Corruption, compromise, and conspiracies notwithstanding, I don't vote in recognition of my own ignorance. That is, particularly in local matters, I'm not paying enough attention. I figure casting a completely uniformed vote just injects noise - making it less likely that the voters who actually know the better path would end up winning. I do usually show up for a presidential election, though, just to vote 3rd party so as to provide some signal of displeasure in the 2 main parties; but even then, I'll just leave the other items blank. Should I feel shame for not just making myself more informed on all the issues? Perhaps. But, my point is, i think we'd all be better off without the "Get Out and Vote (even if you know you're uninformed)" campaigns. I would much rather our cultural environment supported "Do Your Homework or Just Stay Home" campaigns.