Your Vote Doesn't Count.

• Author: Acheson, Mel
• Position: Letters - Letter to the editor

I was disappointed that Katherine Mangu-Ward's article "Your Vote Doesn't Count" (November) overlooked the argument that voting is coercion. Years ago, when I joined the Libertarian Party and signed the non-initiation of violence pledge, I realized that it meant I could never vote for the party's candidates. Voting is not just a personal preference poll: If my side wins, I'm voting to force all my neighbors to live by my rules.

Mel Acheson

Freeland, WA

I agree with Katherine Mangu-Ward's notion that one vote will not make a significant difference. But there are some other considerations. First, ff fewer people vote, electoral power will be concentrated in the hands of an even smaller minority than it is now. Second, ballot access is a...