For me, I vote because every data point is necessary. Imagine you're doing a study with human subjects, and every test subject decided to leave the study because "I'm just one person, my singular data point is negligible". And while that may be true, you need sufficient data points to do statistical analysis, to get a representative result. Some people are going to choose not to vote, some are going to try to vote and something will prevent that from happening, etc. Each of us has to try our best to add our insignificant data point to the result. It's the same principle as being a good and selfless person: your kindness is probably negligible in the world at large, BUT it's still a non-zero amount.
while the thought is nice, this assumes people/politicians would make objective and sound decisions based on data - which doesn't even happen most of the time in privately owned companies.
@@ChinnuWoW Not much, but we have to see the whole societal level benefits instead of personal. EDIT: Also 30 min? Wow that's awfuly long time to vote. Mine took
Our individual vote may be statistically insignificant, but if everyone became apathetic because of that then the system would break down. It’s a sort of political tragedy of the commons. And in the end, that’s proof that your vote does matter, but only as a part of the whole.
And if everyone went vegan the system would break down. That argument is one of the most common ones I hear for voting and it's a terrible one. I don't think a single non-voter has ever changed their mind because of that argument.
"It’s a sort of political tragedy of the commons" I believe what you are referring to is called the "Voter's Dilemma" where as long as one person makes a sacrifice of resources (however small the cost is) the entire group benefits, but if no one contributes everyone suffers.
@@Nayr747 I suspect the "system" being referred to is the whole meat processing industry. I could be wrong, but that's the only "sense" I can make of the post.
I used to be a non-voter because I was complacent and thought my one vote didn’t matter. Then I realized that I was an idiot because if everyone thought that was and didn’t turn out, our democracy wouldn’t work. On a micro level it seems pointless, but on a macro level it’s very important. Also, ofc the electoral college is complete BS, but it’s still not an excuse to not vote. Not every election is a presidential election. So few people turn out for smaller scale elections that your vote can actually have a huge impact on that level.
came here to say the same lol I remember when I didn't care about voting and I was honest with people who asked if I was going to vote, told them I didn't think my one vote would matter. Only reason I changed my mind was the realization that if everyone or most people thought that way, the world would be a worse place. I still know my one vote won't be the deciding factor, but have voted consistently since making the choice to do so and encourage others to as well edit just to admit; I definitely feel social peer pressure and internal pressure to adhere to social norms in other areas of my life, but in my choice to vote and a few other things I made my choice in spite of what others may think of me. It's not that I didn't care what others would think of me, just that I accepted any potential negative reactions. And I wouldn't be surprised if many others can say the same
"because if everyone thought that was and didn’t turn out, our democracy wouldn’t work." - but isn't it a vote in itself? I personally decries how this overall thing is working, so not voting is actually rationally acting. I wish nobody was going to vote so we could finally bring politicians to the table and tell them to change their bs programs
The problem is you always vote on a person who represents an aggregate of many decisions you agree and disagree with, instead of voting on each decision
That's not a good thing though; it's become too much about the identity politics rather than the actual policies. People are more concerned about how the party they vote for depicts themselves to the rest of society. The notion that you as a person can be defined by who you vote for is absurd and extremely reductive. Just because you vote for a party doesn't mean you have to align with all their values. Individuals are nuanced and someone who may be very left-wing on one issue, may have a very right-wing stance on another. Solution? Stop defining yourselves by who you vote for! You should cast you vote based on who you think will enact the best policies, not what people will think of you and your vote. (Presuming you're American, getting rid of the two party system and first past the post voting would also be hugely beneficial)
My country, Australia, has compulsory voting and there is a monetary fine if you do not vote in federal or state elections. The situation varies between states regarding local government elections. I believe there are about 20 or 30 countries around the world which have a similar policy. Voting is always done on a Saturday between 8 am and 6 pm, so taking time off work to vote is not an issue. Australia seems to have a different attitude towards elections than the US does, particularly the Republicans. In Australia, voting is seen as a civic duty, much like jury duty or paying taxes. In the US, and many other countries too, voting is seen as a privilege, not to be lightly given.
From what I heard Australia also has Ranked Choice voting instead of First Past the Post like America. From what I see it makes people trust their elections more and feel like their votes matter.
Writing from Italy. Here, much like in the rest of Europe, voting rights for the majority of the population were obtained through history with violent fights and social struggle, and for most people after ww2. We are used to see voting as a righ, but one that many, many people had to fight and die for, so something it should be a pride to participate to. Too bad we got way too relaxed in the West and are taking this right for granted, forgetting how young modern democracies are and what horrors thousands had to go through in order for us to have access to this right.
Do you ever complain about plays your favorite team makes even though you aren't playing the sport? You're allowed to complain about things you don't do
i vote because my grandfather was murdered for democracy, because my father was beaten up for democracy. because my great grandmother couldn't vote until she was 30. because i believe in democracy. and also because my mom taught me it was the right thing to do.
@criticalrevel Well it’s less known than the 2. worldwar but Stalin was in fact a terrible dictator. He killed millions of Russians (or Sowjets). There are very good documentaries
Maybe this is me just me missing the pedantry of the specific scientific meaning of 'rational' in this case, but I feel like it's completely 'rational' to discount the thought that you won't have the deciding vote, because you know that if everyone like you had that thought, then they also wouldn't vote, and your favourite candidate might lose. Now to me that's still a completely selfish and strictly rational thought.
But what role does it have in the topic at hand, "why people vote"? At best it is part of the problem: it makes our individual votes count a lot less, discouraging people from bothering. So it's not part of the explanation of why people vote, it's just part of the long list of discouragements we have to overcome. In other words, if they were going to mention it, they should have said: "In particular, why do people in all 50 states come out and vote for President, when they know that in around 45 of those states, their vote won't merely have a very small impact, it will literally have no impact at all - as if it weren't even counted?" (My own personal answer: I vote for President to send a message. Sadly, that's all the system will give me.)
This comment section is already full of people telling your vote doesn't matter and voting or telling others to vote is stupid one way or another. You know why they tell you this? Because even if your vote alone does not make a huge impact, voting DOES matter. The people saying you shouldn't vote are influencing the narrative around voting, even if it isn't with malicious intent. It doesn't matter if these commenters genuinely believe voting doesn't matter, or if they are bots trying to influence elections: the fact that so many comments are trying to make you not vote should tell you something is up. The right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy. Use it.
You're confusing people's need to tell other people they don't vote with trying to get other people not to vote. Most non-voters don't give a crap if other people vote or not.
It’s not a powerful tool when all candidates are corrupt war criminals who pretend to care about the working class. The entire system needs to change. I don’t want a leader. I want a council.
To encourage people to vote make voting easy in America. 1) Make voting day a national holiday or on Sunday 2) Setup as many polling stations as possible, and that people don't have to wait in long lines - here in my city, we have one polling station per 10,000 people, and is only 10 minutes walk - Polling stations can be setup in school halls, community halls or even large sports statium 3) Make it simple to register as voter - all required IDs are free, all registration are free
My goodness how lazy can you get? You have to go and vote once every 4 years and you want a holiday? If you want more polling stations demand them of your local/state/national govt.
Personally, I vote for a completely selfish reason - to maximize the chance of seeing political outcomes that I want. Also, "casting the deciding vote" makes sense only when you know how everyone else is voting, right? That doesn't sound like how popular vote works.
if course you don't know if your vote will be decisive. but "maximizing the chance of seeing political outcomes that I want" is exactly about that chance in question.
This video really makes you rethink why we vote. I love how it breaks down the complex psychology behind such a simple yet powerful action. Great work!
Campaign workers are motivated to volunteer their time if they think they will win, eitherö L through reaction to their candidates by is positive or they lead in the polls. In multi- party democracies everyone votes because their vote will count.
I'm really surprised that the video didn't talk at all about game theory. Sometimes a purely selfish strategy produces worse outcomes for most people, including those who act selfishly. I think that most people understand that voting is a collaboration and that just looking at our own cost vs. benefit leads to a bad outcome. I would not call that "irrational".
Yes! In fact, you only need to add one thing: that other people are just as reasonable, and will find the same reasoning and actions you do. Sometimes this is called "superrational". It's a much better fit for how "the right thing" is decided collectively in societies, IMO.
we've had an election for mayor recently and after 740 thousand votes counted the difference was around 300. So, one singular vote may not count but it definitely ads up ;)
In my town of 65,000 our last elections had two that came down to fewer then 20 votes. One of them flipped our city counsel and the other the incumbent won, but it was close. Voting matters.
2014, I was working as a pollworker (which I had done for decades and continue to do so) and one of the voters came in very upset because his wife had gotten a mailer saying "you didn't vote last election" along with a list of their neighbors who had voted. He said, "she was in the hospital! She always votes but that time she couldn't!" and that it ought to be illegal that whoever had sent out the mailing was trying to shame her into voting and potentially telling their neighbors whether or not she voted, that it's none of their business. One of my fellow pollworkers was similarly upset on the voter's behalf. I attempted to explain that it was just a dumb mail-merge mailer but they were too upset to listen.
I think it's a massive oversimplification to view "rationality" as a purely cost/benefit analysis, especially when it comes to voting. For many people, it's more of a risk/threat balance - what do you risk by setting the time aside to vote versus what's the threat of the person you want to vote for not getting into office, or the threat their opponent poses. It honestly sounds like the studies that are being referenced started with the question of "how do you manipulate people into voting" - and worked backwards from the conclusions to assume the answer to why people do or don't vote without considering many other socioeconomic factors. Frankly, the sheer number of omissions could fill a dozen of these videos - and maybe that sheer brevity is the reason why the theorem as presented sounds so incomplete - but boiling down altruism to mere peer pressure based on an experiment in behavioral manipulation is definitely several orders of magnitude more of a logical leap than anything this video presented has justified.
if you played r/place, you know coordinated effort matter way more than your individual work, your pixel worth nothing if it's not part of something bigger
I vote based on policies, track record, and needs of the country (IMO). I try to look at every side. Time, energy, and sanity deplete quickly, when investigating the choices.
I love the pop art style of this video! Adding this channel right next to Lead Learn Leap. You guys have similar animated videos with informative knowledge ^^ Love it
For me I’m a single man who is 40 years old. I never got married and have no children. Personally I do not plan to be alive to retire so retirement has no value to me. And on top of that since I have no children I do not think I want to be in some home cared for by the children of women who rejected me. I just rather leave this world up to the people who have a place in it and me voting has no value since whatever I believed in or cared about doesn’t matter.
Recognizing and defying social pressures is kinda my thing! I don't do things because I care what "you" think. I do what I think is right, and have a very low opinion of decisions made because of groupthink or herd mentality. And an even lower opinion of those making decisions that way, knowingly or otherwise.
Then there's the flip side... if you vote and win, you have no right to complain if you got the outcome you desired; it's your fault, deal with it. Having said the above, I'm also blue in a red state and will be voting blue praying for a miracle. I have to accept the consequences if my candidates win.
I vote for one simple reason: if nobody did it then we'd live in a dictatorship instead of a democracy. It's the same reason why I recycle and compost.
We already live in a functional dictatorship. What we have is the illusion of democracy. There is so much the politicians could do for the working class that they never will, no matter who is president/prime minister. The government will continue funding the genocide and other war crimes despite the majority being against it. This is not democracy.
We already live in a functional dictatorship. Democracy is an illusion in the US and Canada. It's not a coincidence that every candidate is garbage and goes against the will of the people.
One thing not mentioned in this video, is that while I like to think I vote because I am engaged with the democratic process, a big part is also that it just feels great to vote. I am happy for the rest of the day after I voted, sometimes even the day after.
The way I see it, even if my vote isn't that influential in the grand scheme of things, it's still infinitely more influential than if I didn't vote. And that's enough for me to view the cost as worth it. The knowledge that I did everything I could, even if what I could do is limited, is better than sitting back and just letting things happen without me. There's no such thing as apoliticism. The choice to do nothing is still a political choice; it's the choice which says you are fine with whatever the outcome is. And if that isn't true, if I do care about what the outcome is, which I do, then the only choice which properly aligns with my beliefs is to make that known, no matter how small that may seem.
I love that the answer of "why do humans do..." always ends up being in the realm of social psychology & sociology. Culture, social norms, and peer influence always wins because we are social animals. And right after explaining how this influence works Joe adds his pressure to conform to social norms at 11:29; don't think we didn't notice. :)
I appreciate this video & especially the wonderfully insightful comments, which add so much to the answer as to WHY we vote. For me, it’s a strong sense of wanting to help create a thriving planet for all. That motivation has increased as our society has seemed to value personal gain (without much regard for the cost to others) over collective well-being. Voting is a tangible way of taking RESPONSIBILITY for helping to create an increase in the quality of our collective lives and our only viable planet. But it also, as someone mentioned, provides information as to the people’s will regarding various issues. Once Rank Choice Voting or similar methods are in place, that aspect will become even more important. How else will our representatives know how we, their constituents, truly feel about various issues?
You've got to fix the sound profile for your channel guests; I'm only hearing half of the conversation. I don't think it's a volume issue either, I think it has to do with the dominant vocal pitch.
That peer pressure being part of why we vote explains the massive amounts of ads during this election that emphasized our friends and family could look up our voting record.
Theories of rational behavior are often quite quick and self assured about what behavior is rational, and it seems often based myopically on crude material costs. Social and emotional outcomes are real and rational motivators too. Great analysis of the relevant factors!
pretty sure Robin Hanson wrote about it in The Elephant in the Brain. Really good book about how our real reasons for our behaviour are often hidden and we are not even aware of it.
I used to vote because it made me feel important. The second reason is that i live in a region where anyone who doesn't vote is punished. Yes, after voting, you may receive a bill to pay your penalty for not voting. For several years i have belonged to a church that teaches that voting is forbidden because, as citizens of heaven, we should not vote on earth. The same applies f.e. if a German is not allowed to vote in the US because he does not have citizenship there
In Australia we get fined if we don't vote. I personally would vote anyway ( plus the essential democracy sausage sizzle) but it's enough motivation for me to be engaged with our politics and to keep the protections we have. Our politics isn't as "celebrity" as it is in the US they just do their thing
I’m sitting watching this video eating a bowl of cereal I just bought at the grocery store after doing a cost to flavor analysis of the generic version of the cereal versus the brand name and you put that exact example in the video 😂. Amazing.
I LOVED the way Maine did voting when I went to college there. Same day registration AND ranked choice voting. The only thing that could have made it better was automatic mail-in ballots for everyone who was already registered
Here in Canada where we have more than just two parties, for some of us voting can also be a sort of statement about our values. Since each political party has its own values, priorities and "brand" as it were, when we choose to vote for a specific party (particularly those of us who always vote for the same party time and time again), it's a way of expressing our own values through the party we vote for that shares the most values with us. For others, it can be about spite. If one of the candidates is just really annoying, unpleasant or tiresome (perhaps even dangerous), we vote for the party most likely to be able to win against that undesirable candidate both in the hopes of actually keeping them out of power, but also at the very least as a statement that we disapprove of that candidate's platform.
4:37 people DO do that, it's just that you and others are ignoring less tangible costs and benefits. In that hypothetical cereal buying situation, there's likely a time cost to evaluate all the options and an emotional cost for making a decision. Likewise, there's likely a flavor benefit as that brand has proven itself to the buyer as having acceptable flavor. Similarly, your video goes on to describe costs (such as shame) and benefits (such as a feeling of participating in freedom) that actually make voting very rational and weigh positively in the benefit side of the equation for those who do.
I've never failed to vote. I always have a favourite candidate, and I try to persuade others to vote for my candidate, too, so the chances of winning are a little higher.
You guys should absolutely vote on repairing your backwards, overly complicated voting and electoral processes. In most democratic countries voting is easy and free and you do not have to take time off for it. You hardly even have to register. America is deeply undemocratic that way.
I'm a citizen of both Germany and the US. In Germany you get a letter a couple months prior to an election coming up. It's your "invitation" so to say. If you cannot vote on the day for whatever reason (Always a Sunday 9am-6pm) you can fill out a form on the back, send it back and get a mail-in ballot delivered to you. If you vote on the day, you take the letter and your ID (Personalausweis) and go to the address designated on the letter; usually a school or a community center; hand in the letter and get your ballot. Then you vote behind a cover and throw your ballot in a big box for later counting. This is possible because we have a residents' registration office that knows at all time where you live; it even says it on your ID. Therefore, they know where to contact you. I voted absentee in the US this year for the first time. The hoops you have to jump through just to be able to vote is so much more difficult. Find out if the state you have ties to lets you vote if you never lived in the US, find where you can apply, find out where to send the copy of your passport, find out how to properly package the ballot and voters oath, have the envelopes and materials at home, and then find out which voting office to send it to...that's a heck lot of hoops to jump through, and will always hinder those who have more pressing matters, like working multiple jobs, care for kids or generally struggle with their day-to-day, to execute their right. All I can say is - USA, you helped Germany sort out their democracy after WW2; you guys KNOW how to do it. Now clean up your own mess, and take your voting to the 21st century, please. Lots of love!
How can you say that after watching the US election system get attacked in 2020 and turn away all attempts at subversion? Chump thought the election system was vulnerable so that is where he attacked. I'm glad our election system is "overly complicated". Maybe if your country was worth stealing you might have to beef up election security.
How can you say that after watching the US election system get attacked in 2020 and turn away all attempts at subversion? Chump thought the election system was vulnerable so that is where he attacked. I'm glad our election system is "overly complicated". Maybe if your country was worth stealing you might have to beef up election security.
How can you say that after watching the US election system get attacked in 2020 and turn away all attempts at subversion? Chump thought the election system was vulnerable so that is where he attacked. I'm glad our election system is "overly complicated". Maybe if your country was worth stealing you might have to beef up election security.
Man, that comment section: The problem is you should vote. "But it's stupid" - Other people vote, their vote count, and your non-vote don't count. "But it's consent to my own oppression" - North-Korean don't need consent or elections to oppress people. "But it's only a social norm" - Yes, but it's also institutional. Besides, if you don't even vote, what else are you not doing in society?
I think every choice is rational one where you give cost benefit analysis. It's just that the variable are not always price and performance, but also time, emotional attachment, how tired you are, etc. As such it's strange to call those choices not rational ones.
Like what Contrapoints said near the end of her video on voting, I vote fully prepared to protest against the icky parts of the party/representative I voted for. Don't settle for the best of the worst. After you vote, ask for the support you and your community deserve. Vote in local elections as well as the bigshot ones. Political representatives' job is to serve their community. It is not at all hypocritical to challenge those you vote into power. They only get that power because the people gave it to them. They have to earn it. Let's make them earn it.
I didn’t know you were specifically in molecular biology! I’ve been watching the channel for years and am now in my second year of Molecular biology 🫶 that’s so cool! This channel and others like it has been a big part of why I’m perusing science !
I agree voting is mostly down to social norms without a doubt. I vote because my parents taught me it is my duty to do so and the cost of not voting would be shaming their memories.
Joe, you’re a man I consider to be highly intelligent and altruistic. You run this channel for the greater good. Although I respect your decision to be politically neutral, this election in your country had high stakes and you knew that and never endorsed the only candidate of compassion, empathy, and science. Therefore, I cannot consider you to be conscientious. Hopefully that’ll change. Sincerely, A.A.G.L.
I think that in the USA, people's sense that "their vote doesn't count" comes from the fact that in some cases it literally doesn't. Because of FPP voting and the electoral college, candidates win with sometimes less than 1/3 or even 1/4 of the consent of voters. If you vote red in California your vote doesn't count. Please do a video about ranked choice voting and how FPP leads to a two-party dichotomy, loss of nuance in candidate platforms, and growing apathy within democracy.
One reason I did not hear you mention that has been a big factor in the US in the last dozen or so years has been "To offset the bad voter's vote," a philosophy held by DEM, GOP, independent and 3rd party voters in the US alike. Is it a large motivating factor compared to social norms or altruism? I have no idea. But's a non-trivial component I'm sure as both broadcast interviews and private anecdotes indicate many voters did it because they were afraid someone else would vote a way they don't like.
Is it voting really _just_ social pressure (as in pressure without a deeper reason behind it)? Social pressure usually has it's base somewhere and once was the outcome of something that wasn't working out. The reason why we don't do certain things has may been gone, but there usually at least _was_ a reason why.
23 Countries (most of them "Democracies") have Compulsory Voting - including Australia. In Australia, the penalty for Not Voting (without a "reasonable excuse") is only $20. In Australia it is compulsory for all persons 18 of age, or over, to register to Vote, and (hence) to Vote In Australia, there are Federal and State/Territory "Electoral Commissions" which set electoral boundaries, so that each Electorate contains (roughly) the same number of voters as any other Electorate. (Within 10%) (Local Council "Electoral Boundaries" are also set by State/Territory Electoral Commissions.) (Electoral Boundaries are NOT set by State/Territory or Federal Governments/Parties.) The Electoral Commissions organize the Elections and arrange for the counting of votes. Electoral Candidates may arrange to have "observers" present at Vote Counting, to ensure that votes are not mis-counted. All voting is by Pencil/Pen and Paper - no "machines" are used. The paper votes are retained for a period sufficient for a "recount", if a candidate has "reasonable grounds" to request this. Preferential Voting (Ranked Choice Voting) is universal in Australia. Posting Voting is available to all who have a "reasonable reason" to require this. Pre-Poll voting in person is available - for about two weeks prior to Polling Day. Polling Day is always on a Saturday. - from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (Local Time.) This results in Local "Groups" organizing "Sausage Sizzles" (Barbecues) and "Cake Stalls" etc., to take advantage of the large numbers of possible "customers" there assembled throughout the day. (See "From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting.)
Wanting to be able to vote (i.e., participate fully in civil life) was one of my major reasons (although there were, of course, others) for deciding to obtain citizenship in the country I call home, and I have voted in every single election since I became a citizen here. Moreover, I physically go to the polls to cast my vote although mail-in voting is made quite easy here. I enjoy exercising this right to the full.
If I were a non-voter and the government pressurised me to vote, I will oblige and vote against that government, as they would have lost any possible trust I might have had.
People vote for many more reasons than peer pressure or societal norms. People vote because they care who leads the country. It's not just a vote. It's a statement, an act of patriotism. It's an alignment of values and beliefs. I think any of these reasons make it a very valuable process and worth the cost to participate.
How important and meaningful voting is may change a lot from country to country, since everything from culture to the institutions and systems that regulate voting have a great impact. I will say one thing to add to the conversation, voting and caring about the direction of your nation are not necessarily the same. Someone who doesn't vote (either as a protest or because a deficient election system) could do a lot to change things, maybe by educating others, triying to change the culture, organizing local groups etc. While someone who votes without much thought probably achieves little other than falling for the empty words of some demagoge.
They have a saying in China that roughly goes like this. "In China, you can't change the party, but you can change the policy. In America, you can change the party, but you can't change the policy." That's really all you need to know about the American "Republic," or liberal democracy in general. Bought and sold a long time ago, and an election is just how the ruling class manufactures your consent. To make you feel as those you chose any of the terrible things that happen next. And, more importantly, to limit the imagination of political possibility to two corrupt bourgeois parties. One of which is always just controlled opposition. It's a busy box, meant to give you the illusion of control so you don't actually learn what politics is, organized groups of people using power to assert their class position. To the person reading this, statistically, that means unions and organized denial of labor. Voting is, by its real definition, asking someone else to do politics for you. And if they're not a member of your class and movement, it's laughable that they'd even pretend to do anything you want. This is especially funny when you realize that most people proudly say they would never vote for the other party. I.e., you have zero leverage. And primaries don't help you either, these are private organizations that have no legal obligation to put forward a candidate voted for in a primary. You vote because you're powerless, and you want to feel like you have control over what the ruling class does. You don't. But you could, if there was a unified, organized, fiercely dedicated union of tens of millions willing to deny their labor to their economy the moment their "Democracy" inevitably runs afoul of basic human decency.
I'm sorry, but that's BS. There are HUGE differences between the parties and their policies. Every piece of moral progress we've made through policy since the 50's (Civil Rights Act, Medicare/Medicaid, legalized same-sex marriage in most states, Obamacare, infrastructure funding, etc.) has been passed by Democrats (or mostly Democrats) and signed by a Democratic President.
Im in a coalition and that coalition does determine the outcome. Its very rational the rationale is that i want good things to happen not bad things so i need to vote.
In Brazil, voting is mandatory and it happens on Sunday. This makes it harder to companies don’t allow people voting. So basically every election most of people vote.
@@besmart 😲😓😁😆🥲. YOU INDEED REPLY ME. Thank you!!!!!! I appreciate the reply, thanks for the always useful and objective info! Never change man! You deserve more support, sadly, YT systems sometimes help some channels than others, even if some channels are 10 times more useful and with more work behind, but you keep doing this content for the people that appreciate it. That's commitment and helpful, you and your community are the reasons I still have faith of humanity. Greetings from Mexico!!!🟢⚪🔴
@@besmart YOU INDEED REPLY ME :) :O ;). Thank you!!!!!! I appreciate the reply, thanks for the always useful and objective info! Never change man! You deserve more support, sadly, YT systems sometimes help some channels than others, even if some channels are 10 times more useful and with more work behind, but you keep doing this content for the people that appreciate it. That's commitment and helpful, you and your community are the reasons I still have faith of humanity. Greetings from Mexico!!!
Good video mate. Voting makes you feel safe from being judged, more than everything. But at the same time, knowing you're doing something for a mere social reason makes you feel uncomfortable. Even the conclusion of this video was forcefully rethoric in order to mantain a social shield on this channel.
The example with the cereal aisle was a really bad example because you failed to consider that going through all the cereals to assess their prices is itself a cost. It’s perfectly rational to just pick one and save the time and effort, especially in a modern supermarket where you can be confident that all options are going to be acceptable (none of them is going to bankrupt you or poison you).
Sadly, your teeth Arent owned by huge companies that pay off politicians no matter who they are! But really nice comparison though!! It makes so much sense! (Yes irony)
I've always found the "rational" argument of "if I don't cast the literal deciding vote then why bother?" to be a really weird one. That's not even how I vote when I'm choosing what restaurant to order from. I vote so that people know my opinion and it gets taken into account.
For me, I vote because every data point is necessary. Imagine you're doing a study with human subjects, and every test subject decided to leave the study because "I'm just one person, my singular data point is negligible". And while that may be true, you need sufficient data points to do statistical analysis, to get a representative result. Some people are going to choose not to vote, some are going to try to vote and something will prevent that from happening, etc. Each of us has to try our best to add our insignificant data point to the result. It's the same principle as being a good and selfless person: your kindness is probably negligible in the world at large, BUT it's still a non-zero amount.
But is it worth the roughly 30 min of your precious time?
while the thought is nice, this assumes people/politicians would make objective and sound decisions based on data - which doesn't even happen most of the time in privately owned companies.
@@ChinnuWoW Yes? Why would it not be?
@@ChinnuWoW Not much, but we have to see the whole societal level benefits instead of personal.
EDIT: Also 30 min? Wow that's awfuly long time to vote. Mine took
an election is not a survey. they serve different purposes.
Our individual vote may be statistically insignificant, but if everyone became apathetic because of that then the system would break down. It’s a sort of political tragedy of the commons. And in the end, that’s proof that your vote does matter, but only as a part of the whole.
And if everyone went vegan the system would break down. That argument is one of the most common ones I hear for voting and it's a terrible one. I don't think a single non-voter has ever changed their mind because of that argument.
@@hawaii1229 How would the system break down if everyone went vegan? I don't think that's a great analogy.
We need a system like they have in Australia - failure to vote is a CRIME! Seriously. You can go to jail if you don't vote.
"It’s a sort of political tragedy of the commons" I believe what you are referring to is called the "Voter's Dilemma" where as long as one person makes a sacrifice of resources (however small the cost is) the entire group benefits, but if no one contributes everyone suffers.
@@Nayr747 I suspect the "system" being referred to is the whole meat processing industry. I could be wrong, but that's the only "sense" I can make of the post.
I used to be a non-voter because I was complacent and thought my one vote didn’t matter. Then I realized that I was an idiot because if everyone thought that was and didn’t turn out, our democracy wouldn’t work. On a micro level it seems pointless, but on a macro level it’s very important.
Also, ofc the electoral college is complete BS, but it’s still not an excuse to not vote. Not every election is a presidential election. So few people turn out for smaller scale elections that your vote can actually have a huge impact on that level.
thanks for deciding to vote. it's never too late to take up the voting mantle once more.
Also, for local elections your vote especially starts to matter.
came here to say the same lol I remember when I didn't care about voting and I was honest with people who asked if I was going to vote, told them I didn't think my one vote would matter. Only reason I changed my mind was the realization that if everyone or most people thought that way, the world would be a worse place. I still know my one vote won't be the deciding factor, but have voted consistently since making the choice to do so and encourage others to as well
edit just to admit; I definitely feel social peer pressure and internal pressure to adhere to social norms in other areas of my life, but in my choice to vote and a few other things I made my choice in spite of what others may think of me. It's not that I didn't care what others would think of me, just that I accepted any potential negative reactions. And I wouldn't be surprised if many others can say the same
"because if everyone thought that was and didn’t turn out, our democracy wouldn’t work." - but isn't it a vote in itself? I personally decries how this overall thing is working, so not voting is actually rationally acting. I wish nobody was going to vote so we could finally bring politicians to the table and tell them to change their bs programs
Yup, we have to fight against tragedy of the commons. It's not enough to decide what's best for yourself, we have to decide what's best for everyone.
Voting is not just about who wins. It's also a way to show your opinion, even if your candidate doesn't win.
The problem is you always vote on a person who represents an aggregate of many decisions you agree and disagree with, instead of voting on each decision
That's not a good thing though; it's become too much about the identity politics rather than the actual policies. People are more concerned about how the party they vote for depicts themselves to the rest of society. The notion that you as a person can be defined by who you vote for is absurd and extremely reductive. Just because you vote for a party doesn't mean you have to align with all their values. Individuals are nuanced and someone who may be very left-wing on one issue, may have a very right-wing stance on another.
Solution? Stop defining yourselves by who you vote for! You should cast you vote based on who you think will enact the best policies, not what people will think of you and your vote. (Presuming you're American, getting rid of the two party system and first past the post voting would also be hugely beneficial)
and in the same manner, NOT voting is also showing an opinion: that none of the candidates are worth your vote.
It's social conformity, nothing more
@LiiMuRi as a non-USA-citizen the phraze "my candidate" seems so foreign. Politicians really are like superheroes to you?
My country, Australia, has compulsory voting and there is a monetary fine if you do not vote in federal or state elections. The situation varies between states regarding local government elections.
I believe there are about 20 or 30 countries around the world which have a similar policy.
Voting is always done on a Saturday between 8 am and 6 pm, so taking time off work to vote is not an issue.
Australia seems to have a different attitude towards elections than the US does, particularly the Republicans. In Australia, voting is seen as a civic duty, much like jury duty or paying taxes. In the US, and many other countries too, voting is seen as a privilege, not to be lightly given.
From what I heard Australia also has Ranked Choice voting instead of First Past the Post like America. From what I see it makes people trust their elections more and feel like their votes matter.
Lol nobody works on the weekends down under?
A lot of us here believe it is a civic duty as well. But we also believe in the freedom not to vote.
Writing from Italy. Here, much like in the rest of Europe, voting rights for the majority of the population were obtained through history with violent fights and social struggle, and for most people after ww2. We are used to see voting as a righ, but one that many, many people had to fight and die for, so something it should be a pride to participate to. Too bad we got way too relaxed in the West and are taking this right for granted, forgetting how young modern democracies are and what horrors thousands had to go through in order for us to have access to this right.
America was originally going to use a system where only people who owned X amount of land were eligible to vote, soooooo...
I vote so I can be justified in complaining later. 😛
Agreed
Do you ever complain about plays your favorite team makes even though you aren't playing the sport?
You're allowed to complain about things you don't do
Every time I hear this, I think of George Carlin. He might have a point by saying the opposite.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
That's the most danish thing EVER!!!!
That’s the way I was raised. “If you don’t *do* anything about it you don’t have a right to complain about the results.”
i vote because my grandfather was murdered for democracy, because my father was beaten up for democracy. because my great grandmother couldn't vote until she was 30. because i believe in democracy. and also because my mom taught me it was the right thing to do.
@@user-lj8yl7ts9xhow the F is Stalin being compared to Hitler ?!
@criticalrevel Well it’s less known than the 2. worldwar but Stalin was in fact a terrible dictator. He killed millions of Russians (or Sowjets). There are very good documentaries
@@criticalrevelamerican mindset
Maybe this is me just me missing the pedantry of the specific scientific meaning of 'rational' in this case, but I feel like it's completely 'rational' to discount the thought that you won't have the deciding vote, because you know that if everyone like you had that thought, then they also wouldn't vote, and your favourite candidate might lose. Now to me that's still a completely selfish and strictly rational thought.
I’m surprised that the American Electoral College was not referenced in this video, as it represents a key element in naming the American President
Nobody likes the Electoral college. It's outdated and useless. People are people, not things. One person, one vote.
But what role does it have in the topic at hand, "why people vote"? At best it is part of the problem: it makes our individual votes count a lot less, discouraging people from bothering. So it's not part of the explanation of why people vote, it's just part of the long list of discouragements we have to overcome.
In other words, if they were going to mention it, they should have said: "In particular, why do people in all 50 states come out and vote for President, when they know that in around 45 of those states, their vote won't merely have a very small impact, it will literally have no impact at all - as if it weren't even counted?"
(My own personal answer: I vote for President to send a message. Sadly, that's all the system will give me.)
I'm 35 and I registered to vote so that I could participate in the 2024 presidential election. :)
This comment section is already full of people telling your vote doesn't matter and voting or telling others to vote is stupid one way or another. You know why they tell you this? Because even if your vote alone does not make a huge impact, voting DOES matter. The people saying you shouldn't vote are influencing the narrative around voting, even if it isn't with malicious intent.
It doesn't matter if these commenters genuinely believe voting doesn't matter, or if they are bots trying to influence elections: the fact that so many comments are trying to make you not vote should tell you something is up.
The right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democracy. Use it.
Cope
You're confusing people's need to tell other people they don't vote with trying to get other people not to vote. Most non-voters don't give a crap if other people vote or not.
The most powerful tool you have in a capitalist country that calls itself a democracy is how you vote with your dollar.
It’s not a powerful tool when all candidates are corrupt war criminals who pretend to care about the working class. The entire system needs to change. I don’t want a leader. I want a council.
The most powerful tool you have in a capitalist country that calls itself a democracy is how you vote with your dollar.
To encourage people to vote make voting easy in America.
1) Make voting day a national holiday or on Sunday
2) Setup as many polling stations as possible, and that people don't have to wait in long lines - here in my city, we have one polling station per 10,000 people, and is only 10 minutes walk
- Polling stations can be setup in school halls, community halls or even large sports statium
3) Make it simple to register as voter - all required IDs are free, all registration are free
My goodness how lazy can you get? You have to go and vote once every 4 years and you want a holiday? If you want more polling stations demand them of your local/state/national govt.
Personally, I vote for a completely selfish reason - to maximize the chance of seeing political outcomes that I want.
Also, "casting the deciding vote" makes sense only when you know how everyone else is voting, right? That doesn't sound like how popular vote works.
" to maximize the chance of seeing political outcomes that I want."
isn't that the entire point?
if course you don't know if your vote will be decisive. but "maximizing the chance of seeing political outcomes that I want" is exactly about that chance in question.
I vote because one choice is going to make my life better, and the other choice is going to either keep it the same or make it worse.
Yet both choices will continue funding war crimes. This should not be acceptable.
@@ChinnuWoW Funding war crimes? Awesome, count me in!
@@ChinnuWoW - no room for centrism in 2024, regardless. One candidate will end the country via his politically affiliated cohorts.
This video really makes you rethink why we vote. I love how it breaks down the complex psychology behind such a simple yet powerful action. Great work!
Campaign workers are motivated to volunteer their time if they think they will win, eitherö
L through reaction to their candidates by is positive or they lead in the polls.
In multi- party democracies everyone votes because their vote will count.
I'm really surprised that the video didn't talk at all about game theory. Sometimes a purely selfish strategy produces worse outcomes for most people, including those who act selfishly. I think that most people understand that voting is a collaboration and that just looking at our own cost vs. benefit leads to a bad outcome. I would not call that "irrational".
Yes! In fact, you only need to add one thing: that other people are just as reasonable, and will find the same reasoning and actions you do. Sometimes this is called "superrational". It's a much better fit for how "the right thing" is decided collectively in societies, IMO.
we've had an election for mayor recently and after 740 thousand votes counted the difference was around 300. So, one singular vote may not count but it definitely ads up ;)
In my town of 65,000 our last elections had two that came down to fewer then 20 votes.
One of them flipped our city counsel and the other the incumbent won, but it was close.
Voting matters.
@@TKHaines yeah that's crazy!
2014, I was working as a pollworker (which I had done for decades and continue to do so) and one of the voters came in very upset because his wife had gotten a mailer saying "you didn't vote last election" along with a list of their neighbors who had voted. He said, "she was in the hospital! She always votes but that time she couldn't!" and that it ought to be illegal that whoever had sent out the mailing was trying to shame her into voting and potentially telling their neighbors whether or not she voted, that it's none of their business. One of my fellow pollworkers was similarly upset on the voter's behalf. I attempted to explain that it was just a dumb mail-merge mailer but they were too upset to listen.
I think it's a massive oversimplification to view "rationality" as a purely cost/benefit analysis, especially when it comes to voting. For many people, it's more of a risk/threat balance - what do you risk by setting the time aside to vote versus what's the threat of the person you want to vote for not getting into office, or the threat their opponent poses.
It honestly sounds like the studies that are being referenced started with the question of "how do you manipulate people into voting" - and worked backwards from the conclusions to assume the answer to why people do or don't vote without considering many other socioeconomic factors.
Frankly, the sheer number of omissions could fill a dozen of these videos - and maybe that sheer brevity is the reason why the theorem as presented sounds so incomplete - but boiling down altruism to mere peer pressure based on an experiment in behavioral manipulation is definitely several orders of magnitude more of a logical leap than anything this video presented has justified.
if you played r/place, you know coordinated effort matter way more than your individual work, your pixel worth nothing if it's not part of something bigger
I vote based on policies, track record, and needs of the country (IMO). I try to look at every side. Time, energy, and sanity deplete quickly, when investigating the choices.
I love the pop art style of this video! Adding this channel right next to Lead Learn Leap. You guys have similar animated videos with informative knowledge ^^ Love it
For me I’m a single man who is 40 years old. I never got married and have no children. Personally I do not plan to be alive to retire so retirement has no value to me. And on top of that since I have no children I do not think I want to be in some home cared for by the children of women who rejected me. I just rather leave this world up to the people who have a place in it and me voting has no value since whatever I believed in or cared about doesn’t matter.
I vote because I have strong opinions on who should be president. Voting is one way to express my opinion.
Voting is your only allowed (take a guess by whom) choice to put your opinion into action.
Recognizing and defying social pressures is kinda my thing! I don't do things because I care what "you" think.
I do what I think is right, and have a very low opinion of decisions made because of groupthink or herd mentality. And an even lower opinion of those making decisions that way, knowingly or otherwise.
But you know you are individually choosing the only unique wonderful individual?
I'm blue in a red state bit vote because I feel like I have less of a right to complain if I didn't try to prevent outsomes
Then there's the flip side... if you vote and win, you have no right to complain if you got the outcome you desired; it's your fault, deal with it.
Having said the above, I'm also blue in a red state and will be voting blue praying for a miracle. I have to accept the consequences if my candidates win.
That's true
Yeah, if you didn't bother voting it feels like you have less right to complain afterwards, i totally agree
Even though it's an absolutely futile attempt and therefore a waste of your precious time?
@@ChinnuWoW There are, of course, also many down-ballot things happening, which may well be very much worth one's time!
Bring your school aged children when you vote. They will turn into adults that vote. Play the long game for democracy.
My parents did that and I don’t vote
Candidacy considered, first graders should be able to vote.. js.
the USA is not a democracy. it is a democratic republic
@@Ben-ok4gx Then please don't complain about the way things are if you're unwilling to change it
@@TheRealJman87 I’m willing to actually change it unlike you
"forceful assertion of social norms" is quite the phrase! (Great vid team, keep up the great work!)
... let's not forget that beside food and booze there was also Puff Daddy's "Vote or Die" campaign.
I vote for one simple reason: if nobody did it then we'd live in a dictatorship instead of a democracy. It's the same reason why I recycle and compost.
zzzzzzzzzzz
We already live in a functional dictatorship. What we have is the illusion of democracy. There is so much the politicians could do for the working class that they never will, no matter who is president/prime minister. The government will continue funding the genocide and other war crimes despite the majority being against it. This is not democracy.
You basically have an aesthetic attachment to democracy over and above any tangible benefits it actually provides
@@Ben-ok4gx Are you suggesting that a dictatorship is more beneficial for the citizens than democracy?
We already live in a functional dictatorship. Democracy is an illusion in the US and Canada. It's not a coincidence that every candidate is garbage and goes against the will of the people.
Im too lazy to even register as a voter🗿
One thing not mentioned in this video, is that while I like to think I vote because I am engaged with the democratic process, a big part is also that it just feels great to vote. I am happy for the rest of the day after I voted, sometimes even the day after.
The way I see it, even if my vote isn't that influential in the grand scheme of things, it's still infinitely more influential than if I didn't vote. And that's enough for me to view the cost as worth it. The knowledge that I did everything I could, even if what I could do is limited, is better than sitting back and just letting things happen without me.
There's no such thing as apoliticism. The choice to do nothing is still a political choice; it's the choice which says you are fine with whatever the outcome is. And if that isn't true, if I do care about what the outcome is, which I do, then the only choice which properly aligns with my beliefs is to make that known, no matter how small that may seem.
It is possible to behave rationally as an individual while considering impacts on the societal level, not just the individual one.
I imagine my candidate losing by one vote. It's extremely unlikely, but possible
why?
@@sofia.eris.bauhaus - because elections are NOT sports games.
@Vontroll No it isn't. The electoral college chooses the winner regardless of voter turnout.
I love that the answer of "why do humans do..." always ends up being in the realm of social psychology & sociology. Culture, social norms, and peer influence always wins because we are social animals. And right after explaining how this influence works Joe adds his pressure to conform to social norms at 11:29; don't think we didn't notice. :)
I appreciate this video & especially the wonderfully insightful comments, which add so much to the answer as to WHY we vote. For me, it’s a strong sense of wanting to help create a thriving planet for all. That motivation has increased as our society has seemed to value personal gain (without much regard for the cost to others) over collective well-being. Voting is a tangible way of taking RESPONSIBILITY for helping to create an increase in the quality of our collective lives and our only viable planet. But it also, as someone mentioned, provides information as to the people’s will regarding various issues. Once Rank Choice Voting or similar methods are in place, that aspect will become even more important. How else will our representatives know how we, their constituents, truly feel about various issues?
We must feel inspired to vote. We must feel empathy for our community and desire to be part of the social world.
Please Keep the outakes at the end of your videos, I love them! almost as much as the rest of the content
You've got to fix the sound profile for your channel guests; I'm only hearing half of the conversation. I don't think it's a volume issue either, I think it has to do with the dominant vocal pitch.
I vote for fun. It breaks me from routine.
That peer pressure being part of why we vote explains the massive amounts of ads during this election that emphasized our friends and family could look up our voting record.
I love the wholesomeness of your belief that people do research.
Theories of rational behavior are often quite quick and self assured about what behavior is rational, and it seems often based myopically on crude material costs. Social and emotional outcomes are real and rational motivators too. Great analysis of the relevant factors!
8:50 How on earth did that study pass Internal Review Board/Human Subjects Committee ethics approval?
Yeah, u r right, this is inhumane
"Turns out there's very little molecular biology involved in the workings of representative democracy" had me rolling
pretty sure Robin Hanson wrote about it in The Elephant in the Brain. Really good book about how our real reasons for our behaviour are often hidden and we are not even aware of it.
I used to vote because it made me feel important. The second reason is that i live in a region where anyone who doesn't vote is punished. Yes, after voting, you may receive a bill to pay your penalty for not voting.
For several years i have belonged to a church that teaches that voting is forbidden because, as citizens of heaven, we should not vote on earth. The same applies f.e. if a German is not allowed to vote in the US because he does not have citizenship there
In Australia we get fined if we don't vote. I personally would vote anyway ( plus the essential democracy sausage sizzle) but it's enough motivation for me to be engaged with our politics and to keep the protections we have. Our politics isn't as "celebrity" as it is in the US they just do their thing
I’m sitting watching this video eating a bowl of cereal I just bought at the grocery store after doing a cost to flavor analysis of the generic version of the cereal versus the brand name and you put that exact example in the video 😂. Amazing.
I'm glad you used the first one.
4:35 in every situation, people do that. what you are getting confused here is the value of people's mental state.
"In chess, it's called Zugzwang, when your only viable move... is not to move."
We vote because we have a rational expectation that others in our party
will vote too. Downs left that part out.
I LOVED the way Maine did voting when I went to college there. Same day registration AND ranked choice voting. The only thing that could have made it better was automatic mail-in ballots for everyone who was already registered
That gives easy rise to ballot harvesting and thus should be avoided
Here in Canada where we have more than just two parties, for some of us voting can also be a sort of statement about our values. Since each political party has its own values, priorities and "brand" as it were, when we choose to vote for a specific party (particularly those of us who always vote for the same party time and time again), it's a way of expressing our own values through the party we vote for that shares the most values with us.
For others, it can be about spite. If one of the candidates is just really annoying, unpleasant or tiresome (perhaps even dangerous), we vote for the party most likely to be able to win against that undesirable candidate both in the hopes of actually keeping them out of power, but also at the very least as a statement that we disapprove of that candidate's platform.
4:37 people DO do that, it's just that you and others are ignoring less tangible costs and benefits. In that hypothetical cereal buying situation, there's likely a time cost to evaluate all the options and an emotional cost for making a decision. Likewise, there's likely a flavor benefit as that brand has proven itself to the buyer as having acceptable flavor.
Similarly, your video goes on to describe costs (such as shame) and benefits (such as a feeling of participating in freedom) that actually make voting very rational and weigh positively in the benefit side of the equation for those who do.
At 5:36 it says "not actually 2005", but at 8:00 it doesn't say "not actually the stone age". Does this mean what I think it does?
I've never failed to vote. I always have a favourite candidate, and I try to persuade others to vote for my candidate, too, so the chances of winning are a little higher.
You guys should absolutely vote on repairing your backwards, overly complicated voting and electoral processes. In most democratic countries voting is easy and free and you do not have to take time off for it. You hardly even have to register. America is deeply undemocratic that way.
I'm a citizen of both Germany and the US.
In Germany you get a letter a couple months prior to an election coming up. It's your "invitation" so to say. If you cannot vote on the day for whatever reason (Always a Sunday 9am-6pm) you can fill out a form on the back, send it back and get a mail-in ballot delivered to you. If you vote on the day, you take the letter and your ID (Personalausweis) and go to the address designated on the letter; usually a school or a community center; hand in the letter and get your ballot. Then you vote behind a cover and throw your ballot in a big box for later counting. This is possible because we have a residents' registration office that knows at all time where you live; it even says it on your ID. Therefore, they know where to contact you.
I voted absentee in the US this year for the first time. The hoops you have to jump through just to be able to vote is so much more difficult. Find out if the state you have ties to lets you vote if you never lived in the US, find where you can apply, find out where to send the copy of your passport, find out how to properly package the ballot and voters oath, have the envelopes and materials at home, and then find out which voting office to send it to...that's a heck lot of hoops to jump through, and will always hinder those who have more pressing matters, like working multiple jobs, care for kids or generally struggle with their day-to-day, to execute their right.
All I can say is - USA, you helped Germany sort out their democracy after WW2; you guys KNOW how to do it. Now clean up your own mess, and take your voting to the 21st century, please. Lots of love!
What candidate would want that?
How can you say that after watching the US election system get attacked in 2020 and turn away all attempts at subversion? Chump thought the election system was vulnerable so that is where he attacked. I'm glad our election system is "overly complicated". Maybe if your country was worth stealing you might have to beef up election security.
How can you say that after watching the US election system get attacked in 2020 and turn away all attempts at subversion? Chump thought the election system was vulnerable so that is where he attacked. I'm glad our election system is "overly complicated". Maybe if your country was worth stealing you might have to beef up election security.
How can you say that after watching the US election system get attacked in 2020 and turn away all attempts at subversion? Chump thought the election system was vulnerable so that is where he attacked. I'm glad our election system is "overly complicated". Maybe if your country was worth stealing you might have to beef up election security.
I would have liked a video on why people don't vote. People that vote are already watching this.
Thank you....This convinced me not to go out there because it's my choice. I will not vote this year. TY
To feel we are represented and have a voice. Emphasis is on to feel
Man, that comment section:
The problem is you should vote.
"But it's stupid" - Other people vote, their vote count, and your non-vote don't count.
"But it's consent to my own oppression" - North-Korean don't need consent or elections to oppress people.
"But it's only a social norm" - Yes, but it's also institutional.
Besides, if you don't even vote, what else are you not doing in society?
I think every choice is rational one where you give cost benefit analysis. It's just that the variable are not always price and performance, but also time, emotional attachment, how tired you are, etc. As such it's strange to call those choices not rational ones.
Like what Contrapoints said near the end of her video on voting, I vote fully prepared to protest against the icky parts of the party/representative I voted for.
Don't settle for the best of the worst. After you vote, ask for the support you and your community deserve. Vote in local elections as well as the bigshot ones.
Political representatives' job is to serve their community. It is not at all hypocritical to challenge those you vote into power. They only get that power because the people gave it to them. They have to earn it.
Let's make them earn it.
"My chance of casting the deciding vote" ? That is a matter of perspective, surely. Every vote is deciding. Your vote matters, and so do mine.
I didn’t know you were specifically in molecular biology! I’ve been watching the channel for years and am now in my second year of Molecular biology 🫶 that’s so cool! This channel and others like it has been a big part of why I’m perusing science !
I agree voting is mostly down to social norms without a doubt. I vote because my parents taught me it is my duty to do so and the cost of not voting would be shaming their memories.
Vote, but vote smartly, vote with a good rationale, logic and evidence, not emotion, or a shot in the dark.
Just to think about how many people vote any given way only because political ads
In Brazil this answer is simple: we’re obligated to vote, if not, there are legal implications
Joe, you’re a man I consider to be highly intelligent and altruistic. You run this channel for the greater good. Although I respect your decision to be politically neutral, this election in your country had high stakes and you knew that and never endorsed the only candidate of compassion, empathy, and science. Therefore, I cannot consider you to be conscientious. Hopefully that’ll change.
Sincerely,
A.A.G.L.
Daily reminder: 2000 US presidential election was decided by a margin of 537 votes in the state of Florida (2,912,790 vs 2,912,253)
I think that in the USA, people's sense that "their vote doesn't count" comes from the fact that in some cases it literally doesn't. Because of FPP voting and the electoral college, candidates win with sometimes less than 1/3 or even 1/4 of the consent of voters. If you vote red in California your vote doesn't count. Please do a video about ranked choice voting and how FPP leads to a two-party dichotomy, loss of nuance in candidate platforms, and growing apathy within democracy.
Someone should make a website to look up if your family members voted or not.
One reason I did not hear you mention that has been a big factor in the US in the last dozen or so years has been "To offset the bad voter's vote," a philosophy held by DEM, GOP, independent and 3rd party voters in the US alike. Is it a large motivating factor compared to social norms or altruism? I have no idea. But's a non-trivial component I'm sure as both broadcast interviews and private anecdotes indicate many voters did it because they were afraid someone else would vote a way they don't like.
In democratic countries, everyone gets a day off to vote… or half a day off at the very least.
Not really. We just vote on sunday, it works fine.
Eeeeh, no? Not at all.
Everyone‽ Even police, nuclear power plant workers, prison officers and polling station staff? Or is it just office workers?
Not here
Have never been given a day off to vote.
I don’t vote because of social pressure, I vote because my health and safety is on the line. Especially in this election
Is it voting really _just_ social pressure (as in pressure without a deeper reason behind it)? Social pressure usually has it's base somewhere and once was the outcome of something that wasn't working out.
The reason why we don't do certain things has may been gone, but there usually at least _was_ a reason why.
A single vote doesn’t decide the outcome. But many voting for the same thing does.
23 Countries (most of them "Democracies") have Compulsory Voting - including Australia.
In Australia, the penalty for Not Voting (without a "reasonable excuse") is only $20.
In Australia it is compulsory for all persons 18 of age, or over, to register to Vote, and (hence) to Vote
In Australia, there are Federal and State/Territory "Electoral Commissions" which
set electoral boundaries,
so that each Electorate contains (roughly) the same number of voters as any other Electorate. (Within 10%)
(Local Council "Electoral Boundaries" are also set by State/Territory Electoral Commissions.)
(Electoral Boundaries are NOT set by State/Territory or Federal Governments/Parties.)
The Electoral Commissions organize the Elections and arrange for the counting of votes.
Electoral Candidates may arrange to have "observers" present at Vote Counting, to ensure that votes are not mis-counted.
All voting is by Pencil/Pen and Paper - no "machines" are used.
The paper votes are retained for a period sufficient for a "recount", if a candidate has "reasonable grounds" to request this.
Preferential Voting (Ranked Choice Voting) is universal in Australia.
Posting Voting is available to all who have a "reasonable reason" to require this.
Pre-Poll voting in person is available - for about two weeks prior to Polling Day.
Polling Day is always on a Saturday. - from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm (Local Time.)
This results in Local "Groups" organizing "Sausage Sizzles" (Barbecues) and "Cake Stalls" etc.,
to take advantage of the large numbers of possible "customers" there assembled throughout the day.
(See "From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting.)
Wanting to be able to vote (i.e., participate fully in civil life) was one of my major reasons (although there were, of course, others) for deciding to obtain citizenship in the country I call home, and I have voted in every single election since I became a citizen here. Moreover, I physically go to the polls to cast my vote although mail-in voting is made quite easy here. I enjoy exercising this right to the full.
Not to brag, but i live in Pennsylvania, where my vote really matters. 😝
what we need here is an example of an animal of a different species which votes
If I were a non-voter and the government pressurised me to vote, I will oblige and vote against that government, as they would have lost any possible trust I might have had.
People vote for many more reasons than peer pressure or societal norms. People vote because they care who leads the country. It's not just a vote. It's a statement, an act of patriotism. It's an alignment of values and beliefs. I think any of these reasons make it a very valuable process and worth the cost to participate.
How important and meaningful voting is may change a lot from country to country, since everything from culture to the institutions and systems that regulate voting have a great impact. I will say one thing to add to the conversation, voting and caring about the direction of your nation are not necessarily the same. Someone who doesn't vote (either as a protest or because a deficient election system) could do a lot to change things, maybe by educating others, triying to change the culture, organizing local groups etc.
While someone who votes without much thought probably achieves little other than falling for the empty words of some demagoge.
They have a saying in China that roughly goes like this.
"In China, you can't change the party, but you can change the policy.
In America, you can change the party, but you can't change the policy."
That's really all you need to know about the American "Republic," or liberal democracy in general.
Bought and sold a long time ago, and an election is just how the ruling class manufactures your consent. To make you feel as those you chose any of the terrible things that happen next. And, more importantly, to limit the imagination of political possibility to two corrupt bourgeois parties. One of which is always just controlled opposition.
It's a busy box, meant to give you the illusion of control so you don't actually learn what politics is, organized groups of people using power to assert their class position. To the person reading this, statistically, that means unions and organized denial of labor.
Voting is, by its real definition, asking someone else to do politics for you. And if they're not a member of your class and movement, it's laughable that they'd even pretend to do anything you want.
This is especially funny when you realize that most people proudly say they would never vote for the other party. I.e., you have zero leverage. And primaries don't help you either, these are private organizations that have no legal obligation to put forward a candidate voted for in a primary.
You vote because you're powerless, and you want to feel like you have control over what the ruling class does.
You don't. But you could, if there was a unified, organized, fiercely dedicated union of tens of millions willing to deny their labor to their economy the moment their "Democracy" inevitably runs afoul of basic human decency.
I'm sorry, but that's BS. There are HUGE differences between the parties and their policies. Every piece of moral progress we've made through policy since the 50's (Civil Rights Act, Medicare/Medicaid, legalized same-sex marriage in most states, Obamacare, infrastructure funding, etc.) has been passed by Democrats (or mostly Democrats) and signed by a Democratic President.
Im in a coalition and that coalition does determine the outcome. Its very rational the rationale is that i want good things to happen not bad things so i need to vote.
Thank you!
In Brazil, voting is mandatory and it happens on Sunday. This makes it harder to companies don’t allow people voting. So basically every election most of people vote.
Good video as always!!! Lovethis channel! I remember watching it when I was younger, I hope one day you will reply me...
Thanks for watching!
@@besmart 😲😓😁😆🥲. YOU INDEED REPLY ME. Thank you!!!!!! I appreciate the reply, thanks for the always useful and objective info! Never change man! You deserve more support, sadly, YT systems sometimes help some channels than others, even if some channels are 10 times more useful and with more work behind, but you keep doing this content for the people that appreciate it. That's commitment and helpful, you and your community are the reasons I still have faith of humanity. Greetings from Mexico!!!🟢⚪🔴
@@besmart YOU INDEED REPLY ME :) :O ;). Thank you!!!!!! I appreciate the reply, thanks for the always useful and objective info! Never change man! You deserve more support, sadly, YT systems sometimes help some channels than others, even if some channels are 10 times more useful and with more work behind, but you keep doing this content for the people that appreciate it. That's commitment and helpful, you and your community are the reasons I still have faith of humanity. Greetings from Mexico!!!
Anti-incumbency or desire for change … even if not knowing what ‘change’ will bring about … is another big factor…
Good video mate. Voting makes you feel safe from being judged, more than everything. But at the same time, knowing you're doing something for a mere social reason makes you feel uncomfortable. Even the conclusion of this video was forcefully rethoric in order to mantain a social shield on this channel.
The example with the cereal aisle was a really bad example because you failed to consider that going through all the cereals to assess their prices is itself a cost. It’s perfectly rational to just pick one and save the time and effort, especially in a modern supermarket where you can be confident that all options are going to be acceptable (none of them is going to bankrupt you or poison you).
In Germany we have a saying: With voting it's like with brushing your teeth.
If you don't do it regularly everything turns brown....
Sadly, your teeth Arent owned by huge companies that pay off politicians no matter who they are!
But really nice comparison though!! It makes so much sense!
(Yes irony)
Is this a reference to brownshirts, or just a reference to sh*t?
@@tuathaigh-aa Brownshirts, but also the other stuff mentioned.
As a fellow German I didn't know this one. Or maybe I've heard it at some point, but forgot.
I've always found the "rational" argument of "if I don't cast the literal deciding vote then why bother?" to be a really weird one. That's not even how I vote when I'm choosing what restaurant to order from. I vote so that people know my opinion and it gets taken into account.
People who don't vote don't have the right to complain.
People who CAN BUT don't vote don't have the right to complain.
luckily, random youtube commenters don't get to decide what peoples rights are.
WRONG. If you voted and don't like the outcome you are partially responsible for that person being in power, therefore YOU have no right to complain.
"People who don't vote don't have the right to complain"..
What is stupid 💩 ppl say, Alex, Potent Potables for $500.
That’s one of the reasons I vote. Voting gives me the right to complain.
The last time I voted (provincial level), I chose to null vote because all the representatives were bad