Why Vote ?

WorldCantWait.ORG Columbus 2006
Originally uploaded by Zillafag

One of the first serious arguments (that is a difference of opinion kind) I had as an adult is my belief that voting, at least at the national level, makes no sense. As an engineer (and by extension a mathematician) the numbers just don't work out. One vote amongst millions is spurious noise.

I find very few people who can even fathom what I'm saying, their riposte is usually well if every body else thought like that the system would fall apart, while inherently true it will never happen. Other experiences in my life have proven that very few other people think like me, this is also probably better for society in the long run.

In a past life I worked in a service station with a Lotto machine. Every Wednesdays and Saturday (the two draw days in Ireland at the time) the hours between 4 and 7, just before the draw, had queues of people out the door to get their entries in on time. No-one, during my time there, won any thing much more than a match 4. It merely made the statement that lotteries is nothing more than a tax for people who are bad at maths all the more appropriate. It also re-enforced my belief that a person can be smart, but people are stupid.

So I was heartened to see that the New York Times has a write up about it (see also the Dilbert Blog where I found it). Hopefully in the future I can refer people to it when I don't have the eloquence to explain it. I usually explain it as I don't believe in voting but I would still fight for my right to vote.