Why not Vote ???

Hi,I am an aussie and have read many people here state that they WILL NOT be VOTING.

Why not?.

Voting is compulsory here in Australia.

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"What happens if I do not vote?
Initially the Australian Electoral Commission will write to all apparent non-voters requesting that they either provide a reason for their failure to vote or pay a $20 penalty.

If, within 21 days, the apparent non-voter fails to reply, cannot provide a valid and sufficient reason or declines to pay the penalty, then prosecution proceedings may be instigated. If the matter is dealt with in court and the person is found guilty, he or she may be fined up to $50 plus court costs."

www.aec.gov.au...
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A token penalty.

If you dislike/disagree with both Dems and Republicans then can/can't you vote for independance like a lot of aussies do which has the positive [mostly] effect of keeping the government honest or at least challenged and unable to rush bills through parliament.

honest question.

[edit on 1-10-2008 by jimmyx]

[edit on 1-10-2008 by jimmyx]

I am one of the posters who continually implores everyone to vote.

Most importantly, VOTE FOR WHOMEVER YOU TRUST!

The law does not restrict us to vote only for party candidates.

Vote for you mother, your sister, your uncle, your neighbor, your best friend, the guy down the street. BUT VOTE!

Silence is consent. Freedom must be expressed or it can not not exist!

reply to post by Maxmars


When you say vote mother father sister etc.. do you mean vote informal or can you put anyones name on ballot paper( or is it all electronic casting) you must forgive my ignorance I really am 10,000 miles(16,000 kilometres away)

another way of voting Oz style is called donkey vote ,where one just puts 1,2,3,4,5,6... down the page who gets to be number 1 is by lotto style draw.

My real question was why is NOT voting a stand ,effective or meaningful?

Sorry to say but everyones vote dont count. Until we abolish the Electoral college our vote will never matter.

reply to post by RevolutionaryTruth


electoral college ?

I lost 10 IQ just asking about USA politics.

will google electoral college.

en.wikipedia.org...

"Candidates can fail to get the most votes in the nationwide popular vote in a Presidential election and still win that election. This occurred in 1876, 1888 and 2000. Critics argue the Electoral College is inherently undemocratic and gives certain swing states disproportionate clout in selecting the President and Vice President"


I still believe Australian voting with it's 100 percent paper trail is ( in ignorance) still valid.

I guess on the other hand,I heard somewhere that it only matters who COUNTS the VOTES .

Still my original question hasn't got 1 (one) response.

edit added wiki college votes


[edit on 1/10/08 by ROO-meh]

[edit on 1/10/08 by ROO-meh]

It's these representatives or "delegates" that vote for us on our behalf, so they say.

American's are allowed to vote for whomever they chose. Not just those 'on the ballot'. This is a reality that political parties have been trying to undermine. They have created 'rules' and 'regulations' that restrict who can be on a states ballot, even at the national level. There are many presidential candidates who will appear on NO ballot.

However, from its inception the point was supported that people cannot be 'restricted' in their choice of candidate, so they can (or are supposed to be allowed to) 'write-in' whomever they want.

In today's world of electronic automation and bureaucratic controls, many will not see any method for 'writing' in a candidate as they will be facing a pre-programmed machine, or a machine form, that will offer no opportunity to do so. But I know the law is still in place allowing a citizen to demand, and receive, the tools for which to do that. Many will be told some bureaucratic nonsense about how they had to 'register' that intent earlier, or mail in their vote by some separate mechanism, and most will believe it.

But in America, if, by some miracle, the majority wrote in Jimmy 'the ice pick' Randino..., the law is supposed to coerce the establishment to accept that as a valid decision by the population.

Originally posted by Maxmars


But in America, if, by some miracle, the majority wrote in Jimmy 'the ice pick' Randino..., the law is supposed to coerce the establishment to accept that as a valid decision by the population

yes very true on that note (bolded)

although the electoral college would not see "Jimmy 'The Ice Pick' Randino" as a worthy candidate for their vote....thus eliminating the peoples voice and choice.

I have never voted, i'm 23, so this is my second election.

The candidates have always been terrible, i have never had any faith in the elections, and ever since i was taught about the voting process in school, i realized that the popular vote is nothin but asthetics...it looks good for the sheeple, but its never taken seriously.

though i will say one thing in argument over myself and others who view the same opinion...there are over 300 million people, what system could we devise to count all of those votes? WITHOUT any cheating, hacking, or lying? How could we get an un-corrupt and clean election w/ so many devious and power hungry people in the struggle to be king of the people?

reply to post by DirtyHarry


I agree, the electoral college has outlived it's productive usefulness and should be abolished. The political parties DON'T want to see that happen. I think we can all imagine why.

However, in the unlikely event that such a voting coup took place, it is unlikely that the political parties could survive the backlash of the outright defiance of the will of the people in order to install one of 'their' political party members.

I have to admit, I would like to see them face that choice, just to make them sweat and squirm in their seats.

Unlikely, I know, because the people are seduced by the glamor of the Hollywood-style political campaigns. And there is nothing quite so daunting to a voter as the 'resignation' that their vote won't count or his or her candidate 'can't win'.

But if we don't exercise our last vestige of democratic participation, then the evils we are against have no opposition at all, not even in spirit. I am just too dead set against that kind of surrender.