American Dudes, Vote.

[SagebrushSage]

Maybe you don't care. Maybe you believe that the elections are rigged. Maybe you think that everyone running for office is equally bad. Maybe you think that your vote is statistically insignificant. This all might be true. But We the People of the United States of America got into this mess by being complacent in our civic duties. The corrupt establishment is our fault, and it's our job to fix it.

I voted, and so should you.

'Murica!

[The Dude Shepherd]

The problem with corruption is they don't let you fix it...

You cannot fix the corruption from the outside, and those on the inside, don't want to fix it

There is no vote for fixing the system... those in power would not allow it

[SagebrushSage]

Their ability to fix the vote must be limited in nature. Otherwise, they would not be trying so hard to convince people to vote for them.

[Reverend Al]

Their ability to fix the vote must be limited in nature. Otherwise, they would not be trying so hard to convince people to vote for them.

Or are they just putting on a good show to lull people into a false sense of confidence that the voting process still works? 

The thing that truly screws up the voting process in the U.S. is the electoral college because it can, and has in the past, "overrule" the choice of the people by electing the candidate who didn't receive the majority of the popular votes.  This alone proves our votes don't really matter because it is ultimately each state's electors, not the people, who decide which candidate will become President.

[SagebrushSage]

By voting, we force the establishment to perform criminal acts of electoral fraud in order to retain power. These criminal acts are not without risk. They provide numerous opportunities for whistleblowers, undercover investigative journalists, honest cops, and alert citizens to expose them. They also provide numerous opportunities for the establishment to make mistakes. This is why the vote matters, even in a rigged system. Voting in a rigged election makes the rigging more risky and more visible.

Defiance of the electorate by the electoral college would be an example of a very public, very visible forced error that would be helpful in exposing the elitists. If we speak up and make them silence us, then more people learn of the corruption.

[Reverend Al]

...Defiance of the electorate by the electoral college would be an example of a very public, very visible forced error that would be helpful in exposing the elitists...

But that's the issue--it's not an error.  The electors in each state can pledge to the candidate the people vote for, but when it comes to their vote as an elector they can vote for whoever they want to, or not vote at all (known as a "faithless elector").  It's allowed, and it's legit as far as the "rules" are concerned.  It doesn't happen often, but it has happened.  Regardless, it's the electors' votes that determine who becomes President, not our votes.

Vote, don't vote, do what you feel is right.  Either way you'll have my support and my respect.  Me, I'm done wasting my time on this bullshit until they come up with someone worth voting for.

[SagebrushSage]

I'm as stridently opposed to the electoral college as anyone else here. By "error" I mean strategic error or public relations error, not legal error. The law is apparently not a significant factor in federal decisions these days, so I tend to understand their perspective more in strategic or Machiavellian terms.

[Reverend Al]

...By "error" I mean strategic error or public relations error, not legal error...

Oh, okay.  My mistake.

By the way, this was not a decision I made lightly.  I understand the importance of the American public's voice being heard, I simply cannot in good conscience vote for any of the candidates on this specific ticket.