Do you agree with the idea that not being enthused about voting means you would rather just not vote? For this and future elections the number that counts is how many voters are refusing to vote. Once you eliminate the not going to vote at all people, then you might get a clearer picture of how many actual voters will take part. And despite all the polls and articles about enthusiasm, lack of enthusiasm and its importance we do not know this percentage, nor do we have any useful information on on it.
If a large number of people respond to the polls that they are definitely not going to vote then there is some real information. We would all know more. But they have to be asked, more specifically than they are now.
Somehow the current version suggests that likely voters with high enthusiasm is the only type of voter who really matters. Even Nate Silver gets cuaght up in the likely voter story. Elections are determined by all those who cast a ballot ( ignoring for now Florida in 2000, etc.) The media are falsely presenting a story that that makes it look like an enthusiastic Republian Tea Party voter is more important than an unenthusiastic vote for a Democratic candidate.
Even voters who are low information voters count. Even voters who aren't enthused count. And they are just as important as the most rabid TeaParty Republican vote. Even the stories on this site often follow the highly enthused story most of the time.
If Americans are really not going to vote, the only reasonable way to know is to ask a more direct question. Stating deadfastly that "I am not going to vote" is at least as accurate as a statement of intent as "I am enthused and highly likely to vote". Both statements have value but the pollsters do not seem to be attempting to find the percentage of those actually not planning to vote. There is just an assumption. And since the number of people who would respond as no voters is unknown then there is little to zero sense in deciding that less enthused equals not voting.
Yet numerous stories and headlines have tried to make it seem that the enthused votes are going to happen and that other responses suggest not voting. It might be true, but it certainly is not derived accurately from the polling question. Basically this indicates a bias in favor of saying "I will vote" and an increasing bias in favor of saying how enthusiasticlly you are about voting.
How many DKos readers are definitely not voting? I've seem comments from some that say, not me, I'm not voting this time or I'm not voting anymore. And I believe them. This statement is much more predictive than asking about how enthused someone is.
Let' push for future polling to more accurately reflect who and in what percent have no intention to vote. And if those numbers are small, inconsequential or the same as previous elections then let's just push GOTV and ignore the half-answers that the polls and media have pushed as a lead story. What do you think?