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The biggest, most ignored demographic in electoral politics: The Independent Non-Voters
American Thinker ^ | 01/31/2023 | Ben Bartee

Posted on 01/31/2023 7:34:22 AM PST by SeekAndFind

A higher percentage of eligible voters regularly show up to the polls in Mexico, Brazil, and Slovakia than in the world's pre-eminent and oldest democracy.

The two parties that, in reality, constitute a uniparty duopoly bend over backward to cater to their respective pet voting blocs (racial minorities for Democrats and Evangelicals for Republicans, for instance).  But those demographics pale in comparison to the volume of non-voters.

The 2020 presidential election was a banner year for participatory democracy.  It turned out a record number of voters (most of them presumably legal, eligible ones), amounting to 62% of the electorate.  That's the best it gets participation-wise in the US.  The 2022 midterms produced about a 47% turnout.

George Carlin, whom I revere, did a whole hilarious bit in which he blamed the slovenly public for producing terrible politicians, citing the ignorant American population as the reason electoral politics is pointless.

Some percentage of the non-voting population is certainly apathetic or disinterested in politics.  And they deserve a share of the blame for the sorry state of affairs, for sure.

Yes, some contingent of the population will always be checked out of participatory politics because they simply can't be bothered to engage in civic pursuits.  But a minimum of 38% — on the best of years — of the entire eligible voting public each election cycle?  Are they all useless, ignorant slobs who don't appreciate the precious, hard earned right to self-government?

Or is there something more intrinsic to the U.S. political system that dissuades them? 

The majority of non-voters are independents who do not identify with either party.  Most have no higher than a high school education and also make less than $40K/year.  In other words, they're people don't belong to the permanent D.C. political class and don't see their interests represented there.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: independents; nonvoters
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1 posted on 01/31/2023 7:34:22 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I know a couple of gun owners that have never registered to vote. I hope I never hear either if them bitch about the new gun laws.


2 posted on 01/31/2023 7:38:15 AM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: SeekAndFind

Because “independent” usually means moderate. Which means they don’t believe in anything until both sides make their claims...then they try to split the baby.


3 posted on 01/31/2023 7:40:30 AM PST by for-q-clinton (Cancel Culture IS fascism...Let's start calling it that!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Don’t worry, democrats make sure there are plenty of votes cast to make up for anyone who doesn’t get around to voting for themselves.


4 posted on 01/31/2023 7:41:11 AM PST by webheart
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To: gundog

People who do not vote prefer that someone else determine how they live.


5 posted on 01/31/2023 7:42:29 AM PST by Right Brother
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To: SeekAndFind

Those are the people that are most exploited for ballot harvesting, often without their knowledge.


6 posted on 01/31/2023 7:45:25 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: SeekAndFind

In the Sovi t Union and similar communist countries they get very high turnout and almost unanimous support for a single candidate. People can get in trouble for not voting for the party candidate. In America we have the right not to vote. It is a precious right. We used to have the right to complain whether we voted or not but wokeness has taken that away for the most part.


7 posted on 01/31/2023 7:46:24 AM PST by webheart
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To: Right Brother

I pestered one of them a few times about it. He said he didn’t want to get called for jury duty. Never mind that his attitude was the reason they used the driver’s license rolls to choose jurors. About a month after that, he got a summons.


8 posted on 01/31/2023 7:47:12 AM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: gundog
I know folks who don''t register because they still think that is how they get on the list for jury duty. This is still partially true.

Now, in NH, names of potential jurors are randomly selected from a list of driver's license holders and registered voters.

In NH, jurors are compensated at the rate of $50/day. Although most trials do not last longer than a week, you may receive up to $60/day after serving 10 days on a trial. Jurors also will receive a mileage allowance from home to the court and reimbursement for tolls and parking. Jurors generally are paid on a weekly basis. Jury attendance fees (but not reimbursement for mileage, tolls and parking expenses) are reportable income.

This can put a family in real financial difficulty, especially if it's a long trial.

9 posted on 01/31/2023 7:48:41 AM PST by Mogger
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To: for-q-clinton
As one friend who is one said:
“The first A-hole who wants to tear it down is the one I'll oppose”. And another one said “Everyone but the fanatics on both side is sick of this demonizing of the other, we're ALL Americans”.
Me, I just want the Constitution followed.
10 posted on 01/31/2023 7:53:22 AM PST by Republican in occupied CA (I will not give up on my native State! Here I was born, here I fight and die!!)
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To: gundog

Ha! Serves him right.


11 posted on 01/31/2023 7:53:26 AM PST by Right Brother
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To: Mogger
There are exemptions for travel and economic hardship. This guy isn’t real bright. It’s pretty easy to get hourself DQed during voir dire, if you want.

I stopped short of stopping at DMV...a place he had to drive by at least twice a day...to get him a registration form. And OR is vote-by-mail. Voting couldn’t be any less of a hassle.

12 posted on 01/31/2023 7:55:57 AM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: SeekAndFind

In some jurusdictions, some folks don’t vote because they have noone to vote for. All D Anti-American, Anti Freedom, Anti-2nd Amndmnt Baby Killers on the ballott, what would you do?

Some don’t vote because they simply don’t give a shiite. They’ve gone Gault and don’t participate in The System anymore.

And then, there are those that don’t vote because they don’t want to legitimize the whole institution.

“You Don’t Speak for Me” is their mantra.

I can agree with all of them.


13 posted on 01/31/2023 8:00:46 AM PST by Macoozie (Handcuffs and Orange Jumpsuits)
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To: for-q-clinton

All the Independents I know don’t care for the BS put out by either party. The problem for many who prefer to be registered Independents is they are locked out of their state primaries in many cases. The system forces people to choose a party which I think is wrong. They wind up having to vote for a party ticket that they might not like a particular person who is on it but do support another individual on the ticket.

I think states should allow voters registered as independents to vote in primaries as they wish and not be excluded because they are not registered with a particular party. I know the theory is that it makes for stronger political partys. But our two primary political partys don’t necessarily appeal to many voters.


14 posted on 01/31/2023 8:00:50 AM PST by oldguy1776
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To: webheart

“Don’t worry, democrats make sure there are plenty of votes cast to make up for anyone who doesn’t get around to voting for themselves.”

That sir is the very essence of the fraud perpetrated by the left using mail-in voting. Basically they print filled-out ballots for everyone who lives or has lived in each state and then submit those ballots to the ballot counters. If a voter has shown up and voted in person, the submitted ballot is discarded. If the voter has not voted, the ballot is counted. Voila! A vote turnout that would make even Kim Jung-un happy.

This makes the election officials happy because the numbers show a high turnout. What will be ignored is that often the number of ballots counted far exceed the number of voters that typically show up. Occasionally the ballot count exceeds the number of registered voters in the state which should invalidate the election outright.


15 posted on 01/31/2023 8:01:22 AM PST by ByteMercenary (Slo-Joe and KamalHo are not my leaders.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Independents who cannot discern total destruction versus what Trump gave to this country, are idiots! A clear and present danger to this country.


16 posted on 01/31/2023 8:02:33 AM PST by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: for-q-clinton

Well....that is the plum demographic. (Except that they don’t vote. Hello?) One guy I know says he doesn’t vote because “Republicans, Democrats...same $*#+, different piles.” Fine...that’s legit. Register as an independent. Another guy votes, but complains that the electorate is split such that the soft middle steers the results. He wants politicians that submit to what’s good for the 80%, not the 20%. I explained to him that if there were an 80% faction, they’d win every time. It boils down to the two rigid ideological camps cancelling each other out, and the middle deciding the outcome. And the middle can be swayed with emotional argument, and heavy campaign spending. Simple logic escapes far too many.


17 posted on 01/31/2023 8:08:08 AM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: Macoozie

And there have been a number of comments on this site over the years, where people have said they’re not going to vote for certain Republicans because those Republicans are too liberal for them.

And they feel they don’t have a realistic choice in elections between the two major parties.

Some people on the site have made comments how they’re never going to vote again, because Democrats just steal elections anyway.


18 posted on 01/31/2023 8:08:29 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Republican in occupied CA

Me I want MAGA. I want Trump. Acceto no substitutes.


19 posted on 01/31/2023 8:12:50 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: oldguy1776

I think I will title my book “Great Moderates in History” said no author ever.


20 posted on 01/31/2023 8:14:17 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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