Notice: The candidate referenced is running in the 2022 Arlington, Virginia election. The sample is slightly biased, it is a convenience sample. We also cannot rely on the moms (or any human) to fully know the details of their utility functions.
Scene: Act 1, scene 6. Setting: My living room. Appetizer hour. Book club. Cast: Juliette, 5 NoVA moms.
** Screen flashes: "Based On Real Events"
NoVA Mom 1: Juliette! You're of age! Are you voting in the upcoming election?
Juliette: No, I am a rational voter --or, I guess, a rational non-voter! I know my vote isn't decisive, and for me, the marginal cost of voting exceeds the marginal benefit, so I don't vote.
NoVA Mom 2: *scowls* It is your civic duty! We have the right to vote, so we should vote!
Juliette: You have the right to own a gun, NoVA Mom 2, so do you?
NoVA Mom 2: *silence*
NoVA Mom 4: I like to vote.
Juliette: Obviously then, for you the marginal benefit exceeds the marginal cost. If I may ask, what do you enjoy about voting?
NoVA Mom 4: I like to show what I like.
Juliette: *perks up* Really?! If you don't mind my asking, what do you want to express?
NoVA Mom 4: The representation I want. I look for the Ds, and even then, I only vote for them if the candidate is a woman or a minority. Even though Don Beyer is a Dem, he's a white man, so he doesn't get my vote. Nobody does in that race. So much for my education making me an educated voter, this is kind of irrational of me *laughs*
Juliette: You're not irrational! You're rationally ignorant! You don't have the time to learn about the candidates and follow the events, because you work a full time job. You use expressive voting because you know your vote doesn't instrumentally matter. You derive utility from expressing your preferences, not from influencing the election.
NoVA Mom 3 (mine): Wow Juliette, you sure are learning a lot in that public choice course! Speak English please!
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