Voticons

I updated my Voticon post from two years ago.

With the impending election coming there is much talk about the selection of candidates. In some races you think of the phrase "choosing the lesser of two evils." A phrase I really don't like. Even in cases where you a choosing between two candidates that might have views you don't like; you are really choosing to limit evil and are not choosing evil but a good.

Some have spoken of sending a message by sitting out the election or voting third party instead. Well to be sarcastic - all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to vote third party or to sit out the election. Kevin Miller had a very good post on this subject today. If because people sit out and a Supreme Court nominee that could overturn Roe v. Wade doesn't make it through the process - that will really send a message.

Unfortunately it is rarely the case that you pull the lever on a candidate and think wow this person is the perfect moral candidate. Unfortunately in are present system when you vote for someone there is no really good public way to mark your displeasure or that you are voting for them with reservations.

I do have a solution though to this problem. When you read message boards and some blogs you can see the use of emoticons for people to be able to mark the related emotion to what they are saying.

With the advent of so many LCD touch screens in the voting booth just how hard would it be to able to add emoticons with each of your votes? When the emoticons are tabulated politicians would see exactly what you really think of them. Right now a vote appears to them to be an 100 percent vote of approval. It would be great for their humility to get a 80 percent "yawning" and a 10 percent "grossed out' along with other ratings.

Though the standard emoticons are really not expressive enough. I suggest a new category for voting machines - Voticons. Here are some possible Voticons.

Holding my nose while voting for you

You were the lesser of two devils

After voting for you I think I am gonna spew

I am embarrassed to have voted for you but you sucked less than the other person.

I voted pro-life, please don't disappoint me

Used for politicians where you are "split" between liking him one day and hating him the next.

Remember this is my wallet not yours, please vote accordingly.

I am only voting for you because 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't'

I suspect that you will not rob me like a pirate as much as the other guy.

I vote pro-life and you are less murderous than the other guy.

Now in some situations I guess you could actually use one of the normal smiley emoticons, for example if you actually get to vote for someone like Sen. Sam Brownback

And here is one last one:

"It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged." G.K. Chesterton