Letter: Many reasons to vote despite bad candidates

Editor,

Deanna Delgado's letter in Monday's Daily Lobo missed the point. Nonvoters do not accomplish more than voters. The reason people get so annoyed with nonvoters is that not voting accomplishes nothing.

Sure, the Democrats and the Republicans suck. Alternatives? The Democrats effectively painted the Green Party as a spoiler to maintain their market share of the voters, and the Republicans offered money to the Green Party, effectively backing up the Democratic claim that the Green Party was tied to Republicans. The Green Party itself is not a major option now.

Nevertheless, even though Delgado claims there is no one to vote for, by not voting she leaves the entire electoral process up to the duopoly. There has to be an expression of discontent by voters, and if you don't vote at all, the only thing expressed is disinterest or laziness. One can always write in one's own name or vote for what minor party or independent candidates there are.

There should be a continuous push for more parties, or community groups aligned together as a political party in order to get their voices heard. Choosing not to vote conveys nothing more than apathy. Voting shows interest in the process. Even if you don't like the candidates, don't you care about how your tax money is spent? There are such things on the ballot. There are bond issues, constitutional issues and attempts to reform the voting process itself on the ballot from time to time. Not voting, or not registering to vote at all, is just plain stupid.

Terry Mulcahy

UNM staff