There are lots of reasons to vote, but influencing the outcome of an election is almost never one of them. For consider that, all else being equal, your vote would not have changed the outcome had you voted differently, except in those rare cases where the outcome is determined by a single vote. If you want to make a difference, then you need to convince many people to vote one way rather than another. Of course, your vote will make a difference in the world, because your vote affects the number of people who vote one way rather than another. But who wins the election will almost always be determined by more than one vote.

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