What if they held an election & nobody voted?

[Bright Star]

What if they held an election for political office & nobody bothered to show up to vote cause they got sick & tired of the nonsense by the politicians? Sooner or later I see that happening.
It doesn't matter what party these politicians are in cause they promise the world & say ANYTHING you want to hear to get elected & when they do then they turn around & do what's best for them. They don't care about the people. As far as they're concerned, the people can go fuck themselves.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

As much as I'd like to tear into politicians, I also loathe painting an entire group with the same brush.

After a certain point, politicians rely on the approval of their voters in order to be re-elected. Often enough the people who care enough to vote will also care enough to keep up with their representative's actions/views.

That aside, I think we should make sure to get pictures of that ghost town election... it would be funny.

They'd probably just vote for themselves and order a recount

[protege]

Locally, it doesn't matter who we get in office...it's still "business as usual." That is, taxes go up, people (and jobs) continue to leave, politicians can't figure out why. Seems they'll do or say anything to get elected, and then it's right back to how it used to be. Sure, they'll bring in a few jobs, but they're never on the large-scale like the steel mills once were. Those politicians seem to forget that we're not idiots here, and we do remember their forgotten promises.

That's politics inside the city. Outside, it seems to be more of a two-party system. (Pittsburgh has been controlled by the Democrats since the 1930s.) Out in the 'burbs, people seem more willing to throw out inept leaders. We don't tolerate that shit

Getting back on topic here, although a no-show vote might be funny, it probably would be rather boring.

[BroomJockey]

They'd probably just vote for themselves

This. Anyone who runs for public office will inevitably vote for themselves, and they'll make their family vote as well. It's basically impossible to have 0% turn out.

Now, if we actually went on the premise of actual 0% turn out, they'd just hold another election. 0% there as well? Another election. Basically, government would shut down until someone voted. No laws passed, none repealed, no ability to act in face of disaster or threat. Country at stand-still.

[Greenday]

Laws might not get passed or repealed, but business would go on as usual. Governmental employees don't stop working because policiticans have their thumbs up their asses. (Though whether or not we really do work at all is a whole nother topic)

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Laws might not get passed or repealed, but business would go on as usual. Governmental employees don't stop working because policiticans have their thumbs up their asses. (Though whether or not we really do work at all is a whole nother topic)

They do if the funding runs out, often enough the budget needs to be renewed by the new guy (girl).

[BroomJockey]

Governmental employees don't stop working because policiticans have their thumbs up their asses.

Okay, but how much of what governmental employees do is based on the actions of politicians? So all of them stop doing what they're doing, because they've done their work. As for people who work in a situation like Passport offices, they'd continue going on as they had (until the budget runs out, as Wingate mentioned), so they'd be in a holding pattern. AKA a stand still.

[TheRoo]

There is actually a precedent for a zero vote turnout, and I'm at work so I can't look up the details, but from what I remember, there was a special election in a small town in Colorado I think, for a school board position. There was only one candidate on the ballot, so nobody showed up to vote. Since there were no votes, the mayor ended up appointing someone totally different to the position.

[Greenday]

They do if the funding runs out, often enough the budget needs to be renewed by the new guy (girl).

Then we'd get our asses out to vote, wouldn't we?

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Then we'd get our asses out to vote, wouldn't we?

The incumbent would be happy

[BroomJockey]

Then we'd get our asses out to vote, wouldn't we?

Depends on the reason that people weren't voting, really. If it's a peaceful protest about something inherently broken in the system, possibly not.

[lordlundar]

Well I can't see an election where no one votes (there will always be someone who will accept the words enough to go out and vote), I would like to see a situation similar to what happened with Brewster's Millions where the winning vote was "None of the Above".

[Tanasi]

I heard on the radio last year that a small town somewhere up in yankeeland forgot to put on the election. Also none of the voters remembered. I never didn hear how they resolved the problem.

[BroomJockey]

They forgot. Isn't there someone who's job it is to go "Hey, elections are on X day?" I thought they were all fixed terms in the US, anyways? Or is that just Pres/Senate?

[joe hx]

They forgot. Isn't there someone who's job it is to go "Hey, elections are on X day?" I thought they were all fixed terms in the US, anyways? Or is that just Pres/Senate?

For the US Federal Gov't:
President is 4 years, up to 2 terms.
Senate is every six years, unlimited terms. Senator terms are staggered, so someone is voting for Senator every two years.
Representatives are every two years, unlimited terms.

State gov't vary.