--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't vote, it only encourages them." description: "\"Don't vote, it only encourages them.\" — Billy Connolly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png" --- # Don't vote, it only encourages them. ![“Don't vote, it only encourages them.” quote by Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png) > “Don't vote, it only encourages them.” [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Voting is portrayed as ineffective, implying participation only supports the status quo. **In simple terms:** Voting seems pointless. Key Takeaway Consider impact before voting. Themes politics citizen duty engagement Mood skeptical reflective Type opinion commentary When to use this quote - elections - community decisions - policy referendums Key Concepts democratic participation political efficacy Questions to Reflect On - Do you believe voting can change policies? - What other civic actions are effective? A Different Perspective Voting can still influence outcomes despite frustrations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Election day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election-day/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) ## Related quotes > [If you think I would have gone to war the way George Bush did, don't vote for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/if-you-think-i-would-have-gone-to-war-the-way-george-bush-did-don-t/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Tomorrow is Election Day. It's what they call the midterm elections, and you can cut the indifference with a knife. It's the day Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/tomorrow-is-election-day-it-s-what-they-call-the-midterm-elections/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [It's the American way: if you don't vote, you don't get to whine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/it-s-the-american-way-if-you-don-t-vote-you-don-t-get-to-whine/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [If you don't vote, you don't count,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-dahmer/if-you-don-t-vote-you-don-t-count/) Vernon Dahmer > [Going back to why people don't vote, I presume the main reason is because they understand without reading political science texts that it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/going-back-to-why-people-don-t-vote-i-presume-the-main-reason-is/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Since the majority is always wrong, might we try one election day where all the losers take office?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/since-the-majority-is-always-wrong-might-we-try-one-election-day/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [ Ohioans know that he inherited a mess and created a surplus. So, on election day, John \[Kasich\] will prevail in Ohio. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ridge/ohioans-know-that-he-inherited-a-mess-and-created-a-surplus-so-on/) [Tom Ridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ridge/) > [We're not going to fix government until we fix citizenship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pahlka/we-re-not-going-to-fix-government-until-we-fix-citizenship/) [Jennifer Pahlka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pahlka/) > [I just think we have to create the climate so that people will come out on election day and vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/i-just-think-we-have-to-create-the-climate-so-that-people-will-come/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Voter fraud is almost non-existent. People don't just show up on election day, trying to impersonate other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/voter-fraud-is-almost-non-existent-people-don-t-just-show-up-on/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [We have a system that allows us to manage a free and fair election, free of fraud, free of intimidation, and that's what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-a-system-that-allows-us-to-manage-a-free-and-fair-election/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Government can't give us anything without depriving us of something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/government-can-t-give-us-anything-without-depriving-us-of-something/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [It is amazing how soon one becomes accustomed to the sound of ones voice, when forced to repeat a speech five or six times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/it-is-amazing-how-soon-one-becomes-accustomed-to-the-sound-of-ones/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [I always lose the election in the polls, and I always win it on election day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/i-always-lose-the-election-in-the-polls-and-i-always-win-it-on/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More by Billy Connolly > [Ally MacLeod thinks that tactics are a new kind of mint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/ally-macleod-thinks-that-tactics-are-a-new-kind-of-mint/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [I've been a poser for f--ing years. I say, pose your arse off. You know, have a laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-ve-been-a-poser-for-f-ing-years-i-say-pose-your-arse-off-you-know/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [Heckling is an act of cowardice. If you want to speak, get up in front of the microphone and speak, don't sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/heckling-is-an-act-of-cowardice-if-you-want-to-speak-get-up-in-front/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [I don't believe in angels and I have trouble with the whole God thing. I don't want to say I don't believe in God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-don-t-believe-in-angels-and-i-have-trouble-with-the-whole-god-thing/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [I think my securities far outweigh my insecurities. I am not nearly as afraid of myself and my imagination as I used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-think-my-securities-far-outweigh-my-insecurities-i-am-not-nearly-as/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [People die all the time. It's just that you're not around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/people-die-all-the-time-it-s-just-that-you-re-not-around/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [I loved Japan. I used to read a lot about it when I was a child. And I always wanted to go. And it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-loved-japan-i-used-to-read-a-lot-about-it-when-i-was-a-child-and-i/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [Life is supposed to be fun. It's not a job or occupation. We're here only once and we should have a bit of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/life-is-supposed-to-be-fun-it-s-not-a-job-or-occupation-we-re-here/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [I'm famous for my bottom dances, but you'll only see my bum and willy if you raise a million pounds within an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-m-famous-for-my-bottom-dances-but-you-ll-only-see-my-bum-and-willy/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [Don't buy one of those baby intercoms. Babies pretend to be dead. They're bastards, and they do it on purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/don-t-buy-one-of-those-baby-intercoms-babies-pretend-to-be-dead-they/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [Politically correct is the language of cowardice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/politically-correct-is-the-language-of-cowardice/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [I think of my life as a series of moments and I've found that the great moments often don't have too much to them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-think-of-my-life-as-a-series-of-moments-and-i-ve-found-that-the/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [And then there was my mate who'd just been fitted with a brand new hearing aid. "It's the best in the world", he said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/and-then-there-was-my-mate-who-d-just-been-fitted-with-a-brand-new/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [So, have you heard about the oyster who went to a disco and pulled a mussel?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/so-have-you-heard-about-the-oyster-who-went-to-a-disco-and-pulled-a/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [Chic Murray once told me he fell in the street, and a woman said to him, "Did you fall?" He said, "No, I'm tryin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/chic-murray-once-told-me-he-fell-in-the-street-and-a-woman-said-to/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) [Explore all 167 Billy Connolly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) ## More Election quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [There's more than 1700 emails out of the thirty three thousand Hillary Clinton emails that we've published, just about Libya. It's not that Libya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/there-s-more-than-1700-emails-out-of-the-thirty-three-thousand/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [It's not clear in the U.S. at the moment, either. We're going through another election.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-kerrey/it-s-not-clear-in-the-u-s-at-the-moment-either-we-re-going-through/) [Bob Kerrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-kerrey/) > [I always lose the election in the polls, and I always win it on election day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/i-always-lose-the-election-in-the-polls-and-i-always-win-it-on/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [Elections are not a beauty contest. It is all about tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-franz/elections-are-not-a-beauty-contest-it-is-all-about-tolerance/) Vladimir Franz > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The election of Trump threw the chess board up. The pieces are all over the place. That's upsetting to a lot of people, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/the-election-of-trump-threw-the-chess-board-up-the-pieces-are-all/) [Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I spent many years working for voting rights, but we still see sophisticated efforts, led by white officials, to disenfranchise black voters in local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-brooke/i-spent-many-years-working-for-voting-rights-but-we-still-see/) [Edward Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-brooke/) > [“The answer to the question raised in the title of this essay - Is salvation a matter of divine determination or human responsibility? -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layton-talbert/the-answer-to-the-question-raised-in-the-title-of-this-essay-is/) [Layton Talbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layton-talbert/) > [One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/one-of-the-reasons-people-hate-politics-is-that-truth-is-rarely-a/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) [Browse all 3,344 Election quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't vote, it only encourages them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Connolly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Election" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/billy-connolly-2412_election_don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them-31025_3102515.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't vote, it only encourages them.” — Billy Connolly", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Billy Connolly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't vote, it only encourages them.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/don-t-vote-it-only-encourages-them/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```