Why should you vote?
Because you live in a democracy. End of story. I can't understand why people don't vote. Okay, let's say it's because they feel their vote won't make a difference. Well, if you feel that way, let me ask you a question...
Have you ever played the lottery? Or more specifically, have you played in the past four years?
Chances are that you have, because you hope to win. Well the odds are greater that your individual vote will decide this election, than it is that you'll win the lottery.
To put voting in perspective...
According to Andrew Gelman (a Columbia University professor and friend of the polling site 538), you have a 1 in 10,000,000 chance of "actually deciding the outcome of the election with your vote."
Sure, it's not great, but it beats the odds on the lottery. And more people play the lottery than vote.
A lottery with 6 numbers drawn from a total of 49 balls with the numbers 1 through 49 on them has a probability of 1 in 13,983,816. The US PowerBall draws 5 numbers from a total of 45 balls, then a number is drawn from a separate set of balls numbered from 1 to 42 making the odds 1 in 80,089,128. The California SuperLotto has odds of 1 to 18,009,460. So it is more likely that your one vote on election day will decide the election, than your single ticket will win the lottery.
And how many people play the lottery? The estimates vary. A Wisconsin study found 75% of the state's population played the lottery. But according to California Lottery Director Joan Borucki, 40 percent of California adults now play the lottery each year. Chances are that not only are more people playing the lottery than voting, but that many of the same people who play the lottery are not voting. Yet the odds are that the vote would be better spent... and it's free!