Question Electoral experience: have your candidate ever won?

[SiberianTiger]

I have somewhat disappointing experience with political elections of any kind and level (and I never enjoyed taking part in a different kind of an election). Every time I place a vote for somebody, that person of party fails or could not even get close to gaining a majority or even a parity. I can't count how many times it happened from top of my mind, but I first was grown up enough to qualify as a voter in 1994. That is somewhat disappointing. Makes me think whether I should stop caring too much about political agenda of a candidate and rather estimate his/her chance to get elected, if such possibility may shift the balance.

Kindly make comments, and if you happened to campaign yourself at an election of any level, please share your experience too.

 

[Fabri91]

Do referendums count? A bit less than a month ago here we had 4 nationwide referendums on issues such as nuclear power, the so-called "legittimo impedimento", and on whether some basic public services (in this case water supply, wouldn't know how to transalte it any better) should be privatized or not.

About 55% voted, and the results were quite clear, with my favored option winning in all four cases.

Otherwise we had regional elections a year or so ago, but there it didn't go as well.

EDIT: I haven't yet voted in the poll.

 

[PennyBlack]

Makes me think whether I should stop caring too much about political agenda of a candidate and rather estimate his/her chance to get elected, if such possibility may shift the balance.

I think that would be a monumentle mistake on your part if you choose to vote on the odds. It's not a day at the races my friend. I never go with the group collective or the majority if I don't agree with their political agenda or what's contained within a manifesto. Even if it puts me into a minority.

Your vote, even if it's lost against the majority is a record that not all agree and can sometimes make a difference in itself.

 

[Jarvitä]

I've voted in all of...(mental counting) 3 local/regional/state elections, and I've had varying results from my choice not gaining a single percent of votes, to winning the election (but not a majority in parliament), so I suppose that's a 1 in 3 success ratio. If you're also counting referendums, revise that downwards to 1 in 7.

 

[jedidia]

In Switzerland you pretty much have to count referendums and initiatives, since they're the most important things to vote on, much more important than elections, since any decision by the elected gouvernment can be countered with a referendum from any citizen, and an initiative initialised by any citizen can force the elected government to take actions it didn't propose itself, or it might even be opposed to.

Lots of times on the winning side of these, but also a few times on the losing side, as in the most (in)famous initiative to constitutionally forbid the building of minarets (which passed, despite me being against it. oh well, such is democracy).

 

[SiberianTiger]

I think that would be a monumentle mistake on your part if you choose to vote on the odds. It's not a day at the races my friend. I never go with the group collective or the majority if I don't agree with their political agenda or what's contained within a manifesto. Even if it puts me into a minority.

Your vote, even if it's lost against the majority is a record that not all agree and can sometimes make a difference in itself.

Making difference in myself is important, but sometimes I want to make a difference in the outside world. I really didn't mean I wanted to vote for the absolute winner, I'm just tired of voting for notorious losers, even if they promise a paradise on Earth. Doing that one more time would be a next step to convincing myself that I'm merely an idiot who believes things almost no other people believe. Maybe it's a time to be a rational player and (given a situation when we have a "big bully A" and a "lesser bully B" who as I know collect most of the votes anyway) try to shift odds in such a way that the bully A stopped being so blatant and impudent after discovering that his victory was very marginal, and the next bully is breathing down his neck?

 

[Wishbone]

Voting on the basis of projected misuse of GAS Vybory electoral mischief software is pointless. Voting on the basis of your own conscience is not - you get to reinforce your own self-esteem and sense of righteousness. This is also a finger wave to those who want to manipulate you.

EDIT: if you want to change the outside world, voting does not rank top of the list. Look at what Navalny does

 

[PennyBlack]

Understood Siberian Tiger.

In Switzerland you pretty much have to count referendums and initiatives, since they're the most important things to vote on, much more important than elections, since any decision by the elected gouvernment can be countered with a referendum from any citizen, and an initiative initialised by any citizen can force the elected government to take actions it didn't propose itself, or it might even be opposed to.

The last referendum we had in Britain was for the Alternative Voteing system (AV). Which I voted against and won. I think I made the difference at the local level by communicating my reasons to local community members who I actually persuaded to vote against it. Mainly by informing them that they would actually be placeing their mark next to parties they wouldn't normally vote for, in priority of chioce, which hit a nerve I think.
We can make a difference, no matter how small.

Winning doesn't make me feel like democracy works and loseing doesn't make me feel that it has failed me, just annoyed and dissapointed.
And I wish we had more referendums here because to me it's actually more democratically involving than voteing for a party that delivers what they think we want.
I've had several successful votes cast. More wins then losses, I never vote with the majority, even though those winning votes indicate otherwise, that's just fortunate standing.

 

[RisingFury]

Yup. I clicked yes on this poll and yes has the majority...

 

[PennyBlack]

It's good to see nobody has clicked the "Never had a chance / never bothered to vote at an election" yet.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Voting on the basis of projected misuse of GAS Vybory electoral mischief software is pointless. Voting on the basis of your own conscience is not - you get to reinforce your own self-esteem and sense of righteousness. This is also a finger wave to those who want to manipulate you.

EDIT: if you want to change the outside world, voting does not rank top of the list. Look at what Navalny does

At best, he is engaged in a rich man's hobby. And he is not alone, there's Vadim Lukashevich, for example, whose honesty I doubt less (and he is also far from being poor). He does neither have a political agenda, nor a vision at strategic level. He does not stand for an election. Just irritating some huge corrupt dung beetles who grew up too big to give a toss about anybody's accusations.

And unfortunately, all this blog-sphere buzz has next to zero useful output thus far. I know few exceptions, however, but that was connected to effecting a real life action. Like that, for example, where I touched things a bit myself.

But if I don't vote, how else do I make difference on municipal elections? Is a demonic GAS Vybory at work there as well?

 

[SiberianTiger]

Yup. I clicked yes on this poll and yes has the majority...

Headdesk! :facepalm:

 

[N_Molson]

It's good to see nobody has clicked the "Never had a chance / never bothered to vote at an election" yet.

Which really surprises me, because a significant number of Orbinauts don't have the legal age to vote in their respective countries

 

[T.Neo]

Why bother? Here most people are just going to vote for the same party, that does not improve anything, but still unfathomably manages to garner enough support to perpetuate its rule. :dry:

 

[SiberianTiger]

Why bother? Here most people are just going to vote for the same party, that does not improve anything, but still unfathomably manages to garner enough support to perpetuate its rule. :dry:

1. Do you believe the past voting wasn't "doctored" to give the party you are talking about, majority?

2. If voting was totally genuine, then why are they going to vote for the same party? What's that, lack of education, lack of trust to other politicians, what?..

 

[insanity]

I was campaign staff for Sen. Patty Murray (and 4 other Democrats) in the 2010 Election and we won each race. Worked as a volunteer for Obama 2008 and we won. I was staff for Kerry 2004 and we lost.

Besides elections I've worked, I have won more than I've lost simply because I lived in a very progressive state and I tend to vote for left-of-center candidates.

 

[T.Neo]

1. Do you believe the past voting wasn't "doctored" to give the party you are talking about the majority?

Past voting of the current government, or past voting of the previous (apartheid) government?

I don't really think the apartheid government needed to doctor votes, only white people were allowed to vote anyway, and most white people had loyalty to the ruling National Party. The current ruling party doesn't need to doctor votes, because there is still a good deal of loyalty toward it.

2. If voting was totally genuine, then why are they going to vote for the same party? What's that, lack of education, lack of trust to other politicians, what?..

I think it has to do with lack of education (specifically in the workings of a democracy), lack of trust in other parties (to a degree; other parties are generally niche parties, unpopular, or percieved as being solely or overwhelmingly catering to minorities), and loyalty... the ruling party was the major player in the struggle for Apartheid, had people like Nelson Mandela as leaders, and is at least percieved, to have brought true democracy and racial equality to the country. There is a loyalty to the party because of that, and it is quite understandable, but as years go by, each time they win an election, it makes less and less sense.

I think it is actually quite similar to the loyalty to the previous ruling party. "My father voted for these guys, I will vote for these guys... it is just what you do"; that is a pretty bad failing of democracy.

 

[Krikkit]

Because I refuse to vote (endorse) either of the two U.S. political giants, I usually end up voting for fringe candidates who the vast majority of the electorate has never heard of.

Needless to say they never win. I usually consider it a small victory when they get enough votes that their names end up on the news coverage of election results.

 

[FADEC]

It's hard to go to elections with clear opinions and decisions in mind these days. The trust in politics is lowering almost down to zero and it's not a surprise.

[rant] I refuse to elect any of the mob inahbiting or wish to inhabit our German parlaments today. I'm almost disgusted by gelled hair and political correct empty rhetorics one can see in front of podiums, cameras, and microphones these days. More and more moon-faced boys and girls which epitomise nothing, but just went from the university bench into the parties and parlaments, after they got their doctorates full of plagiarism. I don't want these people (which are also not uncommonly allied with the private business and industry) to make my and other peoples way into the future. IMHO in Germany politics sadly has become a big Muppet Show 24h/day more than ever since the constitution of the German Federal Republic become effective in 1949. And I don't think that this is just a glorification of the past.[/rant]

The very few people which I would be willing to vote are either in the wrong party or aren't even politicians. This is one reason why I am in favour for direct democracy. I would rather vote decisions than people or their programs/parties.