system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: We should not be aggressively encouraging people to vote

Let me be specific about what I am opposed to. I am bothered by the constant bombardment of messages telling me to vote. I intend to vote, but this pro-voting campaign and it's message bothers me. Here's why:

1. I don't buy the dogma that every additional vote automatically improves democracy. In fact, I think if you are less informed and thoughtful than the average voter, your vote probably makes our democracy worse. I suspect the person who must be pestered into voting often falls into this category. While I am extremely skeptical of any attempt to prevent these people from voting, if they are willingly not voting, why stop them?

2. Not voting is a respectable position. I just said most non-voters are probably uninformed and uninterested, but undoubtedly this is not always the case. Some people have well thought out reasons for not voting, and I respect that. Telling these people they need to vote is insulting. If we did ever require voting, we must all require a "none of the above" option on every ballot, or preferably "none of the below."

3. I suspect very few people would support additional votes being cast if they were votes against their cause. Most of these pro-voting campaigns are actually just veiled partisan campaigning. This is achieved by targeting who is encouraged to vote. Getting out the vote for your side doesn't bother me so much as pretending it's non-partisan and patriotic. In fact, I know this is true from personal experience. A local Church wanted to support a particular candidate, but was unwilling to say so openly. They resolved instead to promote voting, but only to people they thought would vote the way they wanted. I know this because I have some insider knowledge in this particular example.

To summarize, I have no problem when campaigns ask you to vote for their side. Neither do I have a problem with providing basic information on how to vote. I do have a problem telling people to vote for the sake of voting because it not beneficial to democracy, it's insulting, and it's usually not honest.
gpt
Like it or not, the true nature of democracy is no one, not matter how informed is voting with complete information.

Just because one person is more familiar with issues they care about doesn't mean they are any more deserving to vote than someone who just wants a president they think is handsome. 

Both are equally relevant because no one can know what the actual future is going to be.

If the most people possible do not vote, then it means that only the most politically zealous will vote, and that's far worse in terms of polarising the country.