Deciding who or what to vote for in an election is a
complicated and difficult task that should not be undertaken lightly. Many people are not up to the task, and therefore have no business voting at
all. All of the propaganda encouraging people to vote do more
harm than good, because it encourages people to go to the polls and check boxes
that they really do not understand.
I’m not saying this because I am dissatisfied with the
outcome of some election. I am saying it because I have numerical proof.
In yesterday’s LA city election, one of the initiatives on the ballot was
proposition E. In the voter’s guide, the printed argument in favor of
Prop E was: "The official proponents of Initiative Ordinance E have concluded ... there is no longer a need for the voters to support Initiative Ordinance E.
Therefore, we have suspended our campaign and no longer seek a yes vote on
Ordinance E."
So basically, anyone voting in favor E has not bothered to
read the voters’ guide or do any research necessary to make an informed
decision. Yet 41% still voted for it!
Let’s assume that uninformed voters are split about 50/50
between voting for and voting against it. There will be uninformed choices on both sides, of course. That implies that 80% of voters
are complete idiots, and are making ill-considered decisions
about important issues that everyone. Their stupidity is determining how
the force of government will be applied to other people.
And this is just a city election with poor turnout.
Presumably the people who vote in a city election are a bit more passionate and
informed about politics than the people who vote in a general election. So what
does that imply about state and federal elections?
Is this really the best way to decide how tax money should
be spent, or how your activities should be regulated?
