Compulsory voting

[classical_hero]

make voting compulsory, so the people cant complain about the leaders they got, since they (the majority) voted for them.

I do like how some people do complain about their elected leaders when they do not vote for them in the first place.

On a flip side to this, you do get some really stupid people who vote. Did you watch the Chaser when they first came on our TVs and that had a section where they would talk to some really stupid people and at the end they would say, "This person votes" ? It is often scary that some people are allowed to vote.

I like how the poll is running. You can see where countries have Compulsory voting, the people are in favour of it and those that don't are generally against it. Perhaps they should just go and force people to vote and lets see how people respond after actually being forced know a few thigs about politics.

 

[azzaman333]

I do like how some people do complain about their elected leaders when they do not vote for them in the first place.

On a flip side to this, you do get some really stupid people who vote. Did you watch the Chaser when they first came on our TVs and that had a section where they would talk to some really stupid people and at the end they would say, "This person votes" ? It is often scary that some people are allowed to vote.

Chaser is hilarious. The CNNNN episode where they had Americans off the street telling them where USA should attack next proves why people shouldnt vote. ob that note, Chaser is starting now, so i am going to watch it.

 

[IglooDame]

I do like how some people do complain about their elected leaders when they do not vote for them in the first place.

On a flip side to this, you do get some really stupid people who vote. Did you watch the Chaser when they first came on our TVs and that had a section where they would talk to some really stupid people and at the end they would say, "This person votes" ? It is often scary that some people are allowed to vote.

I like how the poll is running. You can see where countries have Compulsory voting, the people are in favour of it and those that don't are generally against it. Perhaps they should just go and force people to vote and lets see how people respond after actually being forced know a few thigs about politics.

That's the problem though - people aren't being forced to "know a few things about politics", I think you incorrectly assume that they do more than show up at the polls and throw a lever or mark a ballot and don't read or watch political news with any more awareness, understanding, or retention than if they weren't forced to mark that ballot every year or two.

 

[classical_hero]

I have to wait a few more hours.

 

[ComradeDavo]

make voting compulsory, so the people cant complain about the leaders they got, since they (the majority) voted for them.

Thats good reasoning. It annoys me what peopel slag off the government yet don't vote.....really annoys me!

 

[IglooDame]

Thats good reasoning. It annoys me what peopel slag off the government yet don't vote.....really annoys me!

So when they slag off the government, ask them if they voted, and if they say no, tell them to shut their pie-hole.

It works for me.

 

[ComradeDavo]

So when they slag off the government, ask them if they voted, and if they say no, tell them to shut their pie-hole.

It works for me.

I do

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Thats good reasoning. It annoys me what peopel slag off the government yet don't vote.....really annoys me!

But why should people be forced to vote for what they consider to be the "best of a bad bunch"?

 

[classical_hero]

But why should people be forced to vote for what they consider to be the "best of a bad bunch"?

If you are not happy with the standard of politicians then why don't you try and run and make the proccess better? By doing this you will be getting rid of some bad people then. Quit complaining and make a difference.

I remember saying to my friends and family that I would be voting for a non major party and they that I was wasting my vote, which is alie in Australian politics because every vote counts because of preferential voting system that we have. It means that you can send a message to the major parties by not voting for them and it also means that the person you least want to win not get into power. Imagine if this was in lay at te 2000 US presidential vote. This would have meant that Al Gore would have won since he would have recieved the votes from Nader as a result, because I'm sure that those who voted for Nader would have prefered that Gore won intead.

 

[ComradeDavo]

But why should people be forced to vote for what they consider to be the "best of a bad bunch"?

Lets face it - there are 7 (+1)* parties in the UK who are well known and many more smaller ones. If a person can't find a party they like (or at least get along with) amongst that then they should start their own

*Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green, UKIP, BNP, Respect (+1 being Plaid Cymru in Wales and SNP in Scotland)

 

[IglooDame]

But why should people be forced to vote for what they consider to be the "best of a bad bunch"?

Even in the two-main-party US, you'll generally see Libertarians, Greens, Constitutions, Conservatives, Workers, Socialists, and who knows what else on the ticket. If nothing else, just write in a name, but unless you show up to vote, the default understanding is not "there wasn't anyone I like" but rather "I was too lazy/disinterested to make the effort".

 

[Berrie]

I'm in a country with compulsory voting and I picked the last option in the poll (undecided).

I have no major problems with compulsory voting, but most of all I don't have any reference to compare to. Compulsary voting has always been the case in Belgium.

So I just put some remarks here.
1) A few years back, we had a local referendum without compulsary voting. The turnout was desatrous (less then 30%)
2) People in Belgium are not better informed about politics because they are obliged to vote. Most people decide on election day what party to vote for
3) People are sometimes 'tired' of having to vote (we used to have a lot of elections, now it's much better arranged)
4) Lots of people who don't know on which party to vote, choose a extremist party as a sort of protest. You can assume those people wouldn't go voting if there wasn't compulsary voting.
(note that these remarks come from personal experiences)

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

If you are not happy with the standard of politicians then why don't you try and run and make the proccess better? By doing this you will be getting rid of some bad people then. Quit complaining and make a difference.

When did I say I was not happy with the standard of politicians? I was asking a theoretical question, there's no need to get all ad hominem on me.

Lets face it - there are 7 (+1)* parties in the UK who are well known and many more smaller ones. If a person can't find a party they like (or at least get along with) amongst that then they should start their own

As I've said before hand, there are policies from all the parties even Respect, but not BNP, that I agree or disagree with to varying extents. There is no one party with whom I completely agree/disagree.

Even in the two-main-party US, you'll generally see Libertarians, Greens, Constitutions, Conservatives, Workers, Socialists, and who knows what else on the ticket. If nothing else, just write in a name, but unless you show up to vote, the default understanding is not "there wasn't anyone I like" but rather "I was too lazy/disinterested to make the effort".

Even Nation States get to Abstain when voting at the UN. Are they "too lazy to make the effort"? Why does abstaining automatically mean the non-voter is any less interested than the loyal party voter who has voted the same way for years and will never vote for anyone else?

If nothing else, just write in a name

And this is better than Abstaining?

 

[ComradeDavo]

As I've said before hand, there are policies from all the parties even Respect, but not BNP, that I agree or disagree with to varying extents. There is no one party with whom I completely agree/disagree.

Then you have to balance and find the party best for you.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Then you have to balance and find the party best for you.

With all due respect Dave I don't have to do anything and I certainly don't have to vote simply for the party which requires least compromise.

To be honest with you it is not the 'active abstainers' who are driving down the turnout rate. I think the attention should be upon those who have no idea how politics effects them and therefore refuse to vote due to ignorance and apathy.

 

[ComradeDavo]

With all due respect Dave I don't have to do anything and I certainly don't have to vote simply for the party which requires least compromise.

To be honest with you it is not the 'active abstainers' who are driving down the turnout rate. I think the attention should be upon those who have no idea how politics effects them and therefore refuse to vote due to ignorance and apathy.

I know you don't have to, but if you don't vote then you don't have a say in trying to shape the country the way you want it to be

You are right in what causes low turnout, and I would like to see more peoele educated about how politics effects them.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

I know you don't have to, but if you don't vote then you don't have a say in trying to shape the country the way you want it to be

I think that we'd have to agree to disagree. Political Parties will no doubt be thinking right now how they can reach the people who didn't vote. That's as much of a change as keeping the policies that caused people to vote.

You are right in what causes low turnout, and I would like to see more peoele educated about how politics effects them.

Am I right in saying that in America they teach 'Civics' which looks at the political system and how it effects people? Sounds worth a try to me. I was never taught anything about politics through the whole of my education until I studied Constitutional & Administrative Law at uni.

 

[mdwh]

The questions to be asked are:
- Why is a low turnout a bad thing?
- Will these "bad things" be solved by compulsory voting?

I can see the a low turnout is a symptom of bad things (e.g., lack of interest, lack of choice), but compulsory voting will only hide the symptoms, and not cure these bad things.

In fact, aside from the arguments against it based on people's freedom (i.e., it's not good to fine people for simply not voting), I would actively oppose trying to cover up symptoms. If people are put off by current politics, then we need to know this. I consider it bad that the parties will be able to pretend that everyone is happy with the current situation; Labour will just claim this means they have even more of a "mandate from the people" to force through their new draconian laws.

It will also make it impossible to tell the different between people who are apathetic, and people who disagree with any of the choices. We could do this if there was a "None" option and voting remained voluntary, but not if this is compulsory. Do you think that politicians would consider the "None" vote a protest? Of course not - those votes would be dismissed as being from people who "don't have a clue/interest".

 

[mdwh]

Lets face it - there are 7 (+1)* parties in the UK who are well known and many more smaller ones. If a person can't find a party they like (or at least get along with) amongst that then they should start their own

*Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green, UKIP, BNP, Respect (+1 being Plaid Cymru in Wales and SNP in Scotland)

Just to be clear - are you saying that as well as compulsory voting, there shouldn't be a "None" option, as there must be a decent party to choose from (or they should stand themselves)?

Another point is that, in the UK at least, "To stand as a candidate in a particular constituency, a British citizen needs the signatures of 10 people registered to vote there, and pay a deposit of £500" which isn't returned unless you get more than 5% of the vote (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_the_United_Kingdom ). So you need to get rid of that before you put that argument forward - there may be plenty of people who would be happy to vote for themselves, but do not have 10 other people who agree, or don't have £500 to throw away.

Indeed, £500 would effectively be a fine in the same way as being fined for not voting for any of the other parties, so that's an absurd argument!

 

[ComradeDavo]

Just to be clear - are you saying that as well as compulsory voting, there shouldn't be a "None" option, as there must be a decent party to choose from (or they should stand themselves)?

No.

I'm saying that there should be a 'none of the above option' and that i'm unsure of the issue of complusory voting. If you read the whole thread and looked at the poll results you would know that.