Bias test: If you had a way to know with 100% certainty that a user would be empowered by this to go vote for a candidate which you vehemently oppose, would you still show them this banner?<p>Also see Mike Rowe's (of Dirty Jobs) thoughts on this:<p>> Remember - there’s nothing virtuous or patriotic about voting just for the sake of voting, and the next time someone tells you otherwise, do me a favor - ask them who they’re voting for. Then tell them you’re voting for their opponent. Then, see if they’ll give you a ride to the polls.<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMikeRowe/posts/1254500967893377" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMikeRowe/posts/1254500967893...</a>
Ugh, no. Not all tech companies should do this.<p>If your service actually helps me vote (provides information, gives me a ride to my polling place, etc.) then sure, it’s part of the value you offer. But if your app has nothing to do with voting, it’s spam to send me an email or push notification about voting.
Not my job. There is an implicit contract between an online business and its users. That contract implies that the purpose of the relationship is to provide a specific service. It does not include preaching to them and telling them how to run their lives. If I choose to do the latter, I am breaking that contract.
This is just asking people to spam their users. If someone lives in a truly democratic nation then they have the right to choose not vote, yes it surely would be nice to have everyone make a valid vote. Sometimes you just do not want to vote because you have to choose between two horrible choices and it doesn't matter at the end of the day because you seriously do not agree with either of the two choices.<p>Southpark did an amazing episode on this exact issue once. ( <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douche_and_Turd" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douche_and_Turd</a> )
If you send me a push notification unrelated to your app, I will immediately uninstall your app, and you will deserve it for being a spamming sack of shit. I strongly suspect I'm not alone in this.
Voting, particularly for presidential elections, is the ultimate exercise in pointlessness. Not only is it statistically completely insignificant at your individual level, but in fact the US voting system is designed to not always reflect the opinion of the majority! Not to mention the uncountable cases of fraud.<p>Things you can do to make your political voice heard:<p>- call/write to your local representatives<p>- go out and join a protest (better, start a protest!)<p>- donate money to a cause you care about<p>- volunteer (i.e. donate time) for a cause you care about<p>- write a blog, start a podcast, distribute flyers, etc. etc. etc.<p>But voting is certainly not in there. And not only is voting a completely insignificant act - its utmost importance is forced through the minds of children and adults all across the country as if it were the most important thing a citizen could do, and not voting is socially less acceptable than clubbing baby seals. Of course, those in power know that, but voting is convenient for them - it lets them give a semblance of control to the people, all the while the things that really matter can be controlled behind closed doors, where the average citizen has no leverage. A population that just goes out to vote when they're supposed to (with their votes easily manipulated by the media establishment) and forgets about the political machine the rest of the time is an easily controlled population.<p>A good essay:
<a href="http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/03/your-vote-doesnt-count" rel="nofollow">http://reason.com/archives/2012/10/03/your-vote-doesnt-count</a>
I tried an Oregon address, and voteplz told me that "Oregon does not allow early voting", which is not true. The entire election process is conducted by mail starting several weeks before the election.
Or, you know, spend your time and money on making it easier for people to vote (like advocating for vote by mail in shitty states that don't make it universally available now) and stop wasting your time telling people like me, who aren't eligible to vote, about what self-righteous wankers you are.