CairdenDoes voting for Biden change anything if I live in a deep red area of my state? (Ohio)
For president?
Probably not.
But it might for down ballot races which are still important.
Like in 08 when Obama first ran. Dems made lots of gains in state governments because he drove turnout.
I live in Nebraska and I feel the same way. I got out and vote in every election because that’s my civic duty, if the majority of people in your area with our same feeling actually went out and vote it is possible to become a swing state.
That being said my personal opinion is if you don’t vote you forfeit your right to complain about politics. You didn’t voice your opinion when it was important, so you shouldn’t voice it when it’s not.
leadoreSame! I’m in a red state but I have voted in every election since I reached the age to vote (a looong time ago). Yeah, my state always goes red for POTUS but I still vote Dem for POTUS so we don’t look like we’re a total shithole state. We have a Dem governor, a Dem House rep in DC, and my personal State senator and rep are Dems, too–I helped put them there. Dems are still quite outnumbered in the State legislature, but there’s been enough of them to keep the repubs from overriding the governor’s veto of some of their fascist bullshit bills. Every bit helps.
Admiral PatrickVote anyway. Voter apathy is largely how things got so bad.
I’m in a similarly red state. I know my vote probably isn’t going to matter (thanks, Obama Electoral College), but I’m going to do it anyway. And I’m trying to get as many people around me out to vote as well.
I know my vote probably isn’t going to matter (thanks, Obama Electoral College)
Unironically we can assign some blame to Obama…
In 08 he had the opportunity to “save” the DNC. Instead he viewed the entire concept as outdated and ignored the party handling everything internally on his team
If Biden had worked on the DNC and tried to build it up after Hillary’s people burnt it all down, we wouldnt have had to suffer thru trump and would be seeing the end of a.progressive presidents second term right now.
If he’d have done that and lived up to 08 campaign promises, then there probably wouldn’t be any “red states” left by now.
Obama didn’t break the party, but he had a chance to fix an already broken party and instead just ignored it. We’re still paying for it
Holy mental backflips to change talk about the electoral college to talk about the DNC and act as if they’re the same.
Are you not aware of how since 2016 the DNC has used “victory funds” that “share” donations with state parties and that has lead to Republicans solidifying power in red states and using that power to maintain it thru things like gerrymandering and voter suppression?
But during the three-month period when the DNC was working to spin the situation, state parties kept less than one half of one percent of the $82 million raised through the arrangement — validating concerns raised by campaign finance watchdogs, state party allies and Bernie Sanders supporters.
politico.com/…/dnc-leak-clinton-team-deflected-st…
That program is still around. Today it’s known as the Biden Victory Fund.
And the backflips continue! This is not the electoral college.
Dude never has any idea what he’s talking about.
PhenomephreneThis post is kind of like when somebody who doesn't know anything about cars starts throwing out words like carburator, transmission, and alternator because they know those are car things, but they have no idea how to use them in the context of how they are actually relevant.
It's hard to begin to know how to tackle correcting anything because the amount of effort it would take to unweave and reconstruct the kernels of truth is like trying to extract an egg out of a fully baked cake.
This is probably overly harsh considering the slant of the post is absolutely in the right spirit, the analysis is just completely broken.
Will you just stop man? Jesus fucking Christ with the “everything is the fault of democrats” bullshit.
Be less obvious.
You should go vote if for no other reason than to keep Sherrod Brown in his seat.
And honestly nobody knows what’s actually going to happen in this election. Ohio is “red” (god I hate that terminology) only by a few points. It’s flippable in the right circumstances. Like if people remember that MAGA wants to force 10 year old rape victims to have their attacker’s baby.
This is a numbers and momentum game. If you vote AND some of your fellow closeted Midwestern Democrats (or at least pro small-d democracy) vote and convince some people who want to have a chance to fix American democracy to vote for the Democratic nominee, Ohio could flip.
They all could. If there were justice in the world, all 50 states would be “blue” on November 5th because of who Trump is, what he’s done in the past, and what he’s telling us he’ll do in the future.
Vote!
Your vote is sending a signal to future elections. If Ohio has a 20-point red margin, it’s unlikely to get any attention from blue candidates. If it has a 5% margin, that changes, and suddenly the next campaign considers spending time & money to try and move the needle.
Remember the old Roman adage: “you’re not defeated until you admit defeat”. If you don’t vote: you’ve lost. If you vote, you might still lose that election but there’s a better chance to win in the future.
Berthold Brecht:
Anyone who stays at home when the war begins and lets others fight for their cause must be careful: because whoever did not share the fight will share the defeat.
tacosanonymousRemember that the president isn’t the only thing on the ballot.
Don’t give up on fighting fascism from your school board up to your state reps. If you organize/join existing groups, you can make your voice heard.
Absolutely yes. Every vote for Democrats is a vote against Trump. He has such a weak ego, your one vote along with millions of other votes against him will drive him crazy. Death by 81,283,098 cuts.
Verdant Bananavoting red or blue will not change anything
until people realize there are third parties to vote for nothing will happen
ChozoIt won't happen until a third party can offer a convincingly distinct platform. Right now, all our potential third party options are basically just piecemealed mix-n-matches between the two major parties.
Ah yes all votes for Nader. It did change things, but ask yourself how it changed things. The answer: changed things for the worse. Big time.
And all those protest no votes for Hilary. Again, how did that change things? Again, it changed things for the worse. Fucking tenfold worse.
𝕽𝖚𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍Voting third party changes nothing except help the Democrat or Republican you most identify with to lose.
Voting in the US needs to change first. FPTP replaced with ranked-choice, or approval, at least; the electoral college abolished; NPVIC; proportional representation in Congress.
But the big, first monster is first-past-the-post. No third party has come close to winning the Presidency since Abraham Lincoln. Please, think about that for one second. We haven’t had a serious third party contender in one 164 years. And we won’t, until we get a different election system in place. Until then, third party candidates are spoilers.
It’ll stay red if people don’t vote
cabbageVote. Try to get others to do the same.
Maybe Democrats don't stand a chance this round, but put up a fight. And if Trump loses you might get a chance to vote again in four years - a higher turnout to Democrats in this round might make it seem less hopeless at the next crossroads. :)
Transporter Room 3Deep red Ohio here
Still voting.
Fite me, redcoats
How do red states become purple states become blue states?
AzzuUuuuh byyy… Republicans not voting anymore?
apfelwoiSchoppenI’m in a similar situation and will vote more according to my actual politcal preferences than vote blue no matter who.
The more deeply and unanimously red your local lawmakers consider their electorate, the more confident they will be pushing right and far right legislation and building MAGA cultishness. It won’t change who’s elected, but it can change how your local lawmakers think about what their community wants.
empireOfLove2Yes. Voting is the only way your voice is heard. By not voting, the red majority grows and you effectively do not exist to the political system.
Voting is how you narrow the margins and increase the popular vote. Voting in your local elections is where you have a better say in how things that immediately affect you area. Voting in local and state referendums is also powerful, as it directly affects your local laws and many times can pass or fail by only tens of votes. It might feel hopeless but it is absolutely important that you vote in EVERY SINGLE ELECTION that you are eligible for.
A vote for Biden is a vote against trump
Where as a vote for no one is a vote that benefits trump because there’s no one voting against him
Yes it absolutely makes a difference. Also make sure you are voting in all elections, local elections are just as important as the national elections.
You should absolutely vote. It should be considered a responsibility by all citizens!
AlbumGetting you to feel like your vote is meaningless is how they win.
Every vote for Biden in Steubenville is another vote that somebody in Cleveland doesn’t have to counter, so yes, vote.
The electrical vote is state by state (with two states, Maine and Nebraska divying all but two of those votes one per congressional district), so your vote in a swing state matters.
Might nudge Ohio blue a little. Unlikely to change Ohio’s end result, since Vance is from Ohio, but better than not trying.
Find a little pride in doing your part to make the country better.
We need as many votes against the bad man as possible to help counter his lies about stolen elections. Yes, it matters that hard numbers can be referenced when backing up facts. I don’t like the guy I have to vote for but I’ll still vote for him even in my deeply blue state (Calif)
Voting gives you the right to complain. If you don’t vote, you lose that right.
While you might be right, it is a civic duty to vote. That mindset is too dangerous, which is why the right-wing trolls try pushing it. Voting even why you know it won’t make a difference is the most basic thing you can do to push back. Who knows what could happen if we get enough people out of that mindset. Simply voting, regardless of who for, is an event that every American should take pride in.
As long as you have a valid ID and registered voter… yep <3
Your vote will factor in to how the EC vote goes for Ohio regardless of what Reps get the vote in your district.
Locally, I suppose even if there is no chance for your district to swing blue, a large showing might have a positive effect getting local Repubs to chill on the fascism. Like maybe get a hint that Ohio residents don’t want restrictions on their ballot initiatives.
I used to live in a red state and would get discouraged but I voted anyway. Don’t think about and go vote because it’s better than being apathetic and doing nothing like most of the country does.
IbaudiaYes because there are more options than just president, and increasing voter turnout is always advantageous to the left. There are more Democrats than Republicans in America, so 100% voter turnout means no more fascists in office.
ulkeshOhio’s Electoral College votes are cast for the winner of the state, not per district [1]. Of course you should vote for Biden!
[1] - “As a winner-takes-all state, the candidate that wins Ohio gets all 18 Electoral College votes.”, https://www.ideastream.org/community/2020-10-21/how-are-ohios-electoral-college-votes-decided
Thank you, this is the kind of info I was looking for. If county/district mattered. So all of Ohio is Talley’d up and all votes from the whole state are in the same pool?
All states except Maine and Nebraska tally votes cast statewide and allocate all electoral votes from that state to the winner. Specific concentrations of voters in those states aren’t factored into the allocation.
Thats right. Your vote counts the same as one in Cincinnati or Cleveland or Athens etc. then the whole state goes one way or another. Thats why turnout is so important!
Also there might be down ballot races you vote for that move the needle. Everyone forgets about local elections but they actually matter way more to your life on a day to day basis.
In terms of the Electoral College votes, yes, it looks that way. But either way, I’d say to please vote. It matters.
The two-party system is a fucking joke. Voting for Rethuglicans is fascist bootlicking. Voting for Democrats is just rainbow-colored fascism. Both sides just virtue signal to their base about identity politics, but change nothing fundamentally that will anger the true masters: the oligarchs who really run shit.
stinermanI bet you’re fun at parties.
Vote for who you think is the best option. Ohio is a pretty safe Republican state for Trump. I will probably be voting for the Democrat, but you should read up on everyone who is on the ballot and make an informed decision.
If you are voting the opposite of the norm in your area, you are making a bigger impact than the reverse of the situation. Go by county and try to flip yours to blue. If it happens to flip, your vote counts 100%, otherwise you have at least tried and voted. Here is some links to check 2020 results by town or county.
FireTowerElections aren’t just about the President. That’s arguably the least impactful person on the ballot. Look at your local reps running for state positions, find ones you like, they’ll have much more impact on your daily life.
Plus, it’s a good opportunity to pay a little closer attention to local politics. My town is getting pretty hot the last few years, with some major controversies
- siting for a new high school, with hundreds of millions in state and federal funding at stake, and a huge impact on the community for the next half century. They’re racing to open it in time for the coming school year, but the site is still controversial
- summer closure to vehicles of the shops and restaurant area was a huge hit during COViD period, but now some people want to “go back to normal”
- the town we bought contaminated land for Pennies but trying to figure out what to do with it means figuring out how to clean it up
- we have a great sports facility with a large number of astroturfed fields but “the carpet is scuffed and worn”. Can we afford to get it re-carpeted? Is there an advantage to going back to grass?
WahotsAbsolutely. Voting in federal, state, and local elections makes big differences. I’ve lived in red and blue states, and my votes have personally swayed policy for red and blue states. Some of the stuff I voted for passed on margins as slim as 1,200 votes, in a city of hundreds of thousands of people (guess how many of them voted?)
As a direct result of me voting, my life dramatically improved because my cut bus lines were restored, the feds rebuilt parts of my city, and people were no longer getting arrested on bullshit charges.
Further civic action saved one local park from redevelopment.
So few people actually vote, even fewer with bad takes. So voting can have a profound impact on your life and other’s lives. Some of my friends got the right to marry. Some others lost their ability to access healthcare and were forced to move states to access it again. It makes a difference.
This doesn’t end with Americans either. You guys worldwide have had a number of extremely close elections, see the list below. Do your civic duty and vote! It can take an hour or less with a bit of research, and has a surprisingly big impact on your life.
Great list!
Let me highlight the 1988 Massachusetts democratic primary:
Herbert L. Connolly lost to Robert B. Kennedy by one vote, and it was his own. Connolly arrived at his precinct a few minutes after the polls closed and wasn’t able to vote. Kennedy won the following general.[74][75]
PyrIf Ohio voted 15% blue last election and then votes 25% blue this election, that’s significant information that tells people there may be momentum for change.
There may not be a chance of winning this election , but every vote tells people what people want.
If you don’t vote, Ohio will always look like it will only ever vote red.
Always vote. Progressives lose elections because 30% of a population votes for the conservative at every single, no matter what, like it’s a religion. Progressives need a culture that says: ALWAYS VOTE. It doesn’t fucking matter if it doesn’t fucking matter. Vote anyway. Let your kids see you voting like it’s actually important. Make it important.
One of the best comments I’ve seen here. Kudos
Other than helping you sleep at night, probably not. That’s enough reason to do it though.
threeduckHere in Australia, our voting system means you can’t waste a vote. If whoever I vote for doesn’t win, my vote gets shifted to the next on my list.
Every year I vote for the Animal Justice Party, Environment Australia, Progressive Unity etc. They never win, but my vote is still registered as having gone to them. Eventually my vote shifts along and either lands on the greens who win my electorate, or labour. But they’ll still see that the Animal Justice Party DID get a lot of votes, and maybe the Greens or Labour will focus more on animal based policy.
If 49% of your American electorate votes blue, maybe your right wing winner will try to appeal to that sizeable demographic by not being so horribly right wing.
Sorry I’m not well enough versed in American politics to know who’s blue or red.
Whether you should vote or not doesn’t depend on the people around you. It is your right to have your say. The result is the cumulative effect of everyone in your area doing the same. Whether you think you’re surrounded by millions of blues or millions of reds doesn’t make any difference. Your perception may be incorrect, and your analysis, that there is literally zero chance that your vote will matter, is incorrect.
Nobody knows the results of an election until the votes are in and have been counted. It doesn’t matter that your area has always been red, blue, green, turquoise, pink or whatever. Areas can change allegiance, and it is by individuals getting out and voting.
If you don’t vote, you strengthen the position of those who vote the other way. It is not considered a protest vote because the system would prefer to consider this as voter apathy. If you want to register a protest vote and “none of the above” isn’t an option, find the official way to spoil your ballot paper and do that, but whatever you do, get out and vote.