In light of Donald Trump’s nearly nine months of second-term presidency, Americans who voluntarily abstained from voting in the 2024 presidential election are sharing whether or not they regret it.
Bloomberg / Getty Images, Leigh Vogel / Getty Images
Here’s what they’re saying:
Note: Responses courtesy of this Reddit thread. Some have been edited for clarity.
1. “[I feel] Terrible. I’ve always hated politics. IMO 99% are liars just interested in gathering more wealth, promising whatever they need to promise, regardless of whether they have any intention of following through.”
“I felt that until the two-party system is gone, votes don’t matter because Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin. Apparently, I was wrong. I didn’t expect it to be this bad. Maybe I trusted the checks and balances too much. I’m not sure. I do know this is way worse than I ever imagined, and if I had known better, I’d have done a lot differently. If there’s another opportunity, I will 100% be voting.”
—bobo1992011
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2. “I didn’t vote for president. I have a hard time with the whole ‘lesser of two evils.'”
“However, now, I feel like absolute shit and regret that decision more than ever. I’ve made a promise to myself to never let that happen again.”
—josht198712
3. “I’ve been politically neutral for most of my life. I refused to participate in the voting system because I believe the dichotomy has been orchestrated to divide this country into two distinct sides that hate each other more and more all the time. Additionally, it disgusts me that the electoral college is still a thing. It makes voting feel like when I was a little kid trying to play video games with my older brother, and he would unplug the controller so I thought I was playing but I really wasn’t.”
“That being said, this is the first time I feel that the axis has been shifted to the point where it no longer feels like rebelling against a system… I know I made the wrong choice this time by not voting.
I now feel an extreme level of guilt, and my fears about the fate of our economy are at the bottom of the list. The thing I’m most worried about now is the safety of anyone/everyone of ethnic or racial diversity in the United States. As a white male with what I consider a good set of objective moral beliefs, devoid of any religious or political biases, I feel like I have failed so many people. I wish there were some way I could publicly apologize to all of the millions of people whose lives have been or will be ruined in the coming months/years. I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.”
—anonymous
4. “I abstained. Proudly. Why? Easy: I loathe everything Trump stands for and represents. I couldn’t cast a ballot for that man if he were running unopposed for roadkill collector. His followers are often foam-at-the-mouth lunatics. The left though? That’s a little more complex.”
“They cut the throat of anyone who doesn’t viciously attack everyone who doesn’t buy their program 100%. ANY deviation from approved doctrine is grounds for incredibly abusive behavior. There’s no introspection on the left. There’s no gray. ‘Us or nazi’ is too disgustingly simple. They seek to control more of your everyday life than the conservatives do. Choose your relationships, restaurants, where you shop, and where you work based on approved politics. Divorce your disagreeing spouse, alienate your family, hate your neighbor. Your political identity is your ONLY identity. Party first. No criticisms. They will not tolerate anything that may erode the perception of infallible righteousness. Proof of that is even now, post-loss. It’s everyone else’s fault. Never mind that they continue to treat minorities as if they’re white-knighting them in the most insulting ways possible, and calling minorities who don’t vote their way ‘self-hating.’ The left….has proven itself to be more openly hateful and dangerous than the right, and I can’t be a part of that.”
—anonymous
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5. “Honestly, I felt too uneducated on things. I definitely should’ve voted, and this election opened my eyes.”
—Umikotks
6. “I didn’t vote. It’s impossible to have any real conversations. It’s exhausting. I removed myself from politics altogether at this point.”
“The moment any opposing views or arguments come up, it turns to hate, and other topics get thrown in that aren’t in the conversation. How do I feel about my decision? The same as if I voted. Hopeless and unheard.”
—hamsandwich09
7. “I feel stupid…”
—Antique_Can_1321
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8. “I’ll speak up, I didn’t vote. My state is so incredibly red that it doesn’t matter. Not just president, either, many down-ballot races don’t even have Democrats on the ticket; it’s just a Republican running unopposed.”
“I fought hard during the last voting cycle when it looked like there was a possibility of getting a Democrat in the legislature, asking all my friends and family to vote. It was the closest race we’ve had in a while and still ended up being something like a 15% difference.”
—twineffect
9. “I feel incredibly vindicated. It is more obvious than ever before that the DNC would rather destroy itself and the entire country than give the slightest bit of pushback to corporate greed and AIPAC.”
“As we plunge into fascism, it’s important to blame the people we elected, whose salaries we paid, for failing to do their jobs, rather than blaming voters. Campaigns exist to earn votes. Elections exist so that POPULAR IDEAS can be voted for. NOT so that a slightly less fascistic candidate can guilt-trip you into voting for them.”
—RenegadeSloth
Mario Tama / Getty Images
10. “I didn’t vote because I was really depressed and thinking about anything political seemed to make it worse. My mindset at the time was nothing mattered, especially when it came to politics and the government. Things are going to happen regardless of my vote.”
“Well, as it turns out, it did matter, and things absolutely can get worse. And now, when I see what is happening, I feel worse than before when I chose to avoid it. Now I feel like I can’t avoid it. This world, and America, feels insane, and it bums me out that so many people can’t see that. I absolutely regret not voting and doing my part.”
—IHateCats84
11. “Well, I feel pretty pissed that Democrats couldn’t come up with anyone worth voting for.”
—thomasque72
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12. “I remember voting in the first election that I could and being so excited. I believe it was Clinton and Bush. I voted regularly until I hit my 30s. I was working a ranch job and lived on the property for about 15 years. I didn’t vote at all during that time. I was just too tired and beat up. The idea of getting off work and heading straight to a polling place to stand in line for an hour while covered in horse and cow poo just sounded like a terrible idea.”
“I think people can forget or just don’t know how hard it can be to care about politics when you are broke, hurting, and just plain exhausted. I think there are far more ‘exhausted and beaten up’ non-voters than people realise.”
—KharnforPresident
13. And finally, “I didn’t vote because I don’t resonate with any political party. I may like what one has to say about how to fix the issue, but altogether, there isn’t one I’d solely vote for.”
“To be honest, I’ve never really been into politics. I come from a country with so much corruption that it doesn’t matter who you vote for because once they’re in, all they do is steal the money and run. I don’t feel good or bad about not voting during this election, nor do I blame anyone. I think everyone voted based on the information they had.
I will say, though, this election and what’s going on right now with my fellow Latinos is making me want to learn more… Sometimes it takes a tragedy for people to open their eyes, so here I am.”
—Pinkprinc3s
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What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
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