End compulsory voting

[R Chee Manning]

Yeah, but unlike most people, you aren't that bright

Well I have graduated from two of your best universities...

And have a degree from QUT also...

So by Australian standards... I'd suggest 'brighter than most'...

As Piggy said... when a Kiwi leaves Aotearoa... it increases the IQ level on both sides of the Tasman.

 

[Gough]

I think Australians are very cruisey about democracy for the most part because ours has never been particularly threatened.

 

[R Chee Manning]

I think Australians are very cruisey about democracy for the most part because ours has never been particularly threatened.

Good point... but there is a difference between being voluntarily cruisy and mandated cruisiness.

 

[Gough]

Good point... but there is a difference between being voluntarily cruisy and mandated cruisiness.

If the price of living in this place is turning up at your local school twice every four years, I'd say that's pretty cheap.

 

[Cuzz09]

Majority of people i know/talk to dont care or dont know anything.

These are the majority voters Id say.

"Just tick any shit box" or "just write (insert some GOT character) in there"

Ah well...

As I get older Im taking more interest

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[R Chee Manning]

If the price of living in this place is turning up at your local school twice every four years, I'd say that's pretty cheap.

That doesn't sound that 'cruisy'. If Australia was genuinely cruisy and laid-back then there'd be no compulsion at all...

Voting is a right. It's a freedom.

Not a compulsion.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

That doesn't sound that 'cruisy'. If Australia was genuinely cruisy and laid-back then there'd be no compulsion at all...

Voting is a right. It's a freedom.

Not a compulsion.

It isn't compulsory to vote

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Yeah, but unlike most people, you aren't that bright

Utterly incorrect. Most of us aren't that bright.

Correcting to:

Yeah, but like most people, you aren't that bright

 

[R Chee Manning]

Majority of people i know/talk to dont care or dont know anything.

These are the majority voters Id say.


On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

I agree. The vast majority couldn't care less.

Interestingly though all the volunteers this morning were all young...

Though I live in a big student area here at Auchenflower...

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

If the price of living in this place is turning up at your local school twice every four years, I'd say that's pretty cheap.

With rights come responsibilities.
The right to free speech comes with the responsibility not to slander.
The right to earn an income comes with the responsibility to pay taxes (ideally) to ensure everyone gets a chance.
The right to trial by jury comes with the responsibility to serve on a jury.
The right to vote comes with the responsibility to vote.

 

[R Chee Manning]

The right to vote comes with the responsibility to vote.

Since when?

Democracy has been on this earth since the Ancient Greeks... then the Romans...

Compulsory voting has only been around since the late 19th Century...

And is only practised in a handful of banana republics, communist states, non-countries and former penal colonies.

The right to free speech comes with the responsibility to exert that speech? Really?
The right to free speech comes with the freedom and choice whether to exert that speech or not...

Same with voting...

 

[R Chee Manning]

It isn't compulsory to vote

Maybe not in Baltimore Jack but it is in Brisbane.

 

[Seeds]

Since when?

Democracy has been on this earth since the Ancient Greeks... then the Romans...

Compulsory voting has only been around since the late 19th Century...

And is only practised in a handful of banana republics, communist states, non-countries and former penal colonies.

The right to free speech comes with the responsibility to exert that speech? Really?
The right to free speech comes with the freedom and choice whether to exert that speech or not...

Same with voting...

You have freedom to draw dicks on your vote card. Dont pretend you are forced to vote.

 

[Kram]

It takes like 5 minutes to walk past the window lickers with how to vote cards, go in there, get ticked off and write something stupid on a couple of bits of paper. Honestly how lazy are people.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

You have freedom to draw dicks on your vote card. Dont pretend you are forced to vote.

Why bother? There were already enough dicks on the ballot papers I received. To be fair, some were the opposite of dicks and just complete campaigners (in both the censored and uncensored form).

 

[Van_Dyke]

Yes because voluntary voting leads to good competent political systems.

The fact that voting is compulsory means parties actually have to target the centre as opposed to simply appealing to their bases like in the US etc.

If the price of living in this place is turning up at your local school twice every four years, I'd say that's pretty cheap.

This, turning up to a school for likely no more than 30 minutes over 4 years to vote is hardly much. If only turning up to vote was this simple elsewhere

 

[R Chee Manning]

You have freedom to draw dicks on your vote card. Dont pretend you are forced to vote.

Drawing dicks on the ballot paper is a sign of democracy?

The fact that people are forced to do that (informal voting is still voting) is an indictment on your system - not something to be proud of. Do you understand that? The level of dick drawing is not indicative of how democratic Australia is, but the opposite.

In Aotearoa people don't go to the polling booth to draw dicks... what's the point? You only go to vote if you want to vote...

That's democracy...

 

[R Chee Manning]

Yes because voluntary voting leads to good competent political systems.

The fact that voting is compulsory means parties actually have to target the centre as opposed to simply appealing to their bases like in the US etc.

This, turning up to a school for likely no more than 30 minutes over 4 years to vote is hardly much. If only turning up to vote was this simple elsewhere

We don't have four year fixed terms federally. So not sure why you say four years.

We also have three levels of government.

So we have to vote roughly about every 20-24 months..

 

[R Chee Manning]

It takes like 5 minutes to walk past the window lickers with how to vote cards, go in there, get ticked off and write something stupid on a couple of bits of paper. Honestly how lazy are people.

And that's what makes the system worthwhile? Are you seriously arguing this is why the current system is great?

Why bother in the first place if you expect people just to 'write something stupid'?

 

[Van_Dyke]

We don't have four year fixed terms federally. So not sure why you say four years.

We also have three levels of government.

So we have to vote roughly about every 20-24 months..

State + Federal.
In WA local council elections aren’t compulsory.

And again, taking 15 minutes out of your day every 20-24 months to vote is not that much and worth it so that results actually reflect those who vote.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

Maybe not in Baltimore Jack but it is in Brisbane.

It is not compulsory to vote in any part of Australia

 

[TigerTime_89]

Did this issue really need a thread?

 

[Kram]

And that's what makes the system worthwhile? Are you seriously arguing this is why the current system is great?

Why bother in the first place if you expect people just to 'write something stupid'?

Look at what happens in America when you don't make people do it. I could understand complaining about the obligation if it actually took some effort and was a pain to vote, but it it absolutely isn't at all.

 

[footyfan1978]

Yes because voluntary voting leads to good competent political systems.

The fact that voting is compulsory means parties actually have to target the centre as opposed to simply appealing to their bases like in the US etc.

This, turning up to a school for likely no more than 30 minutes over 4 years to vote is hardly much. If only turning up to vote was this simple elsewhere

Somebody has a brain.
Well said.

I'd rather be here than anywhere else and their voting systems. Least I can freely vote w***ers out here. That right, is not something to take lightly, even if 95% of us do because most unaware how ****ed up most other countries are. We are lucky bastards to have this as our hassle to do every few years.

 

[R Chee Manning]

Look at what happens in America when you don't make people do it. I could understand complaining about the obligation if it actually took some effort and was a pain to vote, but it it absolutely isn't at all.

You are aware that America isn't the only country with voluntary voting or nah?

Voluntary voting is the norm in the vast majority of the world's democracies...

Compulsory voting is kinda the ass end of countries - Australia... North Korea et al.