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Morals, athiests and online voting

Is it moral to vote out of state repeatedly in order to stack a pole to get a secular result?

Interesting discussion -

The pole isn't particularly important in the bigger scheme of things - and it would seem that repeated voting isn't illegal - the site is perhaps designed - like most things in our society - to be an honesty based system.

The organisers would perhaps organise a different way to do it - but perhaps it isn't an issue to vote repeatedly. If it was there would be some way of registration or cookies - which there doesn't seem to be.

It could be set up like big brother or other reality tv voting systems where you can vote as many times as you wish.

Why get all 'holier than thou' about it?

I think we need to use our rational thinking in this case - go through the facts of the case, before condemning others of immoral actions. What's wrong with some reasoning - rather than public shaming?

I'm for the Naturalistic attitude of compassion due to our deterministic universe.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alice on July 12, 2011 at 8:25pm

You can put any number in there and it leads you to the voting page.... perhaps they are just aiming to get stats on who's voted - from where?

Perhaps they aren't that concerned about the outcome - perhaps they see it as a trivial thing and the purpose is more about getting people involved with the idea of voting so that it encourages more people to take an interest and actually vote on the day?

If they were more serious about it surely they would make it more difficult to 'game' or 'cheat' the vote?

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on July 12, 2011 at 9:14pm

Perhaps, but that's not really the point. Sure, online polls aren't real voting due to their very selective and insecure nature, but that is just part of the justification. Step 1, you might call it.

Permalink Reply by Richard H. McCargar on July 12, 2011 at 10:06pm

It is more expensive. Just take it at face value, don't cheat or game the system, and you have what they designed.

"If they were more serious..." Why do you start your assumptions in that way. Continually deciding there must have been ulterior motives? Perhaps they were no more nor less than honest people hoping to gain information from other honest people. Why do the mental gymnastics to find a way to justify your position?

Permalink Reply by Richard H. McCargar on July 12, 2011 at 10:19pm

You wrote:

"Other than that, it is LITERALLY asking to get as many of your friends and yourself to vote repeatedly." You left out the fact that is central to this discussion. Your friends are to be Ohio voters.

You ignored that you are told that as an Ohio resident, you may vote daily (hence the cookies which track your daily voting) and you ignored the "endorse" your sticker. Nowhere does it tell you to have your out of state friends add an Ohio zip-code, nor to clear their cookies and vote as many times a day as they wish.

So much for your use of "LITERALLY."

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on July 13, 2011 at 12:57pm

Way to quote mine. What was the VERY NEXT sentence from the one you referenced? Oh yeah, this one:

So the question of morality comes with getting people outside the state to vote.

So you are just lying when you say:

You ignored that you are told that as an Ohio resident...

I just voted three times, and nothing stopped me. Cookies didn't care. So your claim of:

...you may vote daily (hence the cookies which track your daily voting)...

is nonsense.

You are now simply being dishonest. I'm disappointed really. This was a moderately good discussion, even with your inability to offer an argument of "it is unethical because it breaks the rules".

I'm not bothering with following this anymore, but feel free to personally message me if you'd like, starting with apologies for dishonest quote mining and lying about what I typed. Anyone else who wants to talk to me can message me too, obviously.

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on July 13, 2011 at 1:04pm

I'm comfortable with what is up here and how I support my position.

Permalink Reply by Alice on July 12, 2011 at 10:07pm

Secretary of State Jon Husted invites Ohioans to practice a little democracy prior to Election Day by electing the next "I Voted Today" sticker. In this particular election, you don't have to be 18 to participate and you can vote as often as you like!

Visit this page daily from now through August 8 to vote for your favorite from among six new designs. Then "endorse" your sticker by sharing it with your friends through Facebook and Twitter so they too can join in the fun. The sticker that earns the popular vote will be the one distributed to Ohio voters at the polls this November 8, 2011.

Please enter the voting page below and thank you for participating!

Permalink Reply by Alice on July 12, 2011 at 10:11pm

This is what is posted on the website - if you view the you tube - their motivation seems more about encouraging people to vote that it is about the sticker itself - I think they are going with the "if people feel they had a choice, they are more likely to be cooperative" strategy - give them a choice about the sticker and they are more likely to vote....

They put it forward as a bit of fun - by saying that you don't have to be 18 to vote - so children are allowed to vote. And they do invite you to include your friends - it doesn't say anything about BUT only friends from Ohio - so really I don't see a problem with anyone voting - if it's that important to Stephan that it doesn't have - god - on his Ohio voting sticker - then why not help to win the contest - I really don't think you can say that it is morally wrong to do so - when they have openly invited him to do so.....

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on July 13, 2011 at 1:05pm

Good point. The zip code may simply be tracking interest. Nothing to do about limiting it to Ohio voters. Great catch, a little ashamed I didn't notice that myself.

Permalink Reply by Alice on July 12, 2011 at 10:15pm

OK I've sent them an email to ask:

Hi,
Can I clarify with you.
Can we vote on the sticker pole as many times as we wish?
AND
Is this only for Ohio residents or can friends of Ohio residents living outside of the state also vote on the pole?