> What about the
> "positive" refusal of voting? Why isn't abstention considered a
> political statement rather than a sign of confusion or apathy?
As a vocal anarchist who campaigns against voting, I follow this stuff closely.
I think the main reason is a paradigm problem. People, especially Americans who are indoctrinated into believing that voting is a good thing, can't comprehend that many people refuse to vote for political reasons. Voting abstention for political reasons is quite common in the U.S., but liberal and progressive intellectuals will go to great lengths to explain it away as apathy or something else.
What I find hilarious are the campaigns to move voting to weekends or to allow online voting. The fools who promote this shit really think that people don't vote because it's not convenient enough. It's fucking easy to vote in the U.S. Polling places are all over the place and newspapers always list where people can vote. Registration is easy and in your face.
Some people need to face up to the fact that many people don't vote for political reasons.
Chuck0