Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
by Ilya Somin

“Many people, including some political theorists, believe we have a moral duty to vote. I disagree. Indeed, I think – in many cases – it’s better if you don’t vote, especially if ignorance and bias make it likely you will make a bad decision. Casting a ballot motivated by ignorance and bias is often worse than not voting at all.” (11/02/26)

https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/02/the-logic-of-voting-for-a-lesser-evil-and-other-writings-on-the-ethics-of-voting/

Source: New York Post
by Daniel McCarthy

“Politics has high enough stakes without the losers being sent to prison — or losing their heads. Jailing opponents or condemning them to death is what dictatorships do, not democracies. But times are changing, rapidly — and democracy isn’t what it used to be, thanks to a vengeful spirit that’s taken hold from Brazil to South Korea. And we’ve had a taste of it as well. As Americans think about what’s in store for the next two years after a new Congress is sworn in next January, with the 2028 presidential election now on the horizon, we should take heed of just how far ‘lawfare’ is going in other parts of the world. In Seoul, former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has literally been on trial for his life. Prosecutors last week renewed demands that Yoon be put to death for his attempt to impose martial law in late 2024.” (11/02/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/11/02/opinion/lawfare-runs-amok-from-brazil-to-poland-and-democracy-is-at-risk/

Source: Liberalism.org
by Keith Taylor

“I can assure you, speaking as a midwestern transplant to California, that Lake Tahoe is every bit as majestic as you’ve heard. The impossible Mediterranean blue clarity and its blinding reflection, the redwooded Sierra Nevadas rimming the basin, and not least the scrappy, outdoorsy, work-a-day people who are part of the Tahoe tapestry. Lake Tahoe’s people understand the treasure that is theirs to nurture—and for the world to experience. And we should reward them for stewarding one of the wonders of the world. Alas, American systems of rural community governance, contrary to popular belief, are not well structured for their tasks. They fail to reward either labor or entrepreneurship.” (11/02/26)

https://www.liberalism.org/p/the-lake-tahoe-paradox

Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard

“In an era of clueless voters and profoundly dishonest candidates, cynicism is one of the last best checks on political power run amok. Regardless of the final vote count in Tuesday’s mid-term congressional elections, both Republicans and Democrats have earned all the distrust they will reap.” (11/02/26)

https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/11/02/cynicism-should-win-the-mid-term-elections/

Source: Semafor
by David Weigel

“Four years ago, when longtime Pittsburgh Democrat Mike Doyle retired from Congress, a left-wing legislator named Summer Lee won the primary to replace him. Republicans nominated a local politician from the suburbs to face her who had a fortuitous name: Mike Doyle. … There was no federal investigation of the Doyle scheme; no demands not to seat Doyle if he won; no statement from the governor saying that he might not certify the election. All of that has unfolded in Alaska this cycle.” (11/02/26)

https://www.semafor.com/article/11/02/2026/see-you-in-court