Forum Post: A Two-Party Selection? How do you feel about voting?

Over the past few election-cycles I've been a fairly-reliable voter, viewing it as my civic-duty and responsibility to cast a ballot come election time. How I voted is irrelevent to this post, as I am weighing not the idea of who I should vote for (or against), but whether it is more responsible for a citizen to NOT cast a ballot in the upcoming elections.

What brought this up was a conversation I had with Dolly, my 80 year-old neighbor who has sons and grandsons who serve/have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is quite a character, and frequently lapses into Italian when angered or upset, using language that may be a touch too colorful for this board. It can't be anything but obvious that she may have a few valid reasons to be a tad ticked-off at our elected officials at this given point of time, considering where our troops still are. I like her.

"I'm not voting this year! None of those #$@-[darned] [persons] are getting my [fill-in blank] vote! They can go [blank] themselves! Fungol!"

I can appreciated her sentiment, but do wonder if not voting is a vaild answer, as in the past I felt that I could use my vote against candidates by voting for their opposition. Does Dolly have a valid point, and might I be wrong by casting a ballot?

If the election process itself is corrupt, and if the public is not benefiting from this corrupt process, am I supporting or lending the guise of legitimacy to a seemingly illigitimate system by the act of casting a ballot?

This year I doubt I'll be swayed much by the "lesser of two evils" argument or have much toleration for quips like "you don't wanna vote, move to the Soviet Union. Or China!" (I do note that a citizen could vote in these places, although they only had/have one flavor of party to choose from, versus our two). I don't abide much by the notion that if you don't vote you shouldn't have a say, especially as it seems we are allowed little say in the matters that count regardless. As far as the option goes of writing-in a candidate who's more reflective of my values, we use electronic-polling in my county, and I doubt the election officials would look too kindly at me taking a magic-marker to the face of their touch-screen voting machine.

I fully support OWS with regards to not taking any positions on any candidate, but where might it stand on the very act itself of voting in this election? Have any learned or creative minds given thought to this matter? I'd love to hear, because personally, I'm still very much undecided as what to do come November.