I was watching news services this evening and saw people interviewed complaining about having to go back to the ballot box in Western Australia. Why?

During the same evening of news I'd seen the elections in Afghanistan at present. People were lining up to vote in huge numbers looking 'excited' - like we do in Australia at after Christmas sales.

Large voting numbers - despite terrorist attacks and killings during the election campaign and people putting their lives at risk to vote. Women for example had to have special officers for voting protection.

I don't know what we do about Australia - but for the first time - I think the Afghanistan 'people' did things better than us!

The difference is that Afghanistan has ethnocentric, tribal candidates and we don't, they're not voting so much as enlisting in a faction in an endless civil war.
There is a point to voting in Afghanistan because it's democratic, democracy is mob rule and you get an MP at the end of the process who will pay it forward via cronyism and tribal nepotism.
There's no point in voting in Australia because it's not a democracy, the voter has no hope of benefiting from the process, only the MP benefits from his election via enhanced future earnings when he moves back to the private sector.

Yes, they’ve got everything to vote for in Afghanistan. In Australia there is no point.

For the last several elections I have voted for no candidate/party, as none has deserved my vote.

Our system is so screwed, primarily because of the overwhelming influence of vested-interest big business on government, of either persuasion, and because of the utterly DISGUSTING compulsory preferential voting system, which compels you to mark every square, and can make your vote count where you absolutely don’t want it to.

Gosh and golly gee, Nathan, you are getting that leftie cultural cringe down to a fine art. Must be that 'progressive' education system.

Get a backpack and travel. You don't need much money and it will do you wonders.

Ludwig
Our compulsory voting rules do not compel you to "mark every square, and make your vote count where you absolutely don’t want it to".
You are only compelled to turn up at a polling place and have your name marked off the roll. What you do with your ballot paper is confidential and you can place it in the box unmarked if you so wish.

I think some people do not understand why preferential voting is used.
Its purpose to prevent someone that the majority DO NOT want from winning.
Of course it only applies when there are more than two candidates.