Do You Keep Your Vote to Yourself?
October 6th, 2008, 9 Comments »
Yesterday I was talking to somebody about voting. She asked, and I told her (as I told you) for whom I planned to vote.
She mentioned that her parents always kept their voting decisions a secret, possibly even from each other. I have a vague memory of my parents not discussing who they voted for either. Am I making this up, or was there a prevailing opinion in their generation that you didn’t disclose for whom you cast your ballot?
The essence of this notion seems to be (or have been) “your vote is nobody’s business but your own”. That’s true, and I suppose it was designed, in a Miss Manners kind of way, to avoid heated conflict in otherwise civil conversation. However, times and social norms change.
Plus, if you care about politics and your choice, I’d imagine that you’d want to try to convince other people of your position. And how can you do that without disclosing who you’re planning to support?
Do you discuss who you’re voting for among your family and friends? If not, why not?