Voting Is Overrated

Wearing an "I Voted" sticker on Election Day announces that you are a proud participant in the grand tradition of representative democracy, the worst system except all the others. It says "I care."

But voting is overrated. The reasons people give for why they vote—and why everyone else should too—are flawed, unconvincing, and occasionally dangerous. The case for voting relies on factual errors, misunderstandings about the duties of citizenship, and overinflated perceptions of self-worth. There are some good reasons for some people to vote some of the time. But there are a lot more bad reasons to vote, and the bad ones are more popular.

This video is based on the essay "Your Vote Doesn't Count," from our November 2012 issue.

Written and hosted by Katherine Mangu-Ward; motion graphics by Lex Villena; sound effects by Isaac Reese and Regan Taylor.

Music credits: "Decision Making," by Deep Down."Good Time," by Dancing Raindrops. "Pizzicato Waltz," by Chromaticity. "VHS," by Lingerwell. Licensed by Artlist.

Photo Credits: Photo 175645041 © Ljupco Dreamstime; Photo 162148863 © Alexeyleon Dreamstime.com; Gage Skidmore; Wellcome Images; Everett Collection Newscom; ID 140366215© Konstantin Kamenetskiy Dreamstime.com; ID 46619287© Viorel Sima Dreamstime; ID 129830274© Gearstd Dreamstime; Photo 76220106 © Ratz Attila Dreamstime.com; ID 35370943© Flas100 Dreamstime.com; ID 47025085© Wavebreakmedia Ltd Dreamstime.com; Photo 158004222 © Viorel Sima Dreamstime.com, Illustration 32629836 © Razihusin Dreamstime.com, Photo 102949586 © Jim Lawrence Dreamstime.com, ID 70296563© Catalin205 Dreamstime.com; Photo 73714134 © Nattul Dreamstime.com, ID 22189521© Jeanne Mcright Dreamstime.com, Photo 50885651 © Ljupco Dreamstime.com; ID 176226664© Igor Tokalenko Dreamstime; Matthias; YURI GRIPAS REUTERS Newscom; Circa Images Newscom; Raza Malik; ID 162926467© Viorel Sima Dreamstime.com; Photo 937467 © Julián Rovagnati Dreamstime; Illustration 164669584 © Sabelskaya Dreamstime.com; Tony Webster; Marc Nozell; Gabriele Holtermann-Gorden Sipa Newscom; Michael Reeve; Photo 162732480 © Milkos Dreamstime.com; Photo 94006907 © Ljupco Dreamstime; John Lamparski Sipa USA Newscom; Mathias Wasik; ID 36193262© Kianlin Dreamstime.com; Fred Murphy; Tony Fischer; Barbara Kinney for Hillary for America