Why I’ve Chosen Not to Vote This Year

I wasn’t planning on casting my ballot, but decided to reconsider the decision this morning after receiving a nagging text message.

I decided not to vote this year.

And not just for the traditional George Carlin wisdom of “the public sucks, fuck hope.”

As much as I love to throw that clip around to justify my general apathy toward political participation in today’s United States of Polarization, the truth is that on the subject of voting I’m hardly so absolute.

As with so many topics, in spite of my often provocative rhetoric, I’m actually a boring moderate.

If there is a candidate worth voting for or a measure I support, then why not? I don’t do the “lesser of two evils” calculation anymore, but should the rare pegasus politician emerge who possesses actual character and a meaningful policy plan, then sure, I’m still open to hearing the pitch.

We don’t even have to go to a polling place anymore. The ballot arrives in the mail, you fill out a few bubbles, pop it in the envelope, and stick it back in the mailbox.

Done.

Even St. George of the Church of the Seven Holy Words would have probably softened his voting stance had the post-Covid, voting-by-mail habit become so normalized back in the 1980s instead of the 2020s.

So might as well at least crack it open and see.

Here are the top offices, the only ones really worth considering:

Who deserves my vote?

This is just so massively strange — even jarring — because I look at the Republican vs Democratic candidates and I simply do not care.

Steve Hilton or Xavier Becerra? I dislike them both.

Not that it matters!

California is a largely one-party state. Hilton has virtually zero chance of winning. The polls say 60% Becerra, 33% Hilton.

However, California is not entirely Democrat. The more rural regions on the interior part of the state — where I live — are much more mixed and often Republican-leaning.

In my own 23rd congressional district in San Bernardino County, the candidate who has the absurd lead is the Republican and the incumbent, Rep. Jay Olbernolte.

Right now, On Point Politics is predicting 43% for the Democrat Tessa Lynn Hodge, and 56% for Olbernolte. It counts as a “safe district.”

Incidentally, I’ve met Hodge. She was at a No Kings protest I reported on July 5, 2025. Here are some pictures I took that day:

She’s adorable. She’s a tiny, enthusiastic, earnest millennial social worker.

One image quickly struck me to try and describe her persona: “social justice chipmunk.” She’s like if Chip & Dale ran for congress.

Her campaign didn’t get back to me when I requested an interview, but whatever, I won’t hold that against her.

But I see no reason to vote for her. She’s not at all qualified to serve in congress and it’s clear she’s not going to win. She was simply the best the Democrats here could do.

So the only other notable office to consider then was for our state assembly seat. We’re in district 47 and over the last few weeks my mailbox has received a steady diet of campaign literature from supporters of both sides.

Here’s an assortment of it. This is all for this race alone:

And that’s certainly not everything. I usually just chuck them in the trash now that I’ve collected enough material for my historical record.

So who will receive my vote?

Neither.

How will either of them meaningfully impact my life or the the lives of the poor people in this beat up “Paradise” neighborhood on the edge of Yucca Valley?

Leila Namvar is the stereotypical Democrat who wants more government. Greg Wallis is the stereotypical Republican who is in the pocket of big business and will work to use government to advance their interests.

(Yeah, don’t think Republicans are in favor of “the free market” or “capitalism.” That illusion died when they annointed TACO Tariff Trump. The only “free market” they care about is the freedom to line their pockets as fast as possible, no matter who gets hurt.)

But what difference does it make one way or the other?

In the state asssembly, of the 80 seats, 60 are Democrats and 19 are Republicans and one is vacant and I am bored as hell.

A screenshot from “Waking Life” (2001) by Richard Linklater.

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It’s worth pointing out here for those who may not get the picture:

Every single election in my entire life has been this way. I’ve only ever lived in the Bright Red State of Indiana or the Bright Blue State of California.

I cannot recall a single competitive race that I’ve ever participated in during my now 22 years of voting. Holy God, it’s been almost a quarter century of this nonsense now. At this point I may as well put it on a goddamn t-shirt and make some money:

I Am Too Young to Feel This Old.

America remains and will always be the greatest country on the planet. We have the most freedom. It’s simple as that.

But seriously: our political system is deeply fucked up and always has been. Get over the fucking high school civics propaganda they fed us. The electoral system as it was constructed and has since evolved was never about “democracy” and “freedom” and certainly not “all men are created equal.” Our votes aren’t even equal. The votes of people in one geographic location count more than the votes of people in another geographic location. It’s absurd. This isn’t democracy. It’s an Animal Farm parody of democracy. (No AI speak intened I assure you! Please don’t ding me, Lord Pangram!)

The business of elections is business. Look at that ridiculous stack of campaign ads. Those cost money and someone has to pay for them and they have to pay for them for a real reason.

What is our “freedom” really about?

The freedom to make fuckin’ money.

And the way our digital overlords do that in America is by buying politicians, as our Supreme Master Mr. Elon Musk and our Lord and Savior Peter Thiel, apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium, have made more than clear.

The more people gather together, the more money consolidates together in the hands of a few deeply immoral men, the more oppression falls down on the individual.

As our country’s electorate keeps expanding, as the world population increases, humans will only continue to grow more vicious. Prepare for a century now of total chaos and absolute fucking collapse.

But there’ll be plenty of jokes along the way!

“I love people as I meet them one by one. People are just wonderful as individuals. You see the whole universe in their eyes if you look carefully. But as soon as they begin to group, as soon as they begin to clot, when there are five of them or ten or even groups as small as two, they begin to change. They sacrifice the beauty of the individual for the sake of the group.

I decided it was all under the control of groups now whether it's business, religion, political people or what. And I would distance myself from wishing for a good outcome. Let it do what it’s going to do and I’ll enjoy it as an entertainer, reflect on what it is on its own, and I’ll enjoy it for the entertainment” - George Carlin in an inteview with Charlie Rose from 1996

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