On 7/22/64 2:59 PM, Michael Allan wrote:
Dear Juho and Fred,
Your vote never made a difference. Most people feel uncomfortable
or perplexed in this knowledge, and I think the feeling indicates
that something's wrong.
Juho Laatu wrote:
I'm not sure that most people feel uncomfortable with this. Many
have learned to live as part of the surrounding society, and they
don't expect their vote to be the one that should decide between two
alternatives.
I certainly never expected my own vote to be decisive in an election.
But knowing it has *no* effect on the outcome? This is unexpected and
makes me uneasy. (more below)
I think we should be a little more careful here. Just because a voter's
vote has no effect on the outcome of an election does not mean that the
vote has no effect. By voting you are affecting the margin of victory
or defeat. And vote margins still matter to politicians -- they signal
whether the politicians are taking the right positions and making
convincing arguments.
-- Andrew
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