Why I'm Not Voting Today
By: Bastiatarian
Today, primary elections are being held in the State of Arizona, my state of residence.
I'm not participating.
I'm a firm believer in voting, and I believe that the United States has been deeply harmed by the refusal of otherwise decent people to vote.
So, why am I not making the short drive to the polling place today?
Because I'm not a member of any political party.
Now, you many say "But, Bastiatarian, Arizona has an open primary. You don't have to be a member of a party to vote in it."
My response would be something like this.
Let's say you are the member of a family. As a family, you have a variety of important decisions to make, whether it is the family budget, your place of residence, your recreational activities, etc. Now let's say that one of your neighbors decides to walk into your home and tell you what he wants you to do with your family budget, your place of residence, or your recreational activities. How would you react to that?
Your family is a private organization, and your neighbor has no right to a say in the direction of your family. A political party is also a private organization, and non-members have no moral right to a say in the direction of the party.
Some argue that it is different, since the candidates selected by a party in a primary election determine who is on the ballot in the general election.
My response would be something like this.
Let's say that you own a business. You and some of your employees are gathered for a meeting to decide the direction of the company. Now let's say that the owner of the convenience store next to your place of business decides to barge into the meeting and start telling you how to run your business. To justify it, he says that the degree of success of your business will impact the success of his convenience store, since many of his customers are patrons of your business. How would you react to that?
A business is a private organization, and the owner of a neighboring business has no right to a say in the direction of your business, regardless of the impact on his business (assuming, of course, that you are not killing him, physically enslaving him, or stealing his property). A political party is also a private organization, and non-members have no moral right to a say in the direction of the party, regardless of the impact on the future choices of the non-member.
Non-members of political parties actually have more opportunity to gain a say than a neighbor or owner of another business. Membership in political parties in the United States is open and easy to obtain. In Arizona, I can change my party affiliation online in a matter of minutes.
If an individual is not a member of a party but wishes to have a say in the selection of candidates from that party, he or she should become a member of that party rather than acting as an infiltrator and a meddler in a private organization that belongs to others. If you're staying out of a party on principle, then you should maintain your principles and stay out of their decisions as well.
A political party is, of course, free to invite non-members to participate in their decisions. However, laws that require political parties to allow non-members to participate in their decisions are no less a violation of our fundamental rights than a law that requires families to allow neighbors to participate in their decisions or businesses to allow other business owners (including competitors) to participate in theirs.
I am a firm believer in our fundamental rights, both mine and yours, so I will not violate the rights of private organizations to determine their own affairs. If I want to vote in a primary election, I will join a party first. Until then, it's none of my business.
Be assured, however, that I will be voting, and voting without compromise, in November.
Today, primary elections are being held in the State of Arizona, my state of residence.
I'm not participating.
I'm a firm believer in voting, and I believe that the United States has been deeply harmed by the refusal of otherwise decent people to vote.
So, why am I not making the short drive to the polling place today?
Because I'm not a member of any political party.
Now, you many say "But, Bastiatarian, Arizona has an open primary. You don't have to be a member of a party to vote in it."
My response would be something like this.
Let's say you are the member of a family. As a family, you have a variety of important decisions to make, whether it is the family budget, your place of residence, your recreational activities, etc. Now let's say that one of your neighbors decides to walk into your home and tell you what he wants you to do with your family budget, your place of residence, or your recreational activities. How would you react to that?
Your family is a private organization, and your neighbor has no right to a say in the direction of your family. A political party is also a private organization, and non-members have no moral right to a say in the direction of the party.
Some argue that it is different, since the candidates selected by a party in a primary election determine who is on the ballot in the general election.
My response would be something like this.
Let's say that you own a business. You and some of your employees are gathered for a meeting to decide the direction of the company. Now let's say that the owner of the convenience store next to your place of business decides to barge into the meeting and start telling you how to run your business. To justify it, he says that the degree of success of your business will impact the success of his convenience store, since many of his customers are patrons of your business. How would you react to that?
A business is a private organization, and the owner of a neighboring business has no right to a say in the direction of your business, regardless of the impact on his business (assuming, of course, that you are not killing him, physically enslaving him, or stealing his property). A political party is also a private organization, and non-members have no moral right to a say in the direction of the party, regardless of the impact on the future choices of the non-member.
Non-members of political parties actually have more opportunity to gain a say than a neighbor or owner of another business. Membership in political parties in the United States is open and easy to obtain. In Arizona, I can change my party affiliation online in a matter of minutes.
If an individual is not a member of a party but wishes to have a say in the selection of candidates from that party, he or she should become a member of that party rather than acting as an infiltrator and a meddler in a private organization that belongs to others. If you're staying out of a party on principle, then you should maintain your principles and stay out of their decisions as well.
A political party is, of course, free to invite non-members to participate in their decisions. However, laws that require political parties to allow non-members to participate in their decisions are no less a violation of our fundamental rights than a law that requires families to allow neighbors to participate in their decisions or businesses to allow other business owners (including competitors) to participate in theirs.
I am a firm believer in our fundamental rights, both mine and yours, so I will not violate the rights of private organizations to determine their own affairs. If I want to vote in a primary election, I will join a party first. Until then, it's none of my business.
Be assured, however, that I will be voting, and voting without compromise, in November.
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