Majority of people ARE interested in the voting.
Why should they be?
If benefit is greater than cost, they would.
If cost is greater than benefit, they wouldn't.
Cost being time, gasoline to drive to the polls, patience, sleep, et cetera.
Benefit being an infinitesimal sliver of a percentage point in determining the outcome of an election, for an increase in probability that will economically benefit you through the candidate's policies.
(Time, effort, waiting)
> (influence of .0000008% of the total outcome).
See 'rational ignorance' for an economic/mathematical perspective on politics.
That aside, our voting history as shown a reliable downward slope of voter participation. Each election, people don't care as much. Of course this trend can be temporarily offset by new implications of the candidates like first black president. Unfortunately, voters react to this kind of thing.
the ones that are uniformed, uninterested or "stupid" mainly do what is called a 'donkey' vote; deliberately mess it up by doing it wrong, or adding other names (there has been elmo, yoda, big bird etc lol).
I hadn't considered this possibility. Although, it seems unlikely to me that the majority of people who are only subjected to propaganda, and none of their own unbiased research would still 'donkey' vote. Emotion has a history of overruling logic and people will support candidates
while convincing themselves they are informed.We don't vote by names either, it is a party like in America. Liberal, labour, greens, national, family first and quite a few others.
I was trying to use voting by names as an example of messing up the vote. On a side note: A hint of annoyance may be bleeding through into my post because I'm recalling a news story in which an incompetent woman cast a ballot, with the assistance of a dispatch from a committee without being reviewed. By incompetent, I mean she didn't know the candidates, her own son's name, or where she was. She doesn't even know who she voted for. I think statistically, it is more likely she voted for a more recognizable name (John vs. Obama).
I'm still under 18, I don't begin voting until late next year lol.
When are your elections held?
Poll