Thread: The voter's dilemma

It's a simple question which doesn't need much introduction from me: As an individual (i.e., not as a society), ought I to exercise my right to vote in political elections?

Here is my own, very simple position. The way that I see it, the cost of voting in terms of time and effort outweighs the expected payoff, which is approximately nothing since the probability that my vote will be a deciding vote is negligible. I have never voted and I do not plan to.

Perhaps the most common rebuttal to this reasoning is to point out that if everyone shared this attitude, no one would vote, and democracy would grind to a halt. In other words, if we lived in an alternate, fictional reality in which everyone shared my views, voting would be rational. Needless to say, I do not find this rebuttal very compelling.

In America, the electoral college renders the individual vote useless in a very real sense. Three American presidents have been "elected" without receiving a majority of the votes. However, I don't want to limit this discussion to voting in America, so while you should feel free to comment on this peculiar state of affairs, it will also be useful to consider the many cases in which elections actually are decided by majorities.

Please share your views on voting and comment on mine.

Edit: The apparent paradox of gathering opinions on this matter through a vote is not lost on me. Keep in mind that this discussion is about political elections.