If one votes, one participates. If one participates, one condones and endorses the process, and subsequently, what those elected ‘representatives’ do and say in your name.
Reason 2. Electoral promises are meaningless because politicians are able to lie to gain the favor of the electorate, and then do exactly what they want once they have it. Then there is no accountability or recourse, other than waiting another four years or so to vote them out and replace them with someone else who will follow the established template and do the exact same thing.
3. The act of voting grants legitimacy to the idea that it’s acceptable for the majority/collective to use the coercive arm of the state to impose their will on the minority/individual using force, or threat of force, and for that reason, it is immoral to vote. As such, the only way to truly de-legitimize the system is by not voting. When the people refuse to participate in droves the international community can no longer recognize the results of the election as legitimate. This perceived legitimacy is such a concern for politicians that in some countries it’s now a legal requirement to vote (e.g., Australia).
4. A non-voter emerges from the electoral process with a
