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The Forum > Article Comments > Fixing the vote > Comments

Fixing the vote : Comments

By Brett Walker, published 7/9/2007

Compulsory voting is bad enough so let’s at least make the act of voting fair and transparent.

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Chris C,

There may not be an official impediment to filling in below the line, but given the size of the "table cloths" (and I will admit to being one of those adding to its size) people naturally pick the easiest route.

This does work against independents, its been shown time and again. Making preferential voting optional (ie you don't have to number all the boxes) means that more people will actually select the person that they want rather than just the party they want.
Posted by James Purser, Sunday, 9 September 2007 1:19:19 PM
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If enough people refused to vote or refused to vote in the manner demanded then there would be an outcry and something would be done. I suspect however that a majority of Australians believe (a) that nothing can be done and (b) nothing should be done - and of course it is an offence to encourage people to (ab)use their ballot in an improper manner.
They get you all ways.
Posted by Communicat, Sunday, 9 September 2007 4:18:08 PM
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There is an invalid assumption in this article. That is, a healthy number of Labor voters in the last election in Victoria were not happy with giving their second preference to Family First. How do you know this? How could you know this to be true?
Posted by Mick V, Sunday, 9 September 2007 5:29:08 PM
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Education is positively correlated with left leaning political views, particulary tertiary education and even more so in the US where liberal arts is a requirement.

Google the Australian Election Survey. You can fiddle around with as many variables as you like to see how different demographics vote, and their attitudes on all sorts of issues.

Blue collar working class used to be Labor support, but it's not any more and the blue collar working class now think of themselves as middle class. Blue collar workers are just as likely as white collar ones to send their kids to expensive private schools and buy a new car every year. They're just as likely to own investments but less likely to have Year 12 or equivalent.

People who work in caring professions, with or without higher education, are more likely to vote Labor than white collar workers without higher education. But education is the most strongly associated with political preferences of all variables.
Posted by chainsmoker, Sunday, 9 September 2007 6:03:00 PM
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Proficiency in logic, reason and facts should be a pre-requisite.

Followed by an IQ test.

Otherwise its another popularity contest, in which case, just acknowledge it for the facade that it is and turn it into a reality TV show phone poll.

The vote is not equal. Someone in an electorate that is twice the size of another effectively has half the voting power of his neighbour.

What a joke.

Democrazy is just a charade anyway. Mob rule. Tho its the least worst of a very bad bunch. No matter who ya vote for, gubbermunt always gets in.

Australia is only one of a few contries that has complusory voting. All those other countries arent worse than ours and our isnt inherently healthier, nor better.

Compulsory voting just gives the government fodder to rationalise its claim to be speaking for all of us.

In any event, enrolment and attendence on election day is compulsory, the vote is not.

Role call and periodic attendence is what the thing is about l suspect.

The paranoid, controlling beauru-rats just have to know where all ITS 'citizens' are, least we be off doing something bad. Heck, we might be having too much freedom and fun, WITHOUT them. Oh, the horror.
Posted by trade215, Monday, 10 September 2007 12:23:33 PM
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Mick V, I will assume you are being serious and not just mischevious.

I have no idea whether the above the liners who picked ALP as 1st preference actually wanted to give FF their 2nd preference - except anecdotal evidence (feedback) I have seen.

My entire point is that above the line as it currently operates is opaque at best (and lends itself seemlessly to backroom shenanigans) whereas below the line optional pref. is 100% transparent and actually tells candidates what the voters thought of them on the day, not because they HAD to distribute preferences but because they COULD and sometimes DID.
Posted by bitey, Monday, 10 September 2007 12:29:03 PM
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