Mandatory Voting

[HoboFactory]

I don't think education is as hlepful as it's made out to be. From my school experience, politics and how it works was taught at an early age and reinforced several times prior to high school graduation, it really didn't make much difference for most people. The information is there, some people just aren't as affected by it. Think about it, you've all gone to school for over a decade, some of you are even college, you know people that have been through the same school system, taken the same classes, but you know that not everyone is as smart as the next person, not everyone is as involved and informed as the next person.

[garsk]

They have mandatory voting in Australia and Belgium, and I'm pretty sure neither of those countries are tyrannical.

If you dont vote in Australia, a dingo will eat your baby, so yes, it is a tyrannical.

 

 

But in my opinion, no, like it has been said here before, do you really want someone to vote who doesnt know the issues? All the are going to do is ask their friends who they are voting for. You should choose someone who you agree with their policies.

 

Personally i think on of the stupidest reasons why not to vote is

I rarely vote but thats mostly because I see 90% polititians as corrupt.

 

The main reason why you vote is to change the government, therefor you can get the corrupt people out.

 

But it only takes 5 minutes to vote (i am not counting the time to get to the polls) and you vote every 4 years (hopefully) it is not really a hard task to do. It is your choice to mark an "X" or not, but hey, since you didnt vote and did try to change the government, dont bitch about it.

Edited January 21, 2007 by garsk

[Moonlight_Graham]

i think you're either interested in politics or you're not. You can always raise awareness & try to get people more involved in it & remind people how these issues affect them, but at the end of the day you either give a crap or you don't.

 

You can't get Sally who spends her whole day at the mall or watching "Friends" reruns to care about politics if she doesn't even know the name of the Prime Minister. And frankly i don't want those people voting.

 

I think everything is fine as it is in Canada & the U.S. Back when i was 18 i was very interested in federal/global politics, but i didn't know squat about municpal politics so when the vote for mayor came up i didn't bother voting because i knew i wasn't informed enough on the candidates.

[heyrabbit]

obviously no. Half the people who motivate themselves to vote are uninformed. I don't want people voting who don't have an opinion. You'd be surprised at the amount of people who vote based entirely on looks, and the stigma surrounding the name of the candidate because because that's all they know!

 

Last federal election when I was lining up to vote, I asked a bunch of people while in line who they were voting for. "Liberal. liberal liberal.libreal liberal". I asked them why they were voting liberal and they all said "I dunno". Fuckin idiots, lining up like drones to vote based on labels.

 

the last thing we need is more unmotivated, uninformed voters.

 

I'm in the most liberal riding in all of Canada, but atleast you can't blame me for Dalton Mcgimpy

Edited January 22, 2007 by heyrabbit

[no yu begin wher i end]

Okay, Derek, you're a fellow Winnipegger. Did you bother to vote in the last election? I had no reason to because I knew Sam Katz was gonna get back in as mayor and, living in Transcona, I knew Bill Blakie was gonna get voted back in as the MP. So should I really be expected to vote if I alraedy know that the people I would've voted for are getting in anyway?

I did vote in the last election.

 

How many people don't vote because they "already know who's going to win"? Ever wonder if the outcome would be different if those people actually voted? Or on the flip side, wouldn't you feel a bit stupid if your man lost because you assumed he would get in? Personally, I think that if this is a given excuse, then it just means "I'm too lazy to get off my ass once every few years for a few minutes." I don't mean to come off as a dick, but in my opinion, no one has a good excuse for not picking up a newspaper during an election campaign, heaven forbid learning a thing or two, and voting (or spoiling/casting a blank ballot). Besides, don't federal candidates and parties receive funding for the next election that's partially based on the amount of votes they received in the previous election? Also, in the event that the election is close, your vote can either a) help strengthen the credibility of the winner, or b) send a message to the winner that they'll have to take more into account when making decisions than just their own point of view. There's upsets in every election.

 

I'd rather not have people who don't care to be informed not vote as opposed to forcing them to vote or "educating them". I know too many people who as is were to influenced by teachers preaching the problems of this party or that party and leaning towards their teacher's choice instead rather than having an opinion and making up their own mind. Isn't it the point that they make up their mind and become informed?

 

And there's no bias in the news? If you're ever in Winnipeg, pick up a copy of the Sun and tell me if you think they're very nice to the political left, for example. People who watch CBC tend to vote Liberal, I've found, over other parties. I think CTV is the opposite (leans right). There's always going to be bias to some degree, and it's not too hard to find out where it is.

 

Again, how is the problem of people not knowing the issues and voting anyway going to be any different than it already is? The current system right now leaves it vulnerable to the exact same thing, with callous mudslinging designed to distract from the issues; the irrational, zealous voters flock to the polls. As an example, the 2004 presidential election was won by the GOP thanks in large part to a question on gay marriage on the ballots, a measure largely designed to ensure a large turnout from evangelicals, and it worked, as we all know.

 

I know this is more symptom than disease, but again I ask, are there any other viable ways to increase voter turnout?

Edited January 22, 2007 by no yu begin wher i end

[Azalroth]

Spoil your ballot.

Why bother voting if your going to just spoil it anyway?

[no yu begin wher i end]

Register your disgust with the candidates, make it official.

[bishopx]

A non-partisan event at a polling place, where it was understood that the artists performing, or events held, were not there to specifically to forward any particular agenda, other than voting...

[juanpe]

I voted no. For two reasons:

 

1. First, citizens should be responsible themselves for knowing whether to vote or not, or give their opinion or not in a voting system.

 

2. Secondly, it is politicians' job to "convince" somehow (with their ideas, their intentions, their will to change things or get things better, etc.) citizens that they are the people we should rely on, those workers who should be the chosen ones to change things or to get things better from a capitalist system we may agree or not.

 

If (at least in my country) citizens must be over age to vote, they are supposed to be responsible and know what to do and what to decide. It may happen that citizens dont trust politicians, dont think that the ones who are apparently reprenting them or are gonna represent them are in reality represent them.

[no yu begin wher i end]

In Spain, are you allowed to spoil your ballot?

[Guest jsunC]

mandatory voting reminds me of that vote or die southpark episode.. Everyone has the right to vote, or not vote for that matter..

[heyrabbit]

people who don't vote should have to forgeit their vote to others, and we'll get to vote twice

[HoboFactory]

What's more frustrating than not voting are the people who register to vote but never actually do. For instance in Oregon, around 70% of those who are eligible to vote register to vote (if these people all voted, the turnout would be far above the national average)... but less than half of those who register to vote actually do vote. What makes it worse is that this state offers people the option of voting by mail when they register, meaning one can vote at any time by a certain deadline (generally this is several days) and does not depend on polling places which open and close at certain times on a certain day.

[juanpe]

In Spain, are you allowed to spoil your ballot?

yes, you can... actually it is one way to show politicians: "i am interested in politics, I wanna change things and get things better, but I dont trust you, I dont think you are the appropriate person to fight for my rights and that's why I dont give you my vote"

 

this spoilt ballot is normally used as a protest for the political system or political party which is losing its power