The wave of the future?

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Californians consider "none of the above" option Votes would be tallied, but would not count

By Ian Christopher McCaleb/CNN

"LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A father-daughter team in California has hatched a way they say will allow disaffected and dissatisfied voters to express their displeasure in very certain terms at the ballot box -- make the voting option "none of the above" viable, and make state vote counters tabulate all "none of the above" results."

"Their idea, the two say, may catch on in California, and if it does, it could be noticed by the rest of the country."

"It's a protest vote," explains Teri Erickson, executive director of the Friends of Ernest Political Action Committee, the two-person organization based in Soquel, California, that has launched this effort across the state. "If you don't like the choices you're being offered, you can vote for 'none of the above,' and those votes will be counted."

[SNIP]

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), March 06, 2000

Answers

The political effect on the election will be the same as if the 'none of the above' voters had stayed home.

-- Miss (missidentified@hotmail.com), March 06, 2000.

Hi Deb, glad you could join us free thinkers over here. And yes, it is that time once again for all Californians to vote on a plethora of off-the-wall and convoluted Propositions. History has shown us that regardless of the outcome at the polls it is never a done deal. I offer as an example good ole Prop 187, which did not survive its day in the infamous 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Based in San Francisco, the Ninth is staffed with an eclectic collection of ex- hippies and ultra-liberals. I just cant wait to see the outcome of Prop 22, which if passed states that only marriages between a man and a woman will be legally recognized in California. Now I ask you, how long do you think that will hold up at the Ninth? Oops, there goes the neighborhood.

-- Sifting (through@the.rubble), March 06, 2000.

Miss:

What you say is true, but the practice of voting and NOT voting for one of the listed few goes WAY back. I remember in the 70's folks would write in Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck as a form of "protest" vote. Unfortunately, Mickey and Donald split the vote, and statistics were never provided for these "candidates." I think the point being made in this new option is that when the results come in, the protest votes [having been counted] will be published along with the votes for the mainstream chosen few.

What good does this do? Well, when I was a little girl I remember my parents saying "Same again this time.....voting for the lesser of two evils." If a voter really can't decide which of the two evils is the lesser, a voter can state "none of the above". Where previously, one could say "Candidate X got 60% of the votes while Candidate Y got 40% of the votes", NOW the results COULD say "Candidate X got 20% of the votes, Candidate Y got 5% of the votes, and 75% of the voters thought neither of them worthy. I have to wonder what results like that might do to the prefrontal lobes of the candidates. [grin]

-- Anita (notgiving@anymore.thingee), March 06, 2000.

Hi, Sifting. I felt a bit uncomfortable when the EZ board started banning people, just because their opinion was different. I'll still post there occasionally, but here, here I feel more "at home".

I have to agree with Anita about "none of the above" being an important change. It might actually be able to change the way politics works, perhaps put a dent in media "spin" about elections and legislation. If enough people are discontent, and vote showing that, then perhaps change will occur. We need a new "tool" to show how the public feels - this option just might make a difference.

All that is certain is that if we do nothing, then nothing will change.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), March 06, 2000.

>> ...allow disaffected and dissatisfied voters to express their displeasure in very certain terms at the ballot box ... <<

All this really does is to give them a way to rationalize their political impotence, without having to understand its source or to remedy it.

Here is a bit of the truth. The major political parties never agreed to provide you with a good candidate to vote for. They don't have to. As long as their candidate gets enought votes to win, that candidate gets the power of office. If you vote "none of the above" all you get is the dubious pleasure of throwing a public tantrum from the privacy of the voting booth. Wouldn't you rather get power?

There is only one mechanism for getting the politics you want: you must participate in the political process. Give time. Give money. Give ideas. Walk the street, knock on doors and talk to your neighbors.

If you sit back and wait for someone else to do your job for you, why would it surprise you if that person starts drawing your pay? Politics is everyone's job. When only paid lobbyists work at it, why be shocked when they get the lion's share of the benefits?

With great ideas like this "none of the above" idiocy, no wonder politics is all shot to hell. This just plays into the hands of TPTB.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), March 06, 2000.

Deb, youre sentiments regarding the EZ Board are shared by many. Ill have to agree that there should be no reason for a forum war between these two sites. Personally, I had reached the point where the censorship was chasing me away completely. Leaving is easier said than done so having this new home to go to saved me the anguish of cold turkey. Ive looked in at the other board and can find no reason to participate. I wish them well and am sure that many folks will shuttle back and forth as they desire. This however is the True home for all TB2000 addicts and will grow and prosper as time goes on.

Getting back to our elections tomorrow. Once again let me state that voting in a controversial Proposition in California will rarely insure that it becomes the law of the land. Most get shoved into the courts and fall prey to TPTB. This can be very frustrating as it sends the message that we dont really have any system other than the legal maneuvers of the various special interest groups. History has shown us that this is just the fuel needed for the lunatic fringe to rise up in force.

-- Sifting (through@the.rubble), March 06, 2000.

For more on this issue you might want to check out Sy Leon's great book:

None of the Above: Why Non-Voters are America's Political Majority by Sy Leon

also check out:

Don't Vote!

-- Jim Morris (prism@bevcomm.net), March 06, 2000.

Not to mention that in addition to all the @#$$#@ construction, we have additional roads blocked off in downtown Columbus and parking further decreased on the OSU campus because of visits from The Traveling Freak Shows, aka presidential candidates. I'll be very glad when Super Tuesday has passed...

-- (kb8um8@yahoo.com), March 06, 2000.

I paid a visit to the Don't Vote web site linked above. I did not read it all. Only enough to catch the drift. From what I read, the POV is utterly idealistic, espousing a sort of Ayn Randian anarchism, where market forces replace all functions of government, and enlightened self interest prevents it all from looking like Beruit or Mogadishu.

Of course, seen in correct light, Beruit and Mogadishu are simply two places where enterprising idealists (harshly characterized as "warlords" in the US press) arose in a free market atmosphere to provide the citizenry with local protection services. Guns were plentiful and cheap, so that the bar to competition was low, and the only most effective providers emerged from a spirited competition. And taxes were very low, because services were flat-fee.

Seriously, in my view the breakdown of politics is largely an effect of the abdication of ordinary people from the sweaty work of direct political action. Voting was never enough. Yet, nowadays fewer than 60% of the electorate even does that *minimum* political task. However, they do bitch, whine, moan and complain so much you'd think they were playing bagpipes.

Voting "none of the above" falls straight into the bitch, whine, moan and complain category. Guaranteed to get us more of the same.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), March 06, 2000.

Gee, I guess you're right, Brian. It looks like you have all the answers...

I'll be sure to vote for you when you run for President! :-D

-- Jim Morris (prism@bevcomm.net), March 06, 2000.

Jim Morris:

Your answer has been assimilated. It now belongs to me, as do all answers. Thank you for your contribution.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), March 06, 2000.