Voting Under Duress

Comments

[Fabbz]

1.

compulsory voting is ridiculous. people who don't read newspapers or know anything about politics just vote to avoid a fie. coalition should scrap it.

[AlterEgo]

2.

If the voter numbered every box, then it is a valid vote, irrespective of the comment.

[dB]

3.

Exactly right, so long as they don't sign their comments. If the voter can be identified, it's also informal.

An interesting analysis of informal votes in the 2010 federal election can be found here:

http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/research/paper12/files/informality-e2010.pdf

Note the footnote with regards "marks and scribbles":

Note that this does not mean ballots were informal because they bore writing, scribbles or other protest vote marks, but instead refers to ballot papers that were informal for another reason (usually because they lacked numbers) and had marks or scribbles.

[AlterEgo]

4.

Thanks dB.

The Light on the Hill is flickering!

[Justin]

5.

What a ridiculous thing to write. The person got into the booth after having their name ticked and decided to write that. Have the discussion about voluntary voting another time!

[Prue]

6.

Haha does that mean all of the votes were invalid. Would be if they were contracts.

[Georgina]

7.

There should not be compulsory voting and there should not be preferential voting. Change the voting system completely taking a leaf out of other nations worldwide. Much fairer system needed.

[kraka]

8.

What a waste of a vote. For the record voting should not be compulsory but I would still vote. Otherwise those getup and crikey clowns would get some nincompoop in.

Looking at the ALP/Green and PUP vote we now know what percentage of the population can be fooled all the time (its 47%)-and what percentage of the population are idiots and nutters (15%)

Anyways-its 6-12 years at least of competent government coming up. Have a good day

[Jason]

9.

If voting were voluntary the political leaders would need to inspire people to vote, rather than just being the least repulsive option. Australians despise the political process and people have to start asking why. It's not like this in other countries.

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

[dougr@ncable.net.au]

10.

JOB WELL DONE TONY

[Jim Simpson]

11.

The only that that's 'compulsory' is attending the voting booth to have your name ticked off to avoid the fine.

Beyond that, there's nothing more the voter is compelled to do! But why on earth anyone would not bother vote is beyond me.

[John Mc]

12.

The only that that's 'compulsory' is attending the voting booth to have your name ticked off to avoid the fine

......which allows politicians to claim they have a mandate when they don't because they can claim that everyone turned up and they won in line with the voter's intent. If they actually had to inspire people to turn up with policies that actually appeal to the voters, like they do in nearly every other sensible country, we'd all be better off. The mediocrity of Australian politics is due in a large part to compulsory voting. Could you imagine KRudd being President of the United States, Prime Minister of the UK or Chancellor of Germany? Yet in Australia this man who couldn't run a school tuck shop got two goes at the top job, both failed, and he's still in the Australian Parliament!

[kraka]

13.

I often wonder why neither party endorses non compulsory voting. In my mind it would favour the Libs for reasons to complex or long winded to go into here. Obviously the libs don't agree. Same goes for the ALP/Green side of politics.
What are they scared of? John Mc and Jason's posts are probably a good explanation of why they don't.

[dB]

14.

Historically, the conservatives were concerned about the union movements ability to rally the troops and get them all out to vote. To counter that, it was conservative governments that made voting compulsory; I think Qld. was the first government to make it compulsory in Australia.

These days I doubt that's so much an issue, and I think John Mc's comments are spot on. So long as it's compulsory, they don't have to spend any energy inspiring us to vote, and can focus all their energy on persuading a small handful of marginal seats.

[Jason]

15.

The major parties also get paid per vote. So the biggest parties get the most funding while the smallest parties and startups don't get a cent. Compulsory voting is also generally thought to favour smaller parties because they're better at motivating their base around specific issues.

[Jason]

16.

Yes the Liberals worry that the ALP are better at motivating their base. They think this because the ALP is better at motivating their base UNDER COMPULSORY VOTING. Compulsory voting supports the ALPs whole ideology of big government nanny statism... How the Liberals expect to sell freedom and force people to vote is beyond me. It's like saying "Vote For Freedom... OR ELSE". It's a big contradiction. It suggests that freedom equals obedience.