I want to be able to vote for None of the Above and...

... have it count, with the losers kicked to the curb

I mentioned this in a quick discussion with a co-worker, but I really, really, really would like to be able to vote for None of the Above in national elections with the understanding being that if that None of the Above slot wins the majority of the votes there must be a new election held to find a candidate that can beat good old None of the Above.

Seriously, I'd love to be able to send the message to the parties that I am deeply disappointed in the choices they made and don't want *any* of those candidates to win office.  If the candidates can't win a majority of the votes, they don't deserve to hold the office period.

I may be way out in the field on this one, but this year seems to be stacking up as another one where I really don't much care for my choices.  No matter what, I'm looking at voting for someone that I just don't support and don't really want to have win.  Not just a lesser of the evils, but a downright bottom of the barrel, swallow hard and select one of the candidates and pray they don't screw things up so badly that it'll take 20 years to recover from it all.

Neither party did much to pick a real leader, at least not up to this point (in my opinion).  The candidates we have on one side are eerily similar (despite the thoughts that one apparently rabid co-worker has that Obama is somehow a plant by the Republicans who is there to destroy his {the co-worker's} beloved Hillary), and for the most part the candidate that seems headed for the unsurmountable lead in the other party isn't that far off from those candidates himself.

I have the sneaking suspicion that None of the Above might win in a landslide if we were offered that choice.  If so, by my rules the also rans would be kicked to the curb, and a new slate would get picked leading into a new election to decide who really wins that office.  What do you do with the office in the meantime?  Keep the current office holder there or have someone appointed to serve in the interim if necessary.  Yeah, yeah, I know something like that could mean that you'd have Bubba in office for 10 - 12 years while also rans kept getting kicked to the curb because no one liked the new candidates as much as they liked the existing guy so they'd keep voting for None of the Above just to keep the current guy in office, but you could perhaps add in a requirement/rule that if the office up for election is President of the U.S.A. and the current President has served 2 terms + 2 years they must abdicate the office to their Vice President or perhaps even give it up to their Secretary of State.  That would preclude voters from trying to keep someone in office too long by continuing to vote for None of the Above while still keeping a process in place that lets voters jettison candidates they aren't happy with.  Eventually we'd get a candidate that enough voters would get behind and they'd be elected, if not, that 'appointed' individual would be left serving in the office for 2 terms + 2 years until they too were forced to abdicate the office.

3,466 views 3 replies
Reply #1 Top

Actually, there is a way to voice your feelings about the parties' candidates without having to wait until November.  Go to the local party meetings and tell them how you feel.  Write to the state and national committee leaders.

We seem to think our only chance to make our voices heard is in the ballot box.  The active party members know different, and that is why they get what they want where the rest of the people don't.

Reply #2 Top

NOTA in some years would get a good percentage, and possibly a plurality.  But I dont think they would win in a landslide.  After all, the candidates running were chosen by some of their party, so they would still get that vote.  Plus others that will meekly listen to a 30 second ad and think "my Ship has come in".

In the worst years, NOTA may get 40% of the vote, a plurality.  But not much more.

Reply #3 Top
I certainly agree with you..... I can't find anyone that I want to throw my support to. I've notice that the older I get, the more I expect of the leaders of our nation. As a kid I was easily influenced by the media and did little research....now, my research just makes me wish someone else would run.