Curiouskid comments on Voting is like donating thousands of dollars to charity - Less Wrong

32 Post author: Academian 05 November 2012 01:02AM

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Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 06 November 2012 07:23:25AM 8 points [-]

This seems to actually underestimate the value of voting, in that it assumes that a vote is only significant if it flips the winner of the election. But as Eliezer wrote:

But a vote for a losing candidate is not "thrown away"; it sends a message to mainstream candidates that you vote, but they have to work harder to appeal to your interest group to get your vote. Readers in non-swing states especially should consider what message they're sending with their vote before voting for any candidate, in any election, that they don't actually like.

Also, rationalists are supposed to win. If we end up doing a fancy expected utility calculation and then neglect voting, all the while supposedly irrational voters ignore all of that and vote for their favored candidates and get them elected while ours lose... then that's, well, losing.

Comment author: Curiouskid 07 November 2012 05:59:11AM 3 points [-]

One might argue that you could send a better message by writing about an issue for 1 hr rather than waiting 1 hr in line at the polls.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 16 July 2014 08:48:39PM 2 points [-]

Laptops! Do both.