Voting is pretty much useless -- a ritual activity devoid of meaning. A big part of the reason, at least at the level of U.S. congressional elections, is gerrymandering: the jiggering of electoral district boundaries to ensure that very few contests are competitive. Another is that the so-called choice between Democrats and Republicans provides no alternative: the Democrats believe in tax-and-spend, and the Republicans (especially under George III) believe in spend-and-borrow. What's the difference? If only all ballots included a "None of the Above" option -- I'd happily vote NOTA every time!