate the system, and are forced to accept whoever takes power if your person 'loses'. Some of us do not believe in empowering individuals to 'rule' a nation, especially a super power.

Nothing annoys me more than people who think voting gives them some special privilege to 'bitch and whine' when in fact their voting is the very thing that led us down this path.

If anyone doesn't have a right to complain, it's those who have been voting down party lines their entire life... they brought us here. They got what they asked for.

I'm glad Dr. Paul cured your apathy

Many people think non-voters are 'apathetic'. In many cases, it's not that. Many of us care deeply about our world. That's WHY we have never voted, because there has never been anyone that could possibly represent us.

I'll grant I'm a special case -- I think voting is actually morally and ethically repugnant because I do not agree with our political system whatsoever. Voting, in almost all cases, is part of the problem, not part of the solution. This election is different, because we are so ridiculously close to WWIII and neck deep in a police state, and have a man of such integrity and character as an option, that despite my opposition to voting, I believe it's the only practical option if we want to avert disaster.

 

[Highstreet]

NOBP

 

[LiveForHonortune]

That's because you never thought it through. Refusing to vote is our right.
If you DO vote, you take part in a system that's been a sham for decades. You validate the system, and are forced to accept whoever takes power if your person 'loses'.

Nothing annoys me more than people who think voting gives them some special privilege to 'bitch and whine' when in fact their voting is the very thing that led us down this path.

I disagree.

You have the choice not to play their game by voting for a third party or writing in someone you like. Sure, it's unlikely he'll win but if more people actually did this we might actually have a viable third party for once and it would really hurt then destroy the two party scam. At every level of politics with the exception of those who actually truly support Ron Paul, vote for a third party, any third party. Remember, Ron Paul voted ALONE in his silent protest for decades while in congress. Follow his example, be a true supporter because one day you'll actually make a difference or you can at least say "I tried".

 

[kasjun]

I have voted many times in my lifetime. Several times I have regretted voting for that person later but you never know if the person that ran against the one you voted for would have been worse. In 2008 I liked what Ron Paul was saying but didn't think he had a chance. I will never do that again. This year I have been more involved in the process than ever before. I went to two townhall meetings held in Iowa and volunteered to help with the caucus. I was precinct captain at my precinct and gave a speech for Ron Paul. I have never felt so strongly that the man I voted for was the strongest candidate. Everything he says makes sense. The others tell you stuff that you don't think is right and then you wonder if they know something more than they are telling. Well, I'm convinced that if they can't tell you what their position is and why it is they are either lying to you or trying to look smarter than they actually are. Gingrich and Santorum are both notorious for this tactic. I'm going to vote for Ron Paul this fall even if I have to write him in. No more compromises for me.

 

[sailingaway]

I voted. I considered it a civic duty, like giving blood. But I didn't vote in primaries because all the candidates were worthless.

 

[Constitutional Paulicy]

I converted my 63 year old mother to vote for Ron Paul. She now says she will never vote for the lesser of the two evils again. Amazing what Ron Paul can do to people.

 

[whoisjohngalt]

Kantian ethics says that its immoral not to vote. Any action that defeats the intended end result when applied to everyone in the system is inherently unethical, according to him. Meaning that if you think its ok for you to not vote, then it is ok for everyone not to vote. If no one voted, no one would be elected, which is the sole purpose of voting.

Although, I don't always agree with his methodology, Kant is the most respected ethical philosopher of all time and I thought I would provide some food for thought. Perhaps you could argue that elections are not intended to elect someone, but are just ephemeral displays to make us feel like participants? I'm pretty sure its unethical not to vote.

 

[Constitutional Paulicy]

The American electoral process had failed me for 28 years until Ron Paul came on the scene. I'm not about to reward it by voting for Newt Ginggrich or Mit Romney. I'd just assume turn my back on it. Asking me to vote for either of them would be like asking me to lay down with.......

 

[affa]

I disagree.

You have the choice not to play their game by voting for a third party or writing in someone you like. Sure, it's unlikely he'll win but if more people actually did this we might actually have a viable third party for once and it would really hurt then destroy the two party scam. At every level of politics with the exception of those who actually truly support Ron Paul, vote for a third party, any third party. Remember, Ron Paul voted ALONE in his silent protest for decades while in congress. Follow his example, be a true supporter because one day you'll actually make a difference or you can at least say "I tried".

So... you're saying the only way I can 'complain' is if I protest vote knowing it's futile? That's absurd.
Furthermore, you fail to address the fact that I don't want to put -anyone- in the position of power the presidency has become. The only reason I support Ron Paul is because we're at such a precipice, and because he's got a 30 year record of integrity. Why should I vote for a system I don't agree with?

Many people vote every 4 years, then stick their head in the sand for 4 years till the next election. They go 'well, i voted! I tried! And you have no right to complain because you didn't vote!' Meanwhile, I've been doing my efforts to spread a message of liberty for decades. Being told I shouldn't complain because I didn't take part in the last 6 election farces, but did try to warn people they were getting us into the mess we are now in is absurd on its face.

 

[affa]

Kantian ethics says that its immoral not to vote. Any action that defeats the intended end result when applied to everyone in the system is inherently unethical, according to him. Meaning that if you think its ok for you to not vote, then it is ok for everyone not to vote. If no one voted, no one would be elected, which is the sole purpose of voting.

Although, I don't always agree with his methodology, Kant is the most respected ethical philosopher of all time and I thought I would provide some food for thought. Perhaps you could argue that elections are not intended to elect someone, but are just ephemeral displays to make us feel like participants? I'm pretty sure its unethical not to vote.

Um. You just gave the strongest, most valid reason to not vote I've ever heard. I'd dance in the streets if 100% of people refused to vote last election, and the system itself fell apart, forcing us to figure out what went wrong.

Far from being unethical to not vote, I'd argue it's the only ethical choice.

The goal of voting in a political system is to put a leader in charge of that political system. But what if we don't agree with the political system itself? Any vote for a leader of it validates a system we ethically disagree with. That is the very definition of unethical.

I'd be willing to go up against any one and ethically weigh my 6 non-votes against their votes for Bush, Gore, Obama, Clinton, etc. any day. I have no blood on my hands. If someone voted 3rd party the whole way, I'd be okay with that because at least it has ethical legs to stand on, but it does not mean I need to agree with taking part in the sham just to register a futile vote.

 

[The Free Hornet]

This is my first primary, but have voted in 4 generals (usually selecting the libertarian or nobody).

 

[ronpaulhawaii]

Dr. Paul cured my apathy in '98. I'm 50 and had not voted prior because I was cynical and did not believe there were any honest politicians. Returning from China in '96 I started learning the internet, eventually finding talk.politics.guns on USENET where I lurked and learned. An effective and sane regular on TPG mentioned Dr Paul as an "honest politician" in a thread and I was a bit shocked, so decided to use the name Ron Paul to learn how to research on the net. Not long after I was a bit embarrassed to learn that there are honest politicians and I should have been voting all along...

I immediately registered (Independent) and started voting. I researched candidates and found that I was always voting for the GOP candidates in local races and for the LP candidates in the federal races. (My fed votes were more of a protest vote than an endorsement of any particular candidate...)

Bottom line is that my vote has never been in the GOP column for federal races and cannot be counted as such. I can only add to the GOP total, not subtract from it... While I have always been a conservative, and have never voted for a democrat, my vote has always been mine alone. Further, the establishment GOP's treatment of Ron Paul and our r3VOLution makes any "loyalty" argument a desperate joke.

No one but Paul will UNSEAT OBAMA, no one but Paul!

 

[Constitutional Paulicy]

Dr. Paul cured my apathy in '98. I'm 50 and had not voted prior because I was cynical and did not believe there were any honest politicians. Returning from China in '96 I started learning the internet, eventually finding talk.politics.guns on USENET where I lurked and learned. An effective and sane regular on TPG mentioned Dr Paul as an "honest politician" in a thread and I was a bit shocked, so decided to use the name Ron Paul to learn how to research on the net. Not long after I was a bit embarrassed to learn that there are honest politicians and I should have been voting all along...

I immediately registered (Independent) and started voting. I researched candidates and found that I was always voting for the GOP candidates in local races and for the LP candidates in the federal races. (My fed votes were more of a protest vote than an endorsement of any particular candidate...)

Bottom line is that my vote has never been in the GOP column for federal races and cannot be counted as such. I can only add to the GOP total, not subtract from it... While I have always been a conservative, and have never voted for a democrat, my vote has always been mine alone. Further, the establishment GOP's treatment of Ron Paul and our r3VOLution makes any "loyalty" argument a desperate joke.

No one but Paul will UNSEAT OBAMA, no one but Paul!

I love this story. I went to high school at Kalaheo and Kaiser on Oahu. I am now living in Taiwan and my second language is Chinese. The internet has enlightened me as well. I am 45 years old. I long to return to Hawaii.

No one but Paul!!!!!

 

[BuddyRey]

I'm in precisely the opposite situation. I was always a very eager voter and considered it my "civic duty", but now that Ron Paul has woken me up to what a joke the whole thing is, this may be the last time I vote for anybody...unless someone mighty good comes along to take up the torch of the freedom message.

 

[MozoVote]

I'd never voted in a *primary* before Ron Paul's 2008 candidacy.

In prior years I'd vote on initiatives and bond issues - skipping the live candidates. I figured none of them could be trusted anyway, so why bother? I'm not quite so cynical now and try to fill out my ballot.

 

[Brisket]

28 years old, will be first time voting. Wife is 26 and first time voting. Both just registered Republican for the Primary. Will switch to Libertarian if Paul isn't the nominee.

Seriously considering getting involved in politics, maybe 10 years out running for office.