What They Really Mean When They Say They’re Not Voting

June 3, 2016 / Ronnie Ritchie

What do you think of people who don’t vote?

Lots of politically active folks think not voting means you must be privileged – or just too “lazy” or “irresponsible” to participate in the election process.

But there are actually some valid reasons for not voting that you may not have considered. Check out this comic and make sure you consider these perspectives before you judge someone for sitting out of an election.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

Click for the Transcript

What They Really Mean When They Say They’re Not Voting

Panel 1

(Person A is a middle-aged woman wearing a retail uniform. They are trying to be casual but seem stiff.)

Person A: I’m not voting this year.

Panel 2

(Person A’s shoulders sag, and they seem exhausted.)

Person A: I know that I can legally take time off work to vote, but it’s not paid time off and I have a daughter and a grandchild to support.

Panel 3

(Person B is an immigrant student, wearing glasses and a hat and looking at their phone.)

Person B: I guess I’m failing that voting assignment…

Panel 4

(Person B looks up from their phone.)

Person B: My professor made voting a mandatory homework assignment, and I don’t know what to do because I don’t feel safe disclosing my undocumented status.

Panel 5

(Person C is an indigenous activist with long dark hair and wearing a beanie and t-shirt.)

Person C: I might do a write-in, but I’m not voting for anyone on the ballot.

Panel 6

(Person C gestures outwards.)

Person C: “Harm reduction” or “strategic” voting won’t change my circumstances or un-occupy the land stolen from my people. State violence is embedded in our society, and no one on the ballot is going to end it.

Panel 7

(Person D is a Black person, with short dark hair holding a cat and petting it.)

Person D: I can’t change anything…

Panel 8

(Person D hides their face in the cat.)

Person D: I’m on parole and have had my voting rights taken from me until it is over. I hate that I can’t vote against the policies that targeted me in the first place!

Panel 9

(Person E is a younger person with long hair and wearing a hoodie with their back to the reader, looking at their phone.)

Person E: Voting is too much effort…

Panel 10

(Person E looks over their shoulder)

Person E: I missed the deadline to vote by mail, and my anxiety and agoraphobia means I’m not able to go to a polling station.

Panel 11

(Person F is a young man with short brown hair, shrugging, eyes closed.)

Person F: Voting? Why bother!

Panel 12

(Person F opens their eyes.)

Person F: I don’t feel the need to be active in the world around me, whether that involves voting or being involved in my community, because I can rely on the fact that my privilege will protect me.

To learn more about this topic, check out:

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Ronnie Rene Ritchie is a Contributing Comic Artist for Everyday Feminism, an illustrator, and storyteller working out of Peterborough, Ontario. Since graduating from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon with a BFA in Illustration, Ronnie has had work featured in galleries and sex shops across North America, and their autobiographical webcomic, GQutie, has seen its popularity soar online. Learn more about GQutie, Ronnie’s illustration, or follow them on Twitter @ronithebear.