Regarding Mishka's point on the significance of voting, I would say do a simulation with a small voting pool of 5 voters and see how you feel about those numbers. Yes, one's reason for not voting may vary, but the mathematical effects are independent of one's reason for doing so.
Your sample is too small to illustrate your point. It's much, much more complex than that, at least in the majority of countries. Still, it doesn't matter: the ultimate executive power doesn't come from the President, except for matters depending on foreign policies. What matters is who you have voted as your representative, and how many like him are in the House. Is there a 47% republican, a 39% democrat, and a 14% of the other parties? That's what matters in the long run, they're the ones who will pass the bills, where the real politics are done. The dangerous outcomes of these elections are because of how the US will show themselves to the world.
[...] When you don't vote, you effectively submit your power to choose to the rest of the voters.
Nope, I didn't say that, never said that. When you vote blank, you submit your power. When you don't vote, you don't agree with any candidate. When your vote is null, it's a more active way of disagreeing. But not voting doesn't mean you "submit" to anyone. That's demagogic used to get people to sway for either side. Don't fall in that fallacy.
If you vote for an underdog, you at least get to document your dissatisfaction, but in a veiled way.
Not if it's just a noone that you don't know at all. Information is power. Always be true for yourself. Voting out of spite isn't right, and can/will get you in more trouble than you wanted to avoid. I have friends who are voting for Trump because they don't want Hillary and vice versa. Think about how screwed they'll be when they see what they actually supported.
Perhaps now would be the time to invest in booze and aspirin.
Pass the bottle. Have you actually taken a look at Europe? In the US even with the lower wages you still get lower taxes and an all around cheaper way of living, and the median US citizen will have at least 20 jobs before getting the one they'll stick with for the rest of their lives. In most European countries that's unthinkable. You either spend half your life between jobs, or go into government, or get lucky enough to land a job right after finishing your education, and then you grow roots there.
Even if your two candidates are war mongering nutjobs using and abusing demagogy, slander and low blows to get at each other so they can gain more votes, you aren't faced with the threat of left-winged extremists/populists. Take a look at Venezuela, and extrapolate it to countries like Greece, Spain, Italy... It's scary.
But there's nothing we can do now other than brace ourselves and hope for the best now. May God takes mercy on our souls.
