Everybody knows elections are rigged in America. Should you vote or move ? 🗳

The political system was created by incumbent politicians and their predecessors. The rules were written specifically to tilt the system in their favor, to make it easier for them to be re-elected or at least their party and members of the public that look and think like them. Many of the methods of rigging elections are hundreds of years old — the political districts most people live in, such as state, county, and town lines haven’t changed in decades if not centuries.

People frequently talk about redistricting as a way elections are rigged. Gerrymandering is a time honored method of rigging elections, predating Governor Elbridge Gerry by many years. After all, it only makes sense that incumbents would try to both perpetuate their own re-election or ensure that people that look and think like them get elected in office. It makes sense to point that form of electoral rigging, as it’s a very explicit and contemporary way of rigging elections.

But there is a more pernicious form of election rigging that has been around a lot longer —  state, county, and town lines. Long established, they often group or split up like minded voters. The electoral college and state laws are all about reinforcing this form of rigging. After all, if you live in New York State, and you were planning to just to vote for Donald Trump, you might as well just stay home. The same is true for voting for Joe Biden in Texas. The system is rigged with the Electoral College, so your vote won’t count. But maybe there are competitive races down ticket to vote for or maybe your just wasting your time. Reformers call for eliminating the electoral college, but you’ll be still stuck with a Republican or Democratic legislature based on the long-established majority in your state.

Plus, the rules for voting are created by one party or another. Don’t lie to yourself — in Democratic-controlled states, Democrats are busy finding ways to make it easier for Democrats to vote and harder for Republican to vote. In Republican-states the opposite is happening. Each demographic group has preferred ways to participate in elections, and it certainly is easy enough for legislatures and boards of elections to place polling sites, set hours, and ballot rules in way that benefit their own party. If it is discovered that there is a way the minority party is screwing up their ballot or is more inconvenienced in voting, then the majority is happy to implement it. Likewise, majority parties are more then happy to make it easier for their own voters to get out and vote.

So what’s an average voter to do?

Go out and vote, paying careful attention to special rules for your local area implemented. Especially if voting is free and convenient — there is a polling place located near home or work. Mainly because there isn’t much other choice, if you want to have some impact around the margin in close races. Voters have some say in elections, but they should be aware are playing in a rigged system. Chances are that their voices won’t be heard, but what’s the harm in participating in a system that doesn’t cost much in time or money? Hey, you never know, say the riggers of the NYS Lottery.

Clearly the most effective form of voting doesn’t occur at the polls or in elections. If the system is rigged to pick a particular candidate in a region, Americans are still free to choose where they want to live and associate with. Like it or not, the most popular and effective form of voting in America is with people’s own feet. Do you support Joe Biden? Move to New York or California. Support Donald Trump? Move to Texas or Tennessee. Don’t put your faith in the ballot box or the politicians, put your faith in yourself, and take responsibility for your own life.