Aussie PM fight any move to scrap compulsory voting

[tay]

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has accused the Liberal Party of trying to make democracy ''the plaything of cashed-up interest groups'', after the Queensland government opened the door to the abolition of compulsory voting.

Senior Labor Party figures swooped on Queensland's Liberal-National Premier, Campbell Newman, on Thursday after his government released a discussion paper on planned electoral reforms, which included a section on possibly ending nearly a century of mandatory voting.

Ms Gillard tweeted: ''Fight @theqldpremier's plan to end compulsory voting. Don't let the Liberals make our democracy the plaything of cashed up interest groups.''


Read more: PM vows to fight any Qld move to scrap compulsory voting

 

[taxslave]

Not that I am necessarily opposed to compulsory voting but is there any proof of benefits? Just because people are forced to cast a ballot does not mean they are informed voters.

 

[#juan]

Not that I am necessarily opposed to compulsory voting but is there any proof of benefits? Just because people are forced to cast a ballot does not mean they are informed voters.

Let's just consider for a moment that all people know what they want and vote for what they want. If there were a perfect
system with perfect people, what could be better? Compulsory voting is a step in the right direction but politicians will allways
try to screw the system to benifit themselves and there will be idiots who listen to them.

 

[Stretch]

we have compulsory preferential voting here, and "they" even supply us with a pencil to make our mark can't remember if you guys up there do or whether its first past the post......but you too, are encouraged to use a pencil in Canada

 

[coldstream]

I'm not against cumpulsory voting.. but with it should be the option of a 'no preference' or 'present' choice... for those who don't want to spoil there ballot and can't find anyone remotely competent for the post. Happens to me all the time.

 

[Stretch]

Say there are 5 candidates on a ballot paper, 9 times out of 10, preferences 4 and 5 are the current gov candidate and the opposition candidate. Where do the preferences end up.........?
poli = many
tics = blood sucking parasites

 

[damngrumpy]

Voting in a democracy is a right not a privilege that being the case informed is not
a requirement. In fact informed cannot be introduced because voting in a said
democracy is supposed to be unencumbered by such things as being informed.
I didn't make the rules I am merely pointing out the way a Right in a society works.

What is the prime effort of any election? Make the voters hate your opponent more
than they hate you, That is the real secret to winning an election. Therefore real
information is not necessary. Most people don't listen anyway except for undecideds
unless voters are mad, they vote the same way anyway. Even the informed don't
vote according to the information they know. They vote according to the party they
support

 

[Machjo]

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has accused the Liberal Party of trying to make democracy ''the plaything of cashed-up interest groups'', after the Queensland government opened the door to the abolition of compulsory voting.

Senior Labor Party figures swooped on Queensland's Liberal-National Premier, Campbell Newman, on Thursday after his government released a discussion paper on planned electoral reforms, which included a section on possibly ending nearly a century of mandatory voting.

Ms Gillard tweeted: ''Fight @theqldpremier's plan to end compulsory voting. Don't let the Liberals make our democracy the plaything of cashed up interest groups.''


Read more: PM vows to fight any Qld move to scrap compulsory voting

I'd like to compare the rate of blank ballots there to here. I've cast many blank ballots myself just because I still believe that I ought to vote. But I'm sure many just don't bother but who would spol their ballot if they had to vote.

Let's just consider for a moment that all people know what they want and vote for what they want. If there were a perfect
system with perfect people, what could be better? Compulsory voting is a step in the right direction but politicians will allways
try to screw the system to benifit themselves and there will be idiots who listen to them.

Some people are not so politically inclined and will vote for the most handsome politician, or the one with the sexy legs. They're bound to skew the vote and they're better off not voting.

I'm not against cumpulsory voting.. but with it should be the option of a 'no preference' or 'present' choice... for those who don't want to spoil there ballot and can't find anyone remotely competent for the post. Happens to me all the time.

I would support the idea of an open ballot. If there is someone in your community who deserves your vote, you vote for them. Worst case scenario is such a person won and really didn't want to participate, like jury duty there usually is a way out.