I find the idea that people would choose to vote informally to be one of the silliest things I have ever heard. We get the pollies we vote for. Stop blaming pollies for who they are, take responsibility for who we vote for. People are killing and dying for the right to vote around the world. So middle class wannabe's getting their panties in a twist over not likely the pollies they ask for is pretty sickening.

Good article Tim.

.
Make your vote count where it is most needed – put in an informal vote!

It is more important that you vote for no bloomin candidate than vote for one of the majors when their policies and general political direction are so terrible!

An informal vote should not be considered informal, it should be considered to be a VALID option, which we are perfectly entitled to exercise in a real democracy and which should be taken up by everyone who…..

• thinks that neither of the two big parties are really worth voting for and that voting for one or other of them on the basis of whichever is considered to be the slightly less irksome is NOT a good enough reason for giving them their vote

• understands and objects to the disgusting vote-stealing compulsory preferential voting system, which can take your vote if you vote for a minor candidate and make it count for one of the major candidates even if you specifically don’t want it to!

• doesn’t understand the vagaries of the voting system

• is bored by this campaign and does not have a good feeling for the policies being put forward by the major parties or which party might be the genuinely better option

• doesn’t really care who wins and who would otherwise lodge their vote for one of the majors (as a first choice or via preferences) without a good basis for doing so.

That would cover about 98% of all voters !!

So again, make your vote count where it is most needed – put in a blank ballot paper, because we need a big 'informal' vote to impress on our pollies that what they are offering is not good enough… and that the voting system is fundamentally flawed and MUST be changed before the next election!

Dont just put in a blank ballot. Write exactly why you are not voting on your ballot paper. There is no official recording of such comments but every count has scrutineers from both sides and they will see it and if enough people do it, it will get back to the parties and their leaders.

All this clamouring by the disaffected for others to vote informally is really an expression of how ridiculous it is that voting is compulsory in Australia. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be an issue.

As a Greens member I'll be very happy to vote above the line for the Senate, thus doing my bit to help elect Queensland's first Greens Senator. The House of Representatives is a bit more problematic, since I live in probably the safest Nationals electorate in the state, where the longterm seat warmer is routinely returned with more than 60% of the primary vote.

While I'm tempted to put in a blank lower house ballot slip, I'm going to give the Greens candidate my first preference and number the others such that dear old Bruce is last. At least that will assist the Greens in getting their deposit back, and register publicly that there's a few of us out here in Queensland's Deep South.

That to me seems to be somewhat more productive than just whingeing and leaving Australian democracy as the sole province of the Laberals.

Tim,

Obviously the 60's weed has had it's effect on you.
Do you really think that the parties give a toss if you vote informally.
Two obvious questions
- Which policies are you objecting to?
- All of them?
- Who cares....they don't they still get to sit in parliament.
- More money on advertising to combat spoilt inertia ? are you serious?
In a post in the general section among other things I suggest a longer ballot paper in the lower house that advocates policy directives to local members.

The mere fact that Latham was ever considered by any party is proof positive that the current Electoral system is flawed , broken and mostly un-democratic. Having said that it won't change because too many people rather opt out than force change

CJ..there is another alternative.. FAMILY FIRST...but I do feel sorry for the poor old greenies now.. this morning my son (early) voted.. first time... and on our way into the AEC office, the green rep BEGGED for our vote... donchuworry..I was courteous :)

How've you been ? not saying much lately..

The federal election... hmmm remember I explained in connection with Multiculturalism and the power of even one large extended family in a close election ? :)

Wellll..*THIS* is just such an election and McEwen is an obvious candidate for such political clout.

Tony Smith (Casey) is an interesting person.. has a baby face, but I assure you all, he is a veritable pitbull..and I suggest VERY ambitious.

Melbourne will be interesting federally.... well.. by monday we should know

cheers all

Well Al, I know several people who fully intend put the Greens at no1 on their ballot paper, so your anti-Green protest has been cancelled out (plus) already.

Same with Family First to a lesser degree. Second last on my ballot. Last was Steven Conroy. A friend of mine who has already filled in her postal vote has put Conroy last followed from the bottom up by Family First and any other religious orientated people she could find. Her many close friends will do likewise, however most of them will, unfortunately, vote for the Coalition.

I don't think I could bring myself to vote informally, though I do wish we still had optional preferential voting so I could omit the candidates I really dislike. Just numbering them seems to validate them, even if it is number eleventy-one on a Senate paper.

For the Reps I'm putting our sitting member last - we are a safe seat and therefore ignored by the major Parties, so I'll be doing my bit to make the electorate a squeak more marginal. For the Senate, I'm thinking Greens, but I'll mull over their Senate preferences before deciding whether to vote above or below the line.

Can't wait for the whole shebang to be over. Gillard reminds me more and more of a Stepford wife - all bland and smiley with no substance - and I don't want a return to the Coalition. Or Labor. Oh dear.

Boazy

If a man has to make an issue out of being courteous:

"the green rep BEGGED for our vote... donchuworry..I was courteous :)"

David Boaz/Polycarp/Algoreisrich

only Runner has created more atheists than you.

And, yeah, will be voting Greens - BOTH houses.

Making MY protest count for something.

Helloooooow CJ. Welcome back.

<< All this clamouring by the disaffected for others to vote informally is really an expression of how ridiculous it is that voting is compulsory in Australia. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be an issue. >>

I disagree on two counts.

Firstly I think that every one of us of voting age (and of sound mind and who is not a major criminal serving a long sentence) should be required to vote, as we should have at least this basic level of responsibility to be involved with our democratic system and governance.

And secondly I don't think that voluntary voting would in itself prevent any of the issues that we now have with the voting system. In fact it could make it worse, because a very large portion of the population would feel even less inclined to be involved in any way.

I think I've asked you this before somewhere along the line, but - as a Greens member, can you suggest why no one in the Greens has really cried foul about compulsory preferential voting whereby most first votes given to the Greens will end up counting for one of the major parties and consequently people who understand CPV would be less inclined to vote for the Greens than they would be with an optional prefential system?

Ludwig, you have some good points there, except this one:

• thinks that neither of the two big parties are really worth voting for and that voting for one or other of them on the basis of whichever is considered to be the slightly less irksome is NOT a good enough reason for giving them their vote

It is important to encourage small parties, so even if not elected, they may know that they have some chance in some future. Voting formally also provides a small financial benefit for your first choice (I think it is around $2/vote). This can help small parties to recover some of their election expenses and stay above water.

Even if you do find one of the major parties lukewarm or not-so-irksome, you can still help a small party or an independent by placing them first.

Tim must get a kick out of pulling people’s leg.

It wasn’t fun for Albert Langer; it was jail, yes jail and lasting potential harassment still at tap for any one wishing him harm.

That jailing is evidence that the Judiciary, of which you Tim are a potential candidate, has no idea of the dictates of Logic.

Any man that has reached adulthood can perceive the contradiction in the statements: ‘Voting is Free’ and ‘Voting is Compulsory’. And if the Australian Supreme Court Judges refuse to recognise this contradiction, it is because they have to obey principles above Logic.

Unless the judiciary, has created a Logic for its own convenience, say a ‘Forensic Logic’, which takes us back to the previous postulate or more pointedly to: ‘Justice at the service of Power’; In Langer’s case Political Power.

So fellow Australians vote informal! It is the only form of protest against the corruption that pervades every level of our administration.

"So fellow Australians vote informal! It is the only form of protest against the corruption that pervades every level of our administration"

I can see how informal is a protest, but I cannot see how it is the ONLY FORM of protest.

What about voting for smaller parties instead?
In the worst and likely scenario, one of the 2 major parties will be elected, but how should they feel knowing that they won without getting a single primary vote, only because most electors placed them in the 6th position rather than the 7th? Is there a better protest?

The comments thus far prove that most people shouldn't be allowed to vote. I've never read such rubbish.

People should have to prove they have some intelligence and some understanding of how our political system works before being allowed to vote. To allow anyone over 18 to vote is ridiculous and, worse still, to allow people to waste their vote is to invite the use of a firing squad.

For Christ's sake, use your vote to ensure that we elect a government tomorrow that cares about people rather than one that's in bed with both the wealthy and the big corporations.

Please!

www.dangerouscreation.com

"use your vote to ensure that we elect a government tomorrow that cares about people rather than one that's in bed with both the wealthy and the big corporations."

Agreed, David, and may I add, avoid a government that's in bed with any interest-group, not just the wealthy and the big corporation. Use your vote to make the government smaller, use your vote to kick out the nanny-state, use your vote to give people back the power over their own life.

Please!

www.ldp.org.au

Dear protest voters

1.Libs
2.Quality independent
3.Sex party
3.Labor
4 Family first or greens - who cares there both wacko's

The reason not to vote Labor - here is my reason
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41VJISBGi9E

Yuyutsu

Politicians are now substituting sovereigns; the Kings, Queens or Emperors or Popes. Like the formers, politicians are people busy sucking the blood of their subjects and wasting it at their whims. Democracy remains a joke.

Humanity would have progressed to social advancements that we cannot imagine, in the same manner in which it has progressed scientifically, had people not had their lives cut short by Sovereigns determined to keep their privileges.

‘Servant-Master’, the relation that goes back to the Stone Age remains with us, and we perpetuate it by being afraid or not bother to think.

Tim O'Dwyer 'This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism'.

Since I can not find enough words to combat your witless sense of lethargy, I ask you to think of the "other". Indigenous people - those many who need everyone to put forth a fight. A No vote helps no-one. It is hapless and extreme, making it harder for those who do give their all and their best. Surely you can find one or two who are worth your pen of melancholy.

If I can try to inspire you perhaps Martin Luther King, Jr. with "I Have a Dream"

"But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice."

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

I know many in the world who would love to vote but can not. I ask you not to act so inward or selfish. Apathy breeds Apathy.

http://www.miacat.com/

Ludwig: << can you suggest why no one in the Greens has really cried foul about compulsory preferential voting >>

Hi Ludwig, and thanks for the welcome :) The simple answer to your question is that preferential voting benefits the smaller parties - certainly in the Senate and increasingly in the lower house. Also, under our 'winner takes all' version of democracy, compulsory preferential voting results in the electorate being represented by the 'least worst' candidate when no individual candidate attracts a majority of the votes, which is more democratic than 'first past the post' systems - including optional preferential voting.

Yesterday's result was great in that it gives the big Parties something to think about. The last election campaign was uninspiring to say the least. It seemed to be a campaign trying to find out which Party was most adept at undermining the other with negative attacks on personalities. The Greens did well, their advertising was positive.

I can't say I like the idea of just folding up the ballot paper of the Senate, there is a bit of pleasure in giving some politicians your last vote!

ant,

Wanna bet that the message will be thought of seriously, much less result in any real changes?

In the world of Party Politics "the win is everything" their view will be "if a week is a long time in (party) politics next month is an eternity and next election is inconceivable"

Power is ubiquitous and what people will do for it is beyond normal comprehension.
The parties have to be near annihilated to change.

i.e. what did the Libs learn from 07? their policies suck? they're back. They are like the rapist who thinks that all he has to do it better, that'll satisfy the victim "...forgetting about the other issues and the crime.
Both parties will return to form by next election violating the sensibilities of the public. Sure that's a bit extreme but you get the point.

Angry Oak,

Love your You-tube vid. Howard Beale is my hero.

Candide,

Yes, you're right about Julia. There is something very phoney or not real about her. I've nicknamed her Kath Thunderbird - because she sounds like Kath and looks like one of the thunderbirds. It's just the way she seems to move. And oh dear, that voice.