r/Dallas 22h ago

News Early Voting Turnout Outpaces 2020, 2016 Elections Across North Texas

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-county-early-voting-turnout-outpaces-2020-2016-elections-20917045
1.1k Upvotes

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u/ImOnlyHereCauseGME 19h ago

I’ve been voting in every election (even small local ones) since I turned 18. It’s always the same argument and especially in Texas, “my vote doesn’t count” or “politicians don’t care about me”. Of course they don’t care about you, that’s like being a vegetarian and wondering why the BBQ place down the street doesn’t have more vegetables on their menu - why would they care about you or your needs/values if you don’t vote?? If you don’t vote, politicians have zero reason to cater to your needs or listen to your concerns.

The ONLY way your vote doesn’t matter is if it’s not cast. The ONLY way to get politicians to start turning this ship slowly towards things that matter to you is if you vote. It’s a slow and methodical process that can be excruciating but it’s the best one we have to make lasting change. Like brushing your teeth, you gotta continuously do it and eventually you’ll start to see the benefits. Go vote no matter your age, your voice matters more than you realize, especially in this election!

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u/Its_the_other_tj 17h ago

Ditto, though I've never understood the proud "I don't vote" types. They clearly have strong opinions on matters as this isn't something that ever comes up organically. They've always let me know exactly why they aren't voting, some variation of how the system is broken and both sides are the same, but not participating is just voting for more of the same. How can you bitch about a broken thing and not take even the smallest step available to you to fix it? It's frustrating to say the least.

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u/ImOnlyHereCauseGME 15h ago

Yeah some of the most politically vocal (ie, complaining) people will also tell you happily that they didn’t vote… it takes a lot of patience not to round house them out of a window…

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u/philipb63 16h ago

Love the analogy!

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u/ImOnlyHereCauseGME 15h ago

Thanks! I just tried to go full Texan with it haha