How much does voting actually matter?

[All Along The Watchtower]

In America, at least. Compared to say, having a lot of money to "influence" (bribe) candidates and elected officials.
 
Commence discussion!

[opebo]

Doesn't matter much.

[anvi]

Lobbyists, corporations and special interests surely do have far too much influence over the political process in our country.  That makes my ability to influence decision-making and the crafting and passing of laws quite minimal.  In my more cynical moments, I sometimes think that the only major difference between the U.S. and China, for all the noise we make here about having "democracy," is that we just have one more major political party than China does.  That degree of the concentration of power in our country is unhealthy; it compresses political power rather than disperses it and makes our choices, both for voters and for legislators, artificially narrow.  All that being the case, I do still think, in both local elections that are close and in generals where one lives in a swing state, voting is still important, if for no other reason than you have a chance to get someone more closely identified with your values and interests in office.  But, in races that are not close, I don't think it matters much at all, and that accounts for most of the races I've voted in. 

Still, under most circumstances, 2012 being an exception, I go vote anyway.  My dad took himself to be defending my right to vote on the battlefields of three continents in WWII, so, despite my vote's lack of impact in most cases, I do it to honor him. 

[Cory]

If you live in a competitive State/District or a key primary state then it matters a lot. If you live in a deep red/blue state then not so much. That being said there can be key races even in these red or blue states so always vote!

[Cassius]

Of course it matters. From a purely practical sense, it obviously determines who gets elected to office. But on a deeper level, there are significant differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. America is not run by a corporate oligarchy, whatever the delusional leftists who've spent too much time in their cellars chasing the dragon. If it was, free elections would have been abolished ages ago. There is nothing undemocratic about using money to influence politics, in fact, it is a practice that can be found right the way through its history. There is nothing abnormal about one particular group having more political pull than another. Would you say that Seventies Britain, where union boss Jack Jones was described in a poll as the most important man in the country, was not a democracy, and that voting didn't matter there? The fact is, democratically elected governments of all stripes have always been influenced by business interests and always will be. There is nothing undemocratic about this, in the same way as there is nothing undemocratic about unions, churches or pressure groups doing it. Its just a part of politics.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Of course it matters. From a purely practical sense, it obviously determines who gets elected to office. But on a deeper level, there are significant differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. America is not run by a corporate oligarchy, whatever the delusional leftists who've spent too much time in their cellars chasing the dragon. If it was, free elections would have been abolished ages ago. There is nothing undemocratic about using money to influence politics, in fact, it is a practice that can be found right the way through its history. There is nothing abnormal about one particular group having more political pull than another. Would you say that Seventies Britain, where union boss Jack Jones was described in a poll as the most important man in the country, was not a democracy, and that voting didn't matter there? The fact is, democratically elected governments of all stripes have always been influenced by business interests and always will be. There is nothing undemocratic about this, in the same way as there is nothing undemocratic about unions, churches or pressure groups doing it. Its just a part of politics.

From your avatar I assume you're Al whenever you make a post, then realize my mistake after your post is inevitably awful.

[TNF]

It doesn't. Change comes from the picket lines and the union halls.

[Kitteh]

Not enough for me to bother registering.