Jim Moore: Eleven good reasons to become a nonvoter. Be free! Become a non-voter today! Help form the Nonvoter party.

"The nonvoter party is global. Given that we don't vote, we do not need to be sanctioned by current political jurisdictions. We can be active all over the world, without concern for national boundaries and rules. Imagine." -Jim Moore

Jim Moore, author of The Second Super Power Rears Its Beautiful Head, gives us 11 reasons why we should stop voting. Believe it or not, he's got a good argument:

1. In any case, politicians don't represent you. Politicians act on behalf of big campaign contributors and major political parties. The major political parties in turn act on behalf of the same big contributors. Unless you are a billionaire, you can't give enough money to have any influence. So don't waste your time and money hoping for politicians to represent you. They won't.

2. Your vote does not matter. Rarely an election is so close that your vote might help elect one person over another--not often, but sometimes. But that does not matter because neither person represents you (see item #1, above). Even that letter you wrote to your congressperson did not matter. Did you think it did? What evidence do you have?

3. But don't despair. Politicians don't matter. The really important problems facing our society are not helped or hurt by what politicians say or do. Consider the problems that really matter: improving education for our kids, strengthening our families and communities, encouraging kindness and care, promoting social and economic innovation, saving the environment, reducing racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and other stereotyping of individuals. None of these are helped by the actions of "political representatives." The most vital contributions in American history are large social and spiritual movements, not who won this or that election.

4. Thus, voting is a false virtue. Voting is a relatively meaningless activity dressed up as a virtue. Voting encourages you to feel you have taken action, when you have not. Voting undermines personal creativity by providing an easy, socially-sanctioned, and ineffective action that salves our conscience and provides an illusion of participation but does not have any other effect.

5. An emphasis on voting degrades communication in society. Political arguments that are aimed at influencing voting are almost always propoganda--and thus degrade citizen discussion and reflection. Swing-state targeting, polling, calculated language and image, spinning: Over a billion dollars was spent on political advertising during the latest US political season. Did it enhance true national dialogue on matters that make a difference to our future? Do we as a nation now better agree on the key facts of our situation? Do those with diverse views better understand and respect each other? The emphasis on propoganda is inherent in a representational democracy, because all the politician needs to do is to get you to vote for him or her--the politician does not need to prepare you for deeper participation, or maintain communication with you. He or she only needs your vote on a certain day, and the incentives to manipulate you to get your vote are very great.