Voluntary voting offers democratic choice

Selim is young student and this his debut on Menzies House as a contributor.  His understanding of Australia’s voting system may be a touch naïve when he writes, “Of course, statistics do not lie.” Voting fraud makes a big lie of the AEC's statistics. Nevertheless, the author’s last paragraph gives greater meaning to his story. GC.Ed.

The central focus on the debate on compulsory voting in Australia is aimed at increasing voter participation in elections, as according to advocates of compulsory voting, is this essential to a functioning democracy in which the voices of the people are heard. However, the Newman government in Queensland has challenged its opponents and is now calling to introduce a system of voluntary electoral participation, which would mean that it reverses a tradition of almost 100 years of compulsory voting.

Of course, statistics do not lie. There has been an immediate increase in the voter turnout since the introduction of compulsory voting in 1925, having soared to 91.38% in the House of Representatives, up from 58.38% in the 1922 federal election. In 2010 the total voter turnout for the House of Representatives was 93.22%. However I do not believe that this is highly representative of the voice of the people for at least a few reasons. 

In our democracy we are not compelled to exercise our right to vote in order to participate in the political process and make our voice heard because we can lobby, protest and advocate for political change by petitioning our government, which is characterised through the power of persuasion. The right to vote adds pressure on our elected representatives to respond to the demands of the community because they will remain answerable to those who wish to participate in the electoral process.

Regardless, a system of voluntary voting enhances the democratic process as it gives people greater choice in making their voice heard. It gives the people who do not support the political status quo candidates the ability to make their voice heard, by sending them the message that they object to what the individual candidates stand for because they are not compelled to cast a ballot that is marked with candidate preferences. Thus, it is the duty of our democratic spirit to accept that abstaining from voting is a clear objection from people who do not wish to vote for any of the political candidates.

In addition, while it is highly likely that supporters of compulsory voting would argue that one does not actually vote for any of the candidates since they can cast an informal vote, there is something to be said about this argument. It is based on the assumption that people know that they don’t actually have to cast a valid vote.

Furthermore, there is a perception in the community that when they hear compulsory voting, they understand it as meaning that one has to cast a ballot with an indication of candidate preferences, thereby creating a situation for those who do not want to vote for either of the candidates in which they believe they are forced to cast a valid vote so that they can avoid being fined by the government. Of course, the purpose of the secret ballot is to ensure that no one will ever know how someone voted, or if they actually cast a formal vote.

Yet, there remains substantial ignorance in the community about the electoral process and as such it is an impediment on ensuring that the public can make their voice truly heard. On the other hand, voluntary voting removes such confusion because voters will be given choice as to whether to participate in the electoral process.

So, it is critical for the Newman government to implement this important reform as it will remove this highly distorted perception that a high voter turnout means that the government is truly representative of the views of the people. There is a difference between the quantity and quality of voting which determines the strength of our democracy.

Selim is an Arts student at Monash University and is a member of the Monash Liberal Club and the Victorian Young Liberals.

Comments

[Smutsie]

1.

Just to get the ball rolling.

Sheesh - GC criticising his own poster -

"Voting fraud makes a big lie of the AEC's statistics"

I do not dispute that there are individual nutters (right & left) who vote more than once by going to different polling booths within their electorate, but where is the hard evidence of an organised conspiracy (right or left)?

What would be interesting would be a contrast against people who were fined for not voting and who claimed in fact that they did.

I'm thinking of simple things like clerical errors, marking off the wrong name on the electoral roll, things like that.

[Anton]

2.

Sheesh - GC criticising his own poster

It's called freedom of speech. Don't you have it on the left?

[Anton]

3.

Yet, there remains substantial ignorance in the community about the electoral process

Most clearly demonstrated by the common statement "a vote for a smaller party is a wasted vote"

With preferential voting only your last choice is wasted, which is obviously irrelevant anyway.

[Linne]

4.

Smutsie, have a read of the following:

A matter which will be considered in future issues of the "National Observer", but which has now assumed great urgency, is electoral fraud.

It must be understood that the Australian electoral system is open to large-scale fraud. It is possible to enrol as a voter, or re-enrol many times, by filling in an enrolment form, having it witnessed by a person "eligible to be an elector" or witnessing it oneself under a false name, and posting it to an electoral office.

For example, Mr. Robert Patching, Divisional Returning Officer for the Federal seat of Rankin, reported after the 1996 election that he had discovered 217 people on the electoral roll who were not in fact eligible to be there

Even this alarming figure far understates the number of persons improperly on the roll. Other reports have indicated enrolled voters claiming to be living on what turned out to be vacant blocks and as many as eleven untraceable enrolled voters claiming to be living in a single dwelling.

[Geoff Crocker]

5.

Stark reality!
Average electoral riding 70 polling booths
1 car, 5 people. Officer’s question, Have you voted today?”
Answer: NO! have genuine name ticked and cast ballot X 5 X 70 = 350.
5 cars X5 X 70 = 1,750. Enough to swing a victory is most ridings.
After election AEC may approach you for multiple voting.
You deny it and that’s the end.
Even if they have proof, which ballots will they remove, they don’t know how you voted.
And, to expose the fraud is to expose the AEC.
That, they ‘ain’t ever going to do.
Imagine what an organised group could do?

[Jason Kent]

6.

I agree Selim - voluntary voting would be much better... but our voter turnouts are not 93%. They're only about 81%.

See the AEC website... "In other words, more than three million Australians did not exercise their franchise at the 2010 election in the formation of our Government, or roughly one in five of those entitled to do so." http://www.aec.gov.au/about_aec/Publications/speeches/new-debate.htm

And this site has voter turnout figures for Australia and other countries: http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?id=15

NB: Look at VAP (Voting Age Population) turnout figures because Australia has a high number of unregistered voters (around 10%)... The AEC excludes unregistered voters and includes invalid votes to make our voter turnouts appear higher than they really are. Our turnouts are lower than many countries with voluntary voting.

More here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/125050437535199/

[Smutsie]

7.

70 Polling Booths, eh Geoff.

Polls open at 9:00am and close at 6:00pm. = 9 hours.

9 hours (540 minutes) to get to 70 booths. Just under 8 minutes per booth.

Ever tried to park near a polling booth on election day? Line up for your HTV cards, line up to be marked off the roll, vote and then go back to the car.

Who's driving this car? Santa Claus being pulled by his reindeer faster than the speed of light?

OK, sorry for the funny, but really Geoff, 5 cars with 5 people = 25 people involved in a conspiracy, it would leak like a sieve.

[Oldman]

8.

LMAO!

They obviously only number above the line too. :)

[Oldman]

9.

... our voter turnouts are not 93%. They're only about 81%.

Your point? The USA is at about 39% and great Britain is only at about 61% and both these countries have a swag of non registered voters and invalid votes.

[John Mc]

10.

The point is Sweden gets 81% when people turn up voluntarily and their government has a mandate. Our government gets 81% because it fines people who don't turn up in order to look like it has a mandate like somewhere like Sweden.

[Geoff Crocker]

11.

I had written that little piece several years ago when I studied the many methods of electoral fraud and understood time over distance would be a problem. Smaller ridings have fewer booths making the exercise more realistic. However, in your characteristic zeal to lumber Crocker you have either missed or chosen to ignore the real problem of the AEC covering up fraud. Incidentally, your "leak" theory is nonsense, unfortunately.

[Jason Kent]

12.

Any totalitarian regime can force their people to attend a polling booth, call it voting, then lie about electoral participation. Only true democratic leaders can inspire free people to support them voluntarily, with good ideas and honest ideology. If voting were voluntary, today, what would our voter turnouts be? 50%, 60%? We don't even know and nobody seems to care. All the politicians care about is the appearance of electoral participation. Take away their threats and fines and let's see if they really know how to inspire people or lead or generate support.

All Australian eligible voters should have the same free and equal right to vote, free from government coercion.

[Linne]

13.

Oldman, why are you so fearful of voluntary voting? Is your opposition because it may show that your side aren't the shining light you believe they are?

It seems to me that with voluntary voting you will only get those that are inspired turning out to vote. If that turns out to be only 51% then so be it.

The present bullyboy system of threats and fines doesn't produce anything but a bunch of disgruntled voters who are forced to wreck their Saturday to vote for a motley collection of failed lawyers, ex union officials tree huggers and an assortment of other supposedly academic dullards.

The number of voters who defy the threats along with the null votes should be indication enough that a vast number of voters will not turn out to vote for below average politicians they aren't inspired by. They just can't be bothered and because of the low standard of today's politicians on both sides but especially on the Labor side, they just don't care.

[Kevin Carey]

14.

Any Liberal that supports Compulsory voting should reinvestigate their political beliefs for freedom of the individual, and would be well advised to read the mission statement of their constitution. In that the freedom of the individual is the basis of the Liberal Party's existance. With that in mind the word Complusory should not exist in their ethos for how we cast our vote.

[Smutsie]

15.

Fair enough Geoff.

Hope you were able to overcome the bushfires that affected you earlier.

Look forward to future posts.

Take care - be safe.

[Linne]

16.

Instead of attempting to amaze us with you feats of mathematical genius and humour why don't you goodle electoral fraud in Australia and discover what a reality it is.

My comments at 4 were posted in the hope that they would inspire the reader to look up the facts and understand that electoral fraud in Australia is quite active.

It wasn't that long ago that fraudulent How To Vote cards were handed out a polling booths in an attempt to influence voters away from the other party. That was fraud and in fact it was conspired electoral fraud.

[Smutsie]

17.

Do you have any information on why these 217 people were not eligible?

I'm thinking :

Moved out of electorate without notifying AEC?

Died and relatives did not notify AEC?

In jail (Conservative voters only. When they come out, they are Ex-Cons). Sorry, could not resist.

Was there a particular reason that you chose Rankin - it is held by that thorn in Tony Abbott's side, Craig Emerson. Is Whyalla still there?

Typically, a federal seat has about 90,000 voters enrolled. Rankin currently has about 94,000,

217 out of 90,000 is only about 0.24% or 1 in 415 voters.

Seriously, though, would be interested in a brakdown on the figure of 217.

[Smutsie]

18.

On my left and on my right thanks Anton.

My point was that Selim made his excellent first post, which contained one sentence that was not 100% aligned to the Menzies House meme.

The editor GC (Is this Geoff Crocker?) has to jump in to realign the post.

You call that freedom.

The editor might be GC, but he is channeling Winston Smith.

1984, anyone.

Keep this up and Selim may come across to the "Dark Side".

[Linne]

19.

Why do you choose one point out of many and then get down in the weeds with percentages and faulty assumption based upon your mathematical wizardy. Why is it that you infer that the because it was such a small percentage of voters in that electorate then is was neither here nor there. Fraud is fraud regardless of your mathematics.

The comment was lifted from a report on electoral fraud and points out quite clearly that the electoral roll, that is the roll that is the property of the Electoral Commission, contained 217 names that were not entitled to be there and therefore was open to fraud.

You infer that Geoff was attempting to "realign" Selim's post to suite Menzies House. You completely dismiss that fact that Selim, on evidence available to those who seek it, naively believed in the truth and accuracy of Electoral Commission statistics. I believe that Selim was a little naive to make that statement and I also believe that he would be grateful to have this pointed out to him.

Your final sentence says it all. "Seriously, though, would be interested in a brakdown on the figure of 217." Smutsie, get off your lazy butt and do some reading instead of expecting everyone else to supply the information for you.

[ibbit]

20.

Linne this is absolutely off topic. We both share a repugnance for Julia's liking for married men - so here's a question;

Do you read Michael Smith News.com?

If you do, a close reading of "I wonder what the year ahead holds in store" posted on Jan 11th is very, very interesting.

[Linne]

21.

Thanks ibbit, I'll get right on that.

[Linne]

22.

Goodness, that popped out of the blue didn't it. Flicking through the comments it appears very few picked up on it even though Mike Smith spelled it out quite clearly in one of this replies to a comment.

That is a good one to have up your sleeve for the appropriate time.

[imacca]

23.

Damn good. we need a campaign and the easiest way is to encourage informal votes at the 2013 election to show our displeasure at this hateful system! Demand a truly democratic system we can be proud of now!!!

Fill out 1 for ONLY the Liberal candidate, then write on your paper "None of the others are worth my vote".

Let them know!! Protest NOW!!

[Oscar]

24.

fantastic idea, imacca!

Just imagine being able to petition the GG saying "look, over 10 million Australians ONLY WANTED THE LIBERALS" - it would be UNDEMOCRATIC to allow LABOR to FORM GOVERNMENT just because of a FLAWED VOTING SYSTEM that FORCED them to VOTE FOR LABOR CANDIDATES!

Do you think that would get some action? Damn right it would!

[Kerry]

25.

I hope you share the same distaste for Julie Bishop's liking for married men.

She's got quite a few up her sleeve, including ones with a shady track record, and then there's her current squeeze who left his wife and Julie Bishop is now stepmother to his four children.

So, ibbit, how about you forget your sleazy preoccupation with politicians' sexual partners, or swapping of same, after all it does take two to tango, and after all it hapens all over the country whether one is a politician or not, and get down and dirty on policy.

[Linne]

26.

You do understand that she married the bloke don't you?

Your excuse that it happens all over the county makes it OK, eh. That makes your morals and ethics about as low a Gillards.

[Selim]

27.

I'm happy for people to point out to me that the AEC statistics do not take into account things like voter fraud, and as such the statistics may be a bit skewed. But I believe that the point I was making in this paragraph remains pretty relevant to the actual voter turnout because it only seems rational for the turnout to increase in a system of compulsory voting. Other than that, there's better things to worry about than a tiny little sentence which I have written and I'm more than happy to give anyone a copy in word if requested.

[cath]

28.

the problem with voting isn't that its compulsory. Its there is no way to vote no confidence in any of the options. if we could do that then we could influence government. now all we have is a choice between bad and worse.

[Rumplestilskin]

29.

Good on you Cath.
This is especially the case in rural electoratesm where we know the candidates better.

[imacca]

30.

Cath, dont despair and dont feel bad. Just mark it up for you Liberal Candidate and write that the rest are contemptible. Enough of us protest like this and the message that we want a fairer voting system WILL GET THROUGH.

[Linne]

31.

imacca, do you think that is the answer, or would it just lead to heaps of spoiled votes that would go nowhere? Wouldn't it be better to get that message out prior to an election?

[imacca]

32.

Its happened too many times that the message gets out and then NOTHING happens. Need to make it REAL for a change and let them know that the system will have NO VALIDITY and there wil be NO MANDATE unless they change it. Look at the polls, we are are going to WIN the next election so NOW IS THE TIME!!

[ibbit]

33.

Selim is absolutely correct in his view that there is a difference between quantity and quality of voting.

For many years I handed out at elections - state, council and federal - and the number of disinterested and uninformed voters who had no clue of who the candidates were was staggering.

The country deserves better than this, and to that end, a thorough look at our electoral and voting laws should be a task for a new government.

[ibbit]

34.

Listen up Kerry - I know nothing about Julie Bishop's private life, nor do I want to.

I will tell you loud and clear - I have contempt for any woman or man who commits adultery. Most often the people who get hurt the most are the children, and that is despicable.

Clearly you are a brain dead labor worshiper as your use of the word sleaze indicates.

Besides, why are you so fired up? Do you know something - we don't?

[John Mc]

35.

Big voter turnout for QLD councils poll:

http://www.skynews.com.au/national/article.aspx?id=853146

80% of registered voters turn out for a council election!

It seems when people feel that voting is helping them have more power over their own governance they turn out in big numbers. If they feel that it doesn't matter who they vote for they don't turn out. You can mandate voting as much as you want but it's never going to have the same effect as when people feel they're empowered through democracy.