The thing that really bothers me is that everyone has the right to vote, yet this last election only about 33% of Americans voted. These in between presidential elections are more vital to yourself because IT IS LOCAL ELECTIONS which directly affects YOU. I hear many people always complaining about how the government, however, they do not voe or write to their local politician. I think you give up your right to complain if you do not exercise your right to vote and let your voice be heard.

I have no idea why people don't vote. I've voted since I had the legal right to do so (3 Presidential Elections). I do not always vote in some local elections (in DC, I cannot vote in most primaries because I am a registered Independent) but usually only if I'm not going to be living there for very long and thus feel that my say only matters for a year there.

However, the same rights that allow us to vote also give us the right to not vote. It is a person's choice. A lot of my friends do not vote. I know several of them just don't care, they don't see how one vote can make a difference or how it will really change anything.

I was going to make a forum about this. I guess people believe that their say doesn't matter. They're used to lying politicians and being let down.

As for me, I can't vote because I'm 17. My brother is turning 30 and he is pretty politically active. He likes to go to protests and he's very well read and up on his current events. I think I will take his lead when I'm of age. Right now I am doing a big research paper on religious freedom and why it is important. I am part of a club that gives anti prejudice workshops. We were trained by the Anti Defamation League. I will most likely be involved in protests and rallies for human rights, stopping genocides and such.

Unfortunatley I was just a few months too young to vote in the last election. I was very involved in the political process though and I cannot wait to vote. Right now I am in the process of getting my voters registration completed so that when the time comes I can exercise my right.

Well, I just recently moved, so I was kind of "in between"-they unregistered me, i suppose, at my former town hall, and I hadn't yet registered at my current town hall. Plus, in the past, I was registered as an independent- which aren't allowed to vote in local elections. But I declared a party this time around, just so I can vote locally next time.

It was a very quiet election year, as only Virginia and New Jersey had Gubernatorial elections.

As a Virginian, and someone taking AP Government right now, I payed more attention to our election than any other in the past. The two candidates, Bob McDonnell(R) and Creigh Deeds(D) were two very interesting candidates with very different campaign approaches.

Because the Democrats had won Virginia in 2008 for the first time since Lyndon B. Johnson, and Virginia had a Democratic governor, the Democrats took a high interest in the election this year. Losing the election might mean that they were losing popularity nationally.

So Barack Obama, Virginia Governor and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Tim Kaine, and former governor Mark Warner all campaigned for Creigh Deeds, encouraging people to come out and vote.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, Bob McDonnell won the election with an overwhelming 60% of the votes. It was a landslide.

I think a major reason the Republicans won the election is that in this election, only 39% of all registered voters voted, while in 2008 74% voted. Many of Barack Obama's 2008 supporters didn't show up to vote.

Why didn't they show up to vote? I think the most likely reason is that Republicans are more motivated because they are seeking change from Barack Obama and the Democratic party's deficit spending/high taxes regime. For the past 30 or so years, Virginians have voted for the opposite party of the President.

I think the answer to "why didn't you vote" this past year was that the extreme motivation for "change" that swept the nation in 2008 just wasn't there this year for the Democrats. People didn't catch an election fever like they did last year. As a result, the Republicans won in both Virginia and New Jersey.

Some people may not vote because they don't like who is running for office or they may not know enough of what this candidate is trying to do for us.

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If you do not vote than the our government losesit's meaning for the people and by the people. With voter apathy it has turned into the government for the few and by the few who do vote and make decisions. Our system of government will fail if we do not have participation.

Why didn't I, as a Virginian, vote? Because neither of the main party candidates were worth my vote. IMHO neither of them should have been elected. Voting for a third party candidate that would actually do the job is a waste of my time because they receive too little support financially to actually win the race.

I went to work instead. If a candidate will actually do the job right and at least stands a chance, that is when i vote.

Well, i REALLY wanted to vote but i was too young...yea, it sucked. But when the next election comes around, voting time!