How Often Do You Vote?

[BlueDog22]

With the big election coming up in 2018, I just wanted to talk about voting. I would like to just state that we can talk about the issues all we want, but until we head to the polls and caste our vote AND motivate others to go to the poll and vote, we are just wasting air. Our ability to do anything in this country, comes only from our ability to win at the ballot box.

I also want to encourage everyone to vote whenever they can. To vote for someone for every office (if you can). I would also like

I try to vote in every election that I can.

I would also like to get a poll to see what the DU participation rate looks like. I know that some of us have missed an election or two in our voting habits, but please pick the one that best describes your voting pattern.

Thank You.

31 votes, 2 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Every Four Years in the General Election
	0 (0%)
	Every Four Years in the General Election and the Primary
	0 (0%)
	Every Two Years in the General Election
	2 (6%)
	Every Two Years in the General Election and the Primary
	1 (3%)
	Every General Election
	2 (6%)
	Every General Election and Primary
	26 (84%)
	Sometimes, Only When I Feel Motivated
	0 (0%)
	2 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[lark]

1. I sure hope all of us are voting in every election.

#BLUEWAVE is what we absolutely have to have. It's a matter of survival.

[BlueDog22]

3. Yes

A good number of my friends and family didn't vote, because they thought Hilary had it in the bag. There are no default victories. There are no shoo-ins. Politics is a game of inches and is played for keeps. EVERYONE of us has to participate. We HAVE to caste our votes.

[Maeve]

2. Every General, Primary and Special ballot

There was one year we had five voting days, as we tried to pass a school levy. Now I work most elections and vote absentee, but I vote every chance I get

[handmade34]

4. all opportunities

general election, primaries, annual town meetings, school board meetings, online, etc...

[BlueDog22]

5. My hats off to you.

I am proud to "know" you.

[handmade34]

6. was just

talking to my daughter yesterday... loved the Royal wedding and we were talking about people waiting, sleeping overnight to be there and part of it (as well as other events and 'sales')... and then she interjected... "hmmm, nobody does that to vote" seems that most of us have our priorities all mixed up

[redstatebluegirl]

22. Me too!

As my Dad used to say a School Board can mess with your life more than any President can.

[uppityperson]

7. I skipped a special election once, school bond failed by 11 votes

A couple teachers were laid off, class sizes increased, no outings or library or non-academic programs for 6 hours (though basic sports got their own funding). I've never missed a voting opportunity since.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. I live in a state where you can only vote in the primary

of the political party you're registered to. I don't understand why anyone would register as an independent or for any third party in such a state. All too often the election for many offices is really decided at the primary level, especially when, as is often the case, local politics are overwhelmingly one party.

Early voting has commenced for the June primary. I need to read the League of Women voters newspaper insert that I got a couple of days ago so I can make a reasonably sensible decision on some of those offices.

[crazycatlady]

31. There's several reasons not to register with a party

Your party affiliation is public record. There's a lot of people who, for employment purposes, choose to not affiliate themselves as it can put their job in jeopardy. Think government employees, journalists, etc.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

34. Well, if you're that terrified of others knowing your

political affiliation, I feel sorry for you. And it can mean you effectively give up meaningful voting, especially for local candidates, but often even for the Congressional ones. Or your governor.

People need to have the courage of their convictions.

There are at least some journalists (Keith Olbermann comes to mind) who do not vote at all so as to maintain some degree of non partisanship. But that's a tiny number of people, and most of us here on DU aren't government employees or journalists.

It probably would be better if all states went to a simple voter registration without listing party affiliation, and you simply request which party's primary ballot you want. But I will tell you that when I ran for office, it was extremely useful to have voter lists that gave me party affiliation for when I was going door-to-door campaigning.

[crazycatlady]

37. My dad is one of those people

He works for a local government that was GOP controlled for over 40 years until recently. By remaining unaffiliated, he's staying out of the politics of the local government and simply doing his job.

Imagine if there were a mayor like a Trump who would fire rank and file employees just for party affiliation.

I've done door to door work for 10 years now (started with Obama, knocked my most recent list yesterday). In the state I'm working in, they have THE most closed primary in the county (party affiliation had to be changed last year to vote in this year's primaries). We've got several registered "Democrats" who are supporting the GOP congressman we're trying to knock out.

I was initially an unaffiliated voter. I was 17 when I registered and didn't know much about politics. If you fail to declare a party (intentional or not), then it defaults to unaffiliated.

[TexasProgresive]

9. You left out, "Early and Often."

A standard quip I heard from my Democratic elders growing up. I vote in every election. Local elections have real consequences.

[Oneironaut]

10. Every election. Sadly, I'm still registered as a Republican...

I registered at 18, and didn't have the slightest clue about politics. I never bothered to change the affiliation, as it hasn't mattered for anything (luckily, Democrats always win in my state anyways). I've never voted in a primary before. I suppose I could abuse my affiliation by voting for the shittiest Republican primary candidate imaginable, but I would rather be a Democrat, honestly.

[Bucky]

15. Haha, there's no way that plan could backfire!

Texas has open primaries. We don't register by party and you can vote in any primary you want. Back in the 50s and 60s there was a tradition of crossover voting in the primaries, usually organized around trying to game the system, back when this was a solid South Democratic state.

There were more than a few inadvertently elected Knuckleheads coming out of that process. That's how we got 20 years of US senator John Tower.

[VOX]

16. Why not take the plunge?

It’s easy to change parties, and you’ll never have to explain yourself again!

[Ms. Toad]

27. I'm confused.

You vote every election - but you've never voted in a primary before?

(Also - in many states, the only way to register a party affiliation is to select that party ballot in a primary election.)

[Oneironaut]

38. Nope! Never have

I think I set my affiliation when I registered to vote, but it has been over a decade.

[Ms. Toad]

40. So what about the never voted in a primary v. voted in every election? n/t

[Oneironaut]

42. I've never voted in a primary

Or, at least I don't believe I have. I don't think that's a requirement in my state to join a political party. I just remember filling out a form to register to vote, and the option to the choose the party was on there.

I always just vote in the general election.

[struggle4progress]

11. I missed one municipal election and one primary run-off eighteen years ago

[Bucky]

12. Just once. That's the law.

[vi5]

13. Every time my polls are open for anything....

Always.

[Iggo]

14. Every election. (n/t)

[Retrograde]

17. Every time I'm eligible to

My town moved its city council and school elections to even-numbered years so as to combine them with the county/state offices, so we have a loooonnnnnnng ballot every other year. There are the occasional one-off elections, like ones for parcel taxes. I vote in them all. By mail.

I'm still trying to make up my mind about California's June primaries: so many candidates.

[mvd]

18. Every primary and general election now

There were a few primaries in the past that I skipped due to only Repukes running. But my area has changed.

[BlueDog22]

19. Core

This is like the core Democratic Party here. I like it.

[dembotoz]

20. We tend to sit out municipal, school board etc

Beyond primary and general...farm teams for the gop...
Vote always

[BlueDog22]

21. You're right

The GOP ended up taking over the Wake County School Board on an off year election, and completely hosing the school system. It took a little bit of time, but the Democrats took it back on the next off year election. When we fail to turn out. When we fail to vote, we have rolled over and surrendered.

[DavidDvorkin]

23. As often I'm legally allowed to, but not as often as I want to.

[GreenEyedLefty]

24. Every chance I get.

Edited to add that our school elections were very confusing until a few years ago - different polling places and precincts and elections were not well publicized. They finally voted to put school elections on the same ballot and polling places as general elections. It made it much easier to vote for school issues. As a result the board of education turned over and is much more progressive than it used to be.

[Ms. Toad]

25. None precisely matches - so I chose the closest.

I've missed two or, at most three, primary elections since I registered to vote in 1974.

[Laffy Kat]

26. Early and often!! nt

[JenniferJuniper]

28. I travel for work so I sign up for absentee

ballots every year and vote in every single election. From the local level on up.

[trackfan]

29. More often than that, as Los Angeles has elections in off years.

And we've also had a ton of special elections to fill vacancies.

[SMC22307]

30. Are you kidding?

I run to the polls, even though I live in deep blue-ville.

[left-of-center2012]

32. I even vote when it's just the local school board

I always vote by mail.

[Dem2]

33. Local elections, generals, presidential primaries

I rarely vote in Congressional primaries, if there is more than one candidate, it's generally not competitive.

[Jim Lane]

35. Pre-internet, I missed two or three school board elections.

There was nothing else on the ballot, the elections were nonpartisan, and I had essentially no information about any of the candidates.

Nowadays, even when the mass media are ignoring these "minor" races, the candidates or slates have websites up. It's been many years since I last failed to vote in any kind of public election (primary, general, or referendum). Thank you, Al Gore!

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

36. Only missed two off-date school board elections since I turned 18

That was 41 years ago. It means that I get every political mailing, every polling call, every phone call and candidates knock on my door regularly because the number crunchers know I'm showing up.

[BlueDog22]

39. Next Six Months

If you notice there is a pattern in my posts and behavior. I'm talking about voting, volunteering, donating and talking to to your friends and family to everyone that will listen. We HAVE to win this next election.

[mythology]

41. I vote in general elections, both federal and state

I vote in local elections as well.

I don't always vote in the primaries, it often depends on if I have a preference. I live in a place that is so completely blue that in the 2016 election in the general I literally only had one Republican candidate on any of the four races. Sadly in spite of the best efforts here, that twitter troll won the presidential election.