What is more idiotic: Voting with an X, blank ballot, or putting an X beside the name of an idiot?
Get out and Vote on May 2nd. Consider the blank ballot option.
- Thread starter atlanticaparty
- Start date
Only problem is spoiled ballots are not counted. Blank ballots are so they are a valid vote.
What is more important- the necessity to vote or the right to be democratic? Do you really want people who have no knowledge of the issues voting? Do you want people who have been influenced by friends, relatives etc. voting? If voting was enforced it would ensure one thing- the top name on the ballot would be the winner.
Hi JLM, I think we have a political system that encourages people not learn about the issues. Why? Because it takes time and energy to learn about the issues yet we have no way of influencing how our rep votes so there is no payoff. On the other hand if we had CI and Recall where people get to vote directly on issues then that would go a long way to encourage people to self educate themselves.
People will always be influence by friends & relatives. How many people vote the way their parents vote or voted? Mine do. I disagree that the top position would win every time. Also, there is no reason to not educate everyone on the election process and give them a basic understanding of politics. A required political course to graduate high school? Perhaps that is a little drastic, but my point is that there is no need to have uneducated voters.
The more things you compel people to do the less democracy you have. l think a person should be free to vote or not to vote.
First of all regardless of party get out and vote but don't spoil it on some
self centered selfish notion. I can't believe some people have so little
regard for their country or their franchise right to vote for something be it
the governing party or in their mind a constructive alternative. But to go
out and spoil their ballot, voting for nothing at all makes no sense at all to
me. This is another one of those groups like the Tea Baggers down south,
who have little in the way of common sense to offer to the discussion of how
we advance society. Of course groups like the one proposing this method,
they have nothing to offer except to perpetuate nonsense masked as a new
alternative. Our leaders might not be the best of the crop we ever had but
all of them, at least deal with reality, something the fringe parties departed
from years ago. Insert end of rant
self centered selfish notion. I can't believe some people have so little
regard for their country or their franchise right to vote for something be it
the governing party or in their mind a constructive alternative. But to go
out and spoil their ballot, voting for nothing at all makes no sense at all to
me. This is another one of those groups like the Tea Baggers down south,
who have little in the way of common sense to offer to the discussion of how
we advance society. Of course groups like the one proposing this method,
they have nothing to offer except to perpetuate nonsense masked as a new
alternative. Our leaders might not be the best of the crop we ever had but
all of them, at least deal with reality, something the fringe parties departed
from years ago. Insert end of rant
Students Need to Vote
Are you a student with no interest in the political scene? Can’t see the point in voting when nothing is going to change?
There is a third way.
Political reform should be the issue in the election. So get involved. Read each party’s platform, talk to all of your candidates and ask how they and their parties are going to make Canada more democratic so you have a real voice. If they have nothing substantive to say about reform beyond vague promises consider the ‘third way’, voting a blank ballot; the ‘none of the above’ option. Your ballot blank on May 2 will send a clear positive message that Canadians want democratic reform and that none of the choices are acceptable.
We want every Canadian to do their duty and vote. Voting a blank ballot is perfectly valid and Elections Canada counts and reports these ballots in the same way as ballots for candidates.
So get involved and make an informed decision. Say no to the status quo.
Lets fight for something we can believe in!
Are you a student with no interest in the political scene? Can’t see the point in voting when nothing is going to change?
There is a third way.
Political reform should be the issue in the election. So get involved. Read each party’s platform, talk to all of your candidates and ask how they and their parties are going to make Canada more democratic so you have a real voice. If they have nothing substantive to say about reform beyond vague promises consider the ‘third way’, voting a blank ballot; the ‘none of the above’ option. Your ballot blank on May 2 will send a clear positive message that Canadians want democratic reform and that none of the choices are acceptable.
We want every Canadian to do their duty and vote. Voting a blank ballot is perfectly valid and Elections Canada counts and reports these ballots in the same way as ballots for candidates.
So get involved and make an informed decision. Say no to the status quo.
Lets fight for something we can believe in!
Regardless of party get out and vote means you have an idea about how you believe the country
should be run, by merely spoiling your ballot you are informed or other wise demonstrating you
know little about the system you are working with, and starting another system does not make
sense to me. Work for change from within. I noticed above here we got from politics to the God
thing. You know we all saw Eastern Europe go to hell because they didn't have God in their live.
No that is not what happened. What happened was the people who were in power took advantage
of the church and used religion to master people's lives. They knew nothing about their system
of government they only knew what the church told them. When to society melted down, they
turned on the people who abused them, namely the Orthadox Church.
Its like what I call the French example. In France when there is trouble at the Bakery, instead of
coming together to build a better baker so everyone gets a slice, they rise up and destroy the
entire bakery by burning it down so no one gets a slice. I was born in Cape Breton and I still have
a lot of rural property there, it makes me sad to think some people care so little about their country,
they want to demand and take for themselves instead of building a better Canada by becoming
involved. If we as citizens went out and joined the party of our choice and demanded the changes
we deserve from within the system we could arrive at a civil discussion with those we disagree
with and come to some compromise solutions. Instead we all cling to our own little view of the
world and no one else could possibly be right. You can have a million Parties and regional Parties
and if we don't change our attitude, it won't make a single difference. The answers do not come
from some source on high, they start with the vision inside ourselves and sharing it with others,
to come to some constructive conclusions. Instead we merely fight over the things we want to
hold onto instead of making something better out of a new vision. Spoiling your ballot will not
accomplish one footstep of progress and is a giant waste of time.
should be run, by merely spoiling your ballot you are informed or other wise demonstrating you
know little about the system you are working with, and starting another system does not make
sense to me. Work for change from within. I noticed above here we got from politics to the God
thing. You know we all saw Eastern Europe go to hell because they didn't have God in their live.
No that is not what happened. What happened was the people who were in power took advantage
of the church and used religion to master people's lives. They knew nothing about their system
of government they only knew what the church told them. When to society melted down, they
turned on the people who abused them, namely the Orthadox Church.
Its like what I call the French example. In France when there is trouble at the Bakery, instead of
coming together to build a better baker so everyone gets a slice, they rise up and destroy the
entire bakery by burning it down so no one gets a slice. I was born in Cape Breton and I still have
a lot of rural property there, it makes me sad to think some people care so little about their country,
they want to demand and take for themselves instead of building a better Canada by becoming
involved. If we as citizens went out and joined the party of our choice and demanded the changes
we deserve from within the system we could arrive at a civil discussion with those we disagree
with and come to some compromise solutions. Instead we all cling to our own little view of the
world and no one else could possibly be right. You can have a million Parties and regional Parties
and if we don't change our attitude, it won't make a single difference. The answers do not come
from some source on high, they start with the vision inside ourselves and sharing it with others,
to come to some constructive conclusions. Instead we merely fight over the things we want to
hold onto instead of making something better out of a new vision. Spoiling your ballot will not
accomplish one footstep of progress and is a giant waste of time.
We should always be looking to improve things. We have to continue to adapt.
We are not telling people to spoil their ballots, merely that you can vote 'none of the above' by leaving the ballot blank. Voting for the status-quo parties is simply saying that no reform is ok.
I am not a student, I have seen more campaigns come and go than most. I have worked in the
political arena for what I believed in at the time, several years ago I was even a candidate in a
Federal Election, what an experience that was. I found over the years that there is no one way to
do anything, the ideas should not be condemned or praised by being right left or center for that
matter. I am left on some issues and right on others, in other words I believe society must be
socially progressive and fiscally conservative. There should always be a separation of church
and state, and we should have politicians that are willing to compromise. Society and political
progress is brought about by evolution not revolution. Oh of course there is the Soviet experience
where revolution to place but they are now back where the evolutionary process stopped so
many decades ago.
For someone to vote none of the above in a Parliamentary system is in fact spoiling their ballot.
That is just a fact of life. I say get involved and students can get involved the trouble is they often
don't see the history that led us to where we are, and we should adapt what we have not throw
the baby out with the bath water. You build upon existing programs and evolve the enhancement
of change. It is find to ebrace a new idea, but you have to ask yourself, is the new idea a measure
of progress or a measure of protest? Progress is more productive in the long term, when dealing
with political evolution, its a slower road to travel but its legacy is usually a lasting one.
Young people spoiling their ballot is even worse than not going to the polls at all.
If you have principles that is a good thing but working within the system is far more productive in the
long run is the point I am making.
political arena for what I believed in at the time, several years ago I was even a candidate in a
Federal Election, what an experience that was. I found over the years that there is no one way to
do anything, the ideas should not be condemned or praised by being right left or center for that
matter. I am left on some issues and right on others, in other words I believe society must be
socially progressive and fiscally conservative. There should always be a separation of church
and state, and we should have politicians that are willing to compromise. Society and political
progress is brought about by evolution not revolution. Oh of course there is the Soviet experience
where revolution to place but they are now back where the evolutionary process stopped so
many decades ago.
For someone to vote none of the above in a Parliamentary system is in fact spoiling their ballot.
That is just a fact of life. I say get involved and students can get involved the trouble is they often
don't see the history that led us to where we are, and we should adapt what we have not throw
the baby out with the bath water. You build upon existing programs and evolve the enhancement
of change. It is find to ebrace a new idea, but you have to ask yourself, is the new idea a measure
of progress or a measure of protest? Progress is more productive in the long term, when dealing
with political evolution, its a slower road to travel but its legacy is usually a lasting one.
Young people spoiling their ballot is even worse than not going to the polls at all.
If you have principles that is a good thing but working within the system is far more productive in the
long run is the point I am making.
A blank ballot may be a no or status quo vote to some people, but to most people it is just a invalid ballot and will never be reported upon as anything else.
Blank ballots are the most useless way to protest.
If you want to make a statement, you write the word "no" into every circle next to every candidate's name.
It's just a blank form otherwise, but if it has a mark on it they have to put it into the "spoiled ballots" box, which is used in case there's a recount and it's been too close to call.
Just consider yourself lucky that you actually have a ballot to spoil.
In the US, with those mechanical voting systems, what you're suggesting would mean as much as if an American were to walk into a voting booth and just stand there for a minute not pulling any lever.
Which is why I said putting those details down should be "optional" because some people feel that it's their own business and nobody else should know who you voted for.
But this isn't Pre-WWII where you'll have to worry about goons from a political party coming to your door and beating you up..... Getting your name off the list might show you give a damn...... but what do you give a damn about? Do you give a damn about the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Green, Bloc, None of them, all of them???
If nobody knows exactly wtf you give a damn about, how do you expect anything to change?
That's the problem and that's what I have been trying to explain.
So you registered your name on the list.... big whoop.... that still doesn't tell anybody a damn thing that's worthwhile and for those who don't like any of the options available and want some form of democratic reform, it does jack squat.
So I don't know why you think merely registering your name on a list makes so much difference. It's the same thing as telling people that if they don't vote, they have no right to complain how things turn out. I voted, it still made no difference and my opinions I voice are the same as when I didn't vote and that still doesn't make a difference either, so while you're at it, explain that one to me.
I actually have to correct something I mentioned earlier about Australian voting. Apparently my wife told me that if you submit a blank ballot, the blank ballot goes towards the leading candidate...... which sucks.
Really?
Rrrreally??
It's been like that since the formation of this country, where it's either been Liberal or Conservative (the Top Positions) running the country.... and when you have people voting just like their own parents voted, how do you ever expect that to change? If it never changes, then the top positions will win everytime..... that's how it has worked since the beginning.
Agreed.
Yes it does, you're forcing someone to make a decision on something they might not want to make a decision on, regardless of their personal reasons or if there's an option there they believe in or support. That's not Democracy.
Democracy only exists in an environment where it stands to fail.