Opinion Poll: Allow private binding polls?

[DaveShack]

There is a heated debate right now over private vs public binding polls. You can find the discussion here. This opinion poll is a way for you to make your feelings on the position known without having to comment on it. It is private to eliminate any chance that coercion could be claimed.

Do you think binding polls should be allowed to be private?

Yes - Both Initiative and Referendum
Yes - Only Initiative
Yes - Only Referendum
No
Abstain

This poll is open for 4 days.

 

[donsig]

I encourage everyone to vote for one of the yes options. This is only an opinion poll and is therefore not binding. After four terms of me bringing up the issue of allowing private polls we finally had a discussion going but now I fear the discussion will peter out prematurely since this poll is up. So please vote yes on allowing private polls so DaveShack and others will realize we should discuss this issue further. If 'no' wins this poll then DaveShack will use it as evidence that the matter should be dropped. So please, if you are unsure or uninformed on this question, please vote yes and join this discussion.

 

[GeorgeOP]

bad poll. what happens if the final results are 4-5-4-6-2? Do the 6 people who voted no win overe the 9 people who wanted initiatives to be private and the 8 people who wanted referendums to be private? There should be two polls, should initiatives be allowed to be private, and should referendums be allowed to be private. I also believe there needs to be more than two days of disscussion before a poll like this opens.

 

[DaveShack]

If it were a binding poll, you'd be absolutely right.

This is only an opinion poll. As such, the results don't really mean anything other than to determine if we have one person or many people who vote yes.

 

[donsig]

If it were a binding poll, you'd be absolutely right.

This is only an opinion poll. As such, the results don't really mean anything other than to determine if we have one person or many people who vote yes.

Did enough people vote yes to allow us to have a serious discussion about whether private initiative polls should be allowed?

 

[Donovan Zoi]

Now, let's try this with a public poll to see if donsig's theory is correct. Will the ragers against the status quo scurry beneath the floorboards and vote No if their names are released? I doubt it.

Either way, it doesn't matter to me. If we don't really care to know how our legislators (and possible candidates) are voting, then let's have that talk. It will just give us less to base our vote upon if the quest for private polls succeeds. Then again, all one has to do is be nominated to win a seat, so there goes my argument.

Long story short: do whatever ya want, but I'd start paying more attention to the actual game than this sideshow.

 

[donsig]

Now, let's try this with a public poll to see if donsig's theory is correct. Will the ragers against the status quo scurry beneath the floorboards and vote No if their names are released? I doubt it.

I don't have a *theory*. Both public and private polls have advantages and disadvantages. I think we all know this and that's why the vote split so evenly. All I've been asking for is to give each citizen the choice of poll type when posting an initiative. I've never said we should stop using public polls. I've never raged against the status quo - only certain interpretations of it. I've said all along that our laws allow for private initiative polls. Term after term our Censors have decided upon a different interpretation and have forbidden private initiative polls.

The next obvious step in this is to see if there will be any sense in the new Censor's procedures.

 

[donsig]

Since there is some opinion for allowing private initiatives I plan on posting a private initiative poll next Monday or Tuesday. I encourage citizens to post their views in the discussion thread about private polls.