• snooggums
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    5 months ago

    Why would I want to vote in the primaries for a mediocre party?

    • bolexforsoup@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      5 months ago

      I was with you until this one. You can’t expect better quality quality if you don’t participate in the primaries to try and get somebody high quality nominated.

      • snooggums
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        5 months ago

        That assumes I like any of the choices or that I think a party that regularly ignores their voters would positively change based on my vote.

        I just use them to oppose fascists.

        • bolexforsoup@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          5 months ago

          that assumes I like any of the choices

          No it assumes you actually take the time to vet them or potentially volunteer/work for a campaign to get them on the ballot. Be the change you want to see and all that. Jeering from the sidelines won’t get you anywhere.

          • snooggums
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            5 months ago

            So I should vet the single Democrat on the primary ballot for anything other than US president in a state that hasn’t given an electoral college vote to a Democrat since the 1964 election?

            That seems worth my time since I’m going to vote for them anyway!

            • bolexforsoup@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              5 months ago

              There are more elections than just the one for president every four years. If that is the only time you become politically engaged then there is a much larger discussion to be had tbh

              • snooggums
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                5 months ago

                So I should vet the single Democrat on the primary ballot for anything other than US president

                This is true for EVERY ELECTION. Unless I personally run for office this will continue to be true, and I am too honest to be in politics.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      So that way you have a say in which of the two viable choices (in most elections) are presented to the electorate?

      Unless you’re part of some locally competitive party that has primaries, in which case I understand.

      • snooggums
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        5 months ago

        I am a member if no party because I fundamentally disagree with political parties in first past the post electoral systems for the same reason I oppose communism. When it scales up a party makes it far too easy for the party leadership to abuse that power and institutionalizing that power means that positive change is more difficult to enact.

        • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Registering for primaries at least when there are primary candidates that are prominently championing ranked-choice voting might be worth considering.

          • snooggums
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            5 months ago

            Nope, the state Democratic party sucks and I don’t live in the one district that ever goes Democrat for state representative. All of our national stuff is Republicans and has been for decades.

            I only vote because we sometimes get elect a Democrat for a governor.

      • snooggums
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        5 months ago

        I am a member if no party because I fundamentally disagree with political parties in first past the post electoral systems for the same reason I oppose communism. When it scales up a party makes it far too easy for the party leadership to abuse that power and institutionalizing that power means that positive change is more difficult to enact.