atw: Re: OT: Grumbling About Elections... vote [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
- From: Rebecca Caldwell <beckyakasha@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tech writers group <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:27:39 +0800
When I was 21, I moved house on voting day, alone. I had moved to a suburb that
I wasn't familiar with, plus I had to negotiate with removalists, help them
unpack the truck and somehow find time to feed myself and my sister, for whom I
was in charge of.
I got a fine for not voting that day, and yes I tried to get out of it by
writing a long letter of circumstance. They didn't care that I had pressing
priorities and and a teenager to care for, much less that I had two full time
jobs that took up '14 days a week' (yes, every day and night).
In this case, I would have to say that compulsory voting is wrong. Of course I
understand that voting is important, and is my right etc, but so is living
peaceably and within my means.
Rebecca
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: OT: Grumbling About Elections... vote [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
From: Peter.Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:27:36 +1000
Yes, you can vote if you're older.
The law says you have to turn up if you're over 17.
If you're over 70 you're supposed to vote.
It's illegal to jaywalk. The
courts are not full of jaywalkers. Presumably because
too many jaywalkers for example, might claim to have altzheimer's ?
No. Maybe not.
Maybe that applies someplace else. Maybe
I'm confused.
I forget now.
Not sure I remember where it might apply.
What was that about jaywalkers voting ?
Peter M
From:
Anne Casey <writan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To:
<austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date:
20/08/2012 10:27 PM
Subject:
atw: Re: OT:
Grumbling About Elections... vote
Sent by:
austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Actually, I think there's something like a thousand or
more people over 100 who vote - I can't remember the exact figure, but
when I asked the researchers to give me the exact figure, it was way higher
than I expected.
The only way you can get out of voting is basically if you've got dementia,
a low IQ, or something else that impairs your thinking - I can't remember
the exact phrase, but it's along the lines of not understanding the meaning
and importance of voting. I'd have to get out my copy of the Act, if you're
really interested.
I wrote all the call centre scripts for the 2004 federal election - I talked
to just about everyone in the Electoral Commission, including several sessions
with the lawyer.
So yes, I know what I'm talking about (and it was one of the highlights
of my career).
Anne
Should probably have qualified that. I believe
in law it's compulsory, but in practice, enforcement is, shall we say,
very weak once you get past 70?
The principle might be summarised as "Hell hath no fury like a pensioner
pursued ...."
Peter M
From: "Robert Levy"
<robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 20/08/2012 12:17 PM
Subject: atw: Re: OT: Grumbling
About Elections... vote NONE OF THE ABOVE [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Sent by: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
“ Voting
is not compulsory for those of us who are really mature.”
Can you, or anyone, help me find that law? I’ve been curious about that
very thing, but haven’t seen anything that states it.
Thanks,
rwl
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [
mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Peter.Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, 20 August 2012 11:27 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: OT: Grumbling About Elections... vote NONE OF THE
ABOVE [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
>The system is wrong. The system is corrupt. The system is not
just amoral, it is immoral. I will not be forced to conform to a
flawed, corrupt and immoral system.
> End of story.
Christine:
Unlike some who support compulsory voting as it is, I have to say I think
you have a point.
But saying a system that is flawed is "corrupt", "amoral"
and "immoral" is really a bit much. And suggesting
then that I am "embedded" in corruption demeans me without cause.
You've just gone over the top there.
Voting systems don't have morals. They may be flawed, badly designed,
unworkable. But corruption, amorality, and immorality are characteristics
of the people who misuse them, design them deliberately for the wrong purpose,
and enforce them that way etc.
[BTW you don't have to conform to the system in all aspects. For
a start, just get older -- then you don't have to vote. Voting is
not compulsory for those of us who are really mature. So would you
say I have grown out of immorality, corruption and amorality now
? ( Of course not -- I'm still desperately trying to sin,
although I'm avoiding the amorality and corruption bits, thank you.)]
As for the system flaw: I happen to agree with you that a compulsory
voting system is wrong and wrong-headed and badly designed if it does
not have adequate safeguards, and our system is in that category, as far
as I'm concerned. And systems that do not have adequate safeguards
can be exploited by people who are incompetent and lazy or even immoral,
amoral, corrupt etc. Chances are in most cases, however,
that incompetence and indolence have more followers than corruption.
That's almost a corollary of Ockam's Razor.
To illustrate what I mean, let me jump to the Simple Solution:
It can all be mostly fixed if we allow a formal vote for "NONE
OF THE ABOVE" every time we have compulsory voting.
It is not good enough, as some seem to suggest, that you are forced to
cast an informal vote if you disagree with all choices, and that informal
vote is treated as though it has no defined meaning -- it is really treated
as a mistake. You are right to object to the lack of choice
that is implied in the easy option of an informal vote.
(BTW -- while it was until 1998 an offence to advocate a deliberate informal
vote, following the Langer case, the law was amended. It is not an
offence to cast a deliberate informal vote -- and nor should it be, given
secret ballot rights.).
The prospect of a formal tally for explicit and formal votes for NONE OF
THE ABOVE might go a lot further to redress some system balance than might
at first be evident, but think of it this way:
1. At present we have major parties with officials who are only too willing
to claim victory and justification of their
immorality/corruption/indolence/exploitation
of prejudice because they can point to relatively large percentages of
formal votes.
2. If you consider that before we had compulsory voting (ie pre 1925 elections)
a reasonable %age of the enrolled population who voted was around
65 - 70%, we can assume that outright compulsion potentially accounts
for about 30% of the vote. [This is more or less in line with
many of the results in the majority of democratic voting systems -- non
compulsory ones.]
3. In more recent years, in some areas, I'd suggest that a non-compulsory
election would have been lucky to pick up a 50% vote.
4. Imagine the impact on all the major parties if a NONE OF THE ABOVE vote
was permitted and could rise as high as even 25-30%. For that matter,
try 10%! Jobs for the Boys would be starting to look really
sick. Performance indicators might suddenly change. And if
there's one thing we need at present in all parties, it's a case of those
boys looking really as sick as they are, and their KPIs (excuse my language)
changing.
At times, I have been tempted to actually start a party called "None
of the Above" and see what votes (and preferences) I could pick
up.
I still think it might be worth a try.... but first you'd have to convince
a pretty conservative Electoral Commission to accept the party name.
Now THERE's an exercise.
Peter M
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