Will I vote or not?

I have always voted in the presidential elections, but this is the first year when I have given serious thought to skipping the election. First, I actually do not have strong feelings about either of the candidates. If Hillary was running, that might not be true, but since so many Democrats chose Barack Obama, he is the choice available to me. Second, I live in New York, where Barack Obama is heavily favored, so my vote simply will not affect the outcome of the presidential election no matter who I vote for. Third, I do not feel strongly that any of the issue positions of any of the candidates is so urgenty important as to make a difference to me or the average American. Fourth, I am not terribly impressed by either candidate, so I actually am more inclined to vote "none of the above" or simply to refrain from voting as a protest. Still, I am inclined to vote since it is the responsible thing to do and is marginally better than being a "no show." But, the bottom line is that I do intend to vote and will most likely vote for Barack Obama since he appears to be closest to a centrist (what Hillary would have been and what Bill was.)

That said, I still may not vote because I was going to vote by absentee ballot and requested such a ballot but never received one, and I am not about to stand in line for any extended period of time. My plan is simple, to go to the local polling station around 9:30 a.m. and be prepared to wait no more than two hours in line. If the line is short, great, I will vote. If the line is so long or the processing is so slow that I have not voted after two hours (and I am not close to voting), then I will simply walk away. What matter most is that I will have gone to vote.

Yes, I do intend to vote, but this election is not so urgent for me that I would vote "no matter what."

Other than the top of the ticket, I normally vote the Democratic party line and then vote "No" on any propositions. I am a big fan or representative democracy and oppose these so-called "grassroots" efforts to legislate outside of the legislature.

-- Jack Krupansky