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I did a pre-poll vote 'cause I was going bush for 3 days (good timing on my part). I went to the council chambers on Thursday to cast my vote. Only 2 other people there. No searching through the role for your name, no producing ID. Just fill in a form with your name and address. They didn't even ask for a reason. In and out in about 30 seconds. I'll be 'going bush' again next election I think.
I think compulsory voting is a good thing, if you don't vote you don't have a right to spout crap without having done something about it by at least having voted IMHO......unless you're a conscientious objector:DQuote:
Originally Posted by barnsey
SC, I'm going bush next time too, me the wife and two kids queuing to vote was terrible especially as I couldn't justify having one of the snags and onions cooking on the BBQ at 9am in the morning as I'd just had brekky, why don't they tell you there'll be snags on the copious pre election advertising then you could plan and skip breakfast:mad:
HH
Can anyone explain to me how an Absentee (sp?) Vote works?
It always amuses me to be asked "do you want to do an absentee vote?"
And then to see the table marked Absentee Vote.
If your absent, how do you vote????? :confused: :o
Then there's the other clasic line "Have you voted anyware else today?"
Yes, I enjoy standing in line with other people's squirming kids and the torturous smell of the BBQ just after breakie on my saturday morning.
Ben.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben from Vic.
Ben,
An absentee voter is someone who votes at a polling booth ouside their own electorate. Did it once and it was a lot of effort, easier to do a pre poll voite.
They ask that question so at a later stage you can't use the defence that you didn't know that you are only allowed to vote once. The electoral office checks all the rolls used and if you are marked of more than once they prosecute the offender.
Peter.
When I answered all casual, " nah not yet " I got a lecture about how Im not allowed too. :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben from Vic.
So why ask me??
Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al, Al :D
IF WE ARE A DEMOC[K]RACY, WHY IS IT COMPULSORY TO VOTE ??????
Planepig.
Ah well then there's the conspiracy point of view. How better to keep track of who is in the country and where they live.Quote:
Originally Posted by PlanePig
That is, all the honest citizens, or the ones that haven't been caught yet.
Those with criminal records, or who are not citizens never get checked because they aren't allowed to vote.
Are they STILL following us??
P :cool:
I wrang up the AEC to find out what electorate I live in, the woman on the other end of the phone only asked what state I live in, first name last name and middle name, and that was it, that's all she needed.Quote:
Originally Posted by bitingmidge
And I suspect that the middle name was just to make sure I was who I said I am.
Ben.
Ben while you were at it you should have checked they had your phone number right so johnny could send you his automatic message.
Did anyone get one of these recorded phone messages? I'm glad I didn't cos I would have felt compelled to ring their party office at intervals after office hours filling up THEIR answer machine with drivel ( and I'm far to mean to want to pay for the phonecalls ).
I'm still feeling aggrieved at having reported a fault to the local council using my work phone number as contact number and having the council workman ring me on my silent home number ( with no record of him having tried ringing me at work ).
Planepig,Quote:
Originally Posted by PlanePig
It is NOT and NEVER has been compulsory to vote in this country. However it is a right of all citizens to participate in deciding who may govern us. And if you have had any experience of living in a totalitarian state, where citizens have no rights, you wouldn't shout your ignorance at us. :mad:
FYI it is only compulsory to attend a polling booth, have your attendance marked, receive a ballot paper and place it in the ballot box. Whether you fill in the ballot papers and thus vote is entirely your decision. But that is voluntary.
We may not like our government but at least we have the freedom to do so. That is because we have a democracy where the majority decides.
Peter.
I've always wanted to answer that with "Yeah but I'm only half way through the list of names and addresses that the XXX party gave me" :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Ben from Vic.
Have this thought that the reponse might be like shouting to the passenger in the front of the plane "Hi Jack" :rolleyes:
... and that's only compulsory if you are enrolled to vote ;)Quote:
FYI it is only compulsory to attend a polling booth, have your attendance marked, receive a ballot paper and place it in the ballot box.
have to say that having been effectively disenfranchised for 6 years it was nice to have the right to vote.
Trying to get a postal vote in the uk was a joke .... the department which sent out the forms for overseas voters to vote wouldn't send them to an overseas address!!! and failed to send the form to a UK address I suggested. The High Commission here had either run out or didn't have any in the first place.
I was brought up with the knowledge that women had died in order to give me the right to vote. A politically active teacher at my school used to despair when she door-knocked ( do they do that here? ) encouraging people to vote for her chosen party and women would go off to consult their husbands and find which way they were going to vote!
I think this kind of behaviour would encourage grevis bodily harm if it were to start over here.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackiew
As well as being a complete waist of time.
We are a stuborn bunch.
Ben.
My grandmother, who was born when Queen victoria was on the throne and was ultra-conservative in every other way, reckoned her right to vote in her own right was so hard-won and important, that she wouldn't tell her husband how she voted.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackiew