I like to keep my vote private...
 

I voted today and I am happy I did. One thing that bothers me though- these days folks seem to feel very free to ask me who I voted for.

I am not sure if I am remembering correctly, but it seems to me that people did not ask that question as freely when I was much younger.

I think to myself there is a reason why they have a CURTAIN on the voting booth.

I even crossed out my party affiliation on my voting card because a few years ago when I went to vote the people working at the voting booth looked at my card and made comments about my party affiliation and discussed it among themselves. They were not nasty comments but it still made me uncomfortable they were discussing my personal business among themselves, so now I have it crossed out on my card.

Maybe I am old-fashioned. It is just me or does it ever bother anyone else when people ask who you voted for? Just wondering:?:

I think it depends on who it is and what their intention is.... I don't mind talking about it at all, but I don't know how i'd feel about someone i don't know coming up to me and asking me who I voted for either... seems kind of rude.
I especially think that people discussing your party is really inappropriate, especially if they are people working at the booth. Rude!

I agree with Lizziness - it depends on situation. I mean, my family and friends know I'm political, so it doesn't bother me - but random people? Horrible.

I had campaign workers for the CA special election/primary talking about election issues among themselves while i was voting. There must be a rule against that?!

I agree. My mom has told me that my grandfather wouldn't discuss who he voted for. She told me this my entire life. She said that he would always say that such things are not to be discussed. I never met my grandfather. He died before I was born but I carry on his message. I don't discuss who I voted for with anyone besides my family.

I agree that it's private. Mostly, reason being for me, is that there are two things that can divide friends...politics and religion. If you KNOW someone has the same affiliation as you, then its nice to soap box amongst the two of you, but when talking in general about these topics, you never know who you'll offend, so I keep my trap shut. I lost a very good friend in 2000 because I voted for the 'other' presidential candidate. I wished I'd kept my mouth shut.

I don't talk about it for the same reasons techwife mentioned. I don't even talk about it with my extended family for the same reasons, we tend to have different political views.

I don't consider it appropriate for people to ask me who I voted for either. I also wouldn't ask someone else. It is private, if I want it to be, and I don't feel any need to satisfy someone else's random curiousity.

I voted yesterday for the first time ever (I'm 24). I haven't told anyone who I voted for--not even my boyfriend!

Every time an election has come up in the past, though, I would get a LOT of crap from people about my decision NOT to vote. South Park has a fabulous episode that perfectly expressed how I felt and why I chose not to vote (they played the episode last night, too, which was perfect). It's about the kids at school having to vote for a new school mascot, and it comes down to the 2 candidates being a "giant douche" or a "turd sandwich." Stan decides he's not going to vote at all because both the douch and the turd are stupid, so why force yourself to pick one over the other? That's how I have felt during many of the past elections (not that I've been old enough to vote very many times, but still). I changed my mind this time because I really really really wanted to go and vote for the constitutional amendments that were up for vote in Virginia (the amendment basically again trying to forbid same sex marriage was up for vote). And so, I chose between the douches and the turds to ensure I had a vote in the amendment decision.

I was raised in a non-voting family. The generally-accepted stance in my family is that most politicians are cheaters and liars, so why support any of them? That upbringing is another reason I didn't vote as often as I could have.

In CO, and other places I would imagine, there is. You are strictly forbidden to "campaign" at a polling place. Here, they even tossed out a 65 year old grandmother for wearing a button that said "Peace". Now, they may not be technically campaigning, but perhaps they would fall under that rule because of their positions?

It's a new rule, but overdue I believe as it does discourage people from doing that.

My mom will discuss her vote until she's blue in the face and it drives me nuts. I love talking about the process, but I agree with techwife. I have been offended too many times by just hearing people discuss it aorund me. My dad never talks about his vote or even voting, but I always know he does it.

Most ~ is a strong word, you could be right, but if we don't vote for the better canidates we don't stand a chance. Look at the morals of our country in the last 25 years alone, broken homes, drugged up all alone kids, etc.

We have been in many heated discussions over the years at work. I am in construction and union, many of us do not agree with the political affiliations our union picks for us. I have never lost a friend for these talks...arguments, but there has been hard feelings from time to time. We always get over it though.

Voting is personal, I suppose I could be offended by being asked who I voted for, but I never have. I believe in sharing my view, wether the other person wants to hear it or not, somebody has to save them right? ;)

We have mini heated discussions around our house sometimes. My kids and I are members of the grand Elephant Party, Angie is a member of the :tree: Christmas Party.

Personally I vote for the "man/woman" as long as they are republicans :sssh: ;)

I said the "most" idea was that which is generally accepted by my family (and, therefore, how I was raised), not MY current personal view ;) Although with the number of politicians involved in scandals these days...

Personally, I honestly sometimes cannot choose a "better" candidate. With anti-abortion Democrats and pro-gay rights Republicans and whatnot, sometimes when I stack up the good and bad of each, they come out about even. Is closing my eyes and picking one just for the sake of picking one really any better than not voting at all? (due to the aforementioned examples, I am not willing to vote based solely on political party--too many "exceptions")

Not trying to start a debate--lord knows I don't need to be involved in a politics discussion...just some food for thought :^:

I'm not sure what the "morals of our country" has to do with voting. Politicians have little to do with how people raise their children today.

When I voted last night I had to vote provisional. I brought my card out of my booth and everyone acted like I was naked or something, Looking at the ceiling, at the floor, suddenly their shoe came alive and was fascinating, lol. I was glad though. The lady who handed me the envelope to seal it in acted like my card was a booger, lol. I marked not affiliated with any party and no one asked me anything for which I was thankful.
Doesn't even discussing voting make your skin crawl with fear of a big blow up over who is right and wrong?

That's the whole thing, Jillybean, we've got to decide which turd or douche we would rather have in office. I have many times voted for people I was not that thrilled with, but you gotta decide who you hate the least. And then keep your fingers crossed.

Jill: You know, now that you're a registered voter...nothing is stopping you from voting only for what you want to vote for. For instance, when I registered, it was pretty much to vote for a school budget. In our voting booths, you pull down a lever for the person or issue you want to vote for. As far as I know, nothing is stopping you from not voting for either of them. Like, for instance, if you only really are interested in voting for or against an issue that is up for election, you could just vote for that and leave the rest blank. For instance, again, in my neck of the woods, it's a big political debate whether or not my town is going to allow windmills to be constructed all over the place. Many people are for it, but some are against it. If it went to the polls to vote for it or against it, but you don't really know enough about the congressional or senatorial candidates to want to vote for them, you could just go vote for/against the windmills and leave the others blank. Know what I'm saying? I agree with you that many of the politicians are turd sandwiches and/or douche bags. But, if you want to vote without being totally informed of the actual individual that's running, if you get to know the democrat and republican (or others) agendas and the basic morals they 'usually' stand by...then you can say, "Well, don't know this guy, but I like the democrat purpose or the republican purpose and they are probably, more than likely, on board with those principals, so I'll vote for him/her." At least if he person that wins turns out to be a jerk and you didn't vote for him/her...at least you can say, "Hey, it's not my fault...I voted for the other guy!" Either way, it's your right to take it or leave it. ;)

Also, have you considered voting for someone who is not a member of either party? Generally, even if I hate either the republican or the democrat, I like someone on the ballot enough to give them my vote. I did that in two races this year because the major party candidates were just horrible and I couldn't swallow filling in the bubble for them.

Of course--in fact I voted for an Independent candidate yesterday :) Which sometimes feels like not voting at all since you know the majority will vote R or D (unless the independent candidate actually even shows up on pre-election polls, like in the few states where an I candidate actually won), but I couldn't in good conscience vote for either for this particular option.

techwife--there was no pulling of levers in our booths (I even hesitate to call them "booths"--there was no curtain to pull behind you, only on either side). It was an electronic device with a screen and a few buttons...I'm not sure if it would let you skip voting for certain things or not. It didn't give me the "submit ballot" option until I had selected an answer in each category. I may have to look into that...

Man, I hate politics...:dizzy: