Should General Election voting be mandatory.
Discussion
thinfourth2 said:
If only there is a non of the above option
Beat me to it. You cannot make mandatory until there is an option for the people who want to vote, but have nobody to vote for. I bet there is a big difference between voter apathy and people who won't to make a vote of no confidence in the whole system.Megaflow said:
thinfourth2 said:
If only there is a non of the above option
Beat me to it. You cannot make mandatory until there is an option for the people who want to vote, but have nobody to vote for. I bet there is a big difference between voter apathy and people who won't to make a vote of no confidence in the whole system.I remember listening to someone talks about the Australian system where it is compulsory and more people take an interest in the politics as a result.
I am in the camp of making it mandatory. For many years I have said to people that if they don't vote they shouldn't complain.
Should it only be so if there were an option of None of the Above? Not sure but I think that perhaps we should start with that with a view to reviewing the state of play in 3 GE's time to accurately reflect the way it is working in practice and to see if the general public has actually started to think beyond where their next can of 8 Ace is coming from.
Notwithstanding what I have written I feel that it is just, if not more, important to get people to vote in Local Elections. To the point where I would consider making it mandatory there first before rolling it out to GEs. At the end of the day it will be easier to get the apathetic to consider what affects them locally first before asking them to look at the bigger picture.
One way I have considered of dealing with the issue though is that at 18 everyone gets a vote. If you fail to use that vote more than twice in 10 years then you lose your right to vote. There would obviously have to be some sort of appeal process available but it should be very tightly controlled.
It angers me to know that there are so many people out there who can’t be bothered to utilise a right which has cost the lives of many, many thousands, if not millions, of our kinsfolk to win.
Should it only be so if there were an option of None of the Above? Not sure but I think that perhaps we should start with that with a view to reviewing the state of play in 3 GE's time to accurately reflect the way it is working in practice and to see if the general public has actually started to think beyond where their next can of 8 Ace is coming from.
Notwithstanding what I have written I feel that it is just, if not more, important to get people to vote in Local Elections. To the point where I would consider making it mandatory there first before rolling it out to GEs. At the end of the day it will be easier to get the apathetic to consider what affects them locally first before asking them to look at the bigger picture.
One way I have considered of dealing with the issue though is that at 18 everyone gets a vote. If you fail to use that vote more than twice in 10 years then you lose your right to vote. There would obviously have to be some sort of appeal process available but it should be very tightly controlled.
It angers me to know that there are so many people out there who can’t be bothered to utilise a right which has cost the lives of many, many thousands, if not millions, of our kinsfolk to win.
It's always a choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.
http://www.southparkstudios.co.uk/clips/sp_vid_154...
I wouldn't personally object to compulsory voting so long as I got the option of rejecting all the candidates if I don't want any of them, but I don't see the point in compelling people who don't feel able to make an informed choice to vote. I don't have any problem with allowing the stupid and the apathetic to disenfranchise themselves, in fact I think it's probably for the best that they do.
http://www.southparkstudios.co.uk/clips/sp_vid_154...
I wouldn't personally object to compulsory voting so long as I got the option of rejecting all the candidates if I don't want any of them, but I don't see the point in compelling people who don't feel able to make an informed choice to vote. I don't have any problem with allowing the stupid and the apathetic to disenfranchise themselves, in fact I think it's probably for the best that they do.
Cheese Mechanic said:
phumy said:
Is mandatory democratic?
Precisely, mandatory voting is election by dictatorship. Very tired phrase but with rights come responsibilities. If people are too bone idle to be bothered to get off their arse once a year or less for an hour of their time to indicated how they would like their Local services or Country run then I would rather they be ignored totally.
I for one am fed up of being held to ransom by the apathy of others who then have the bare faced cheek to complain when they don't get what they want and who often force the policies people supported and voted to be watered down or shelved.
You had you chance to have your say, you chose to sit at home and pick your nose at that time so why the hell should others who bothered to make their statement be subject to your Johnny Come Lately sudden realisation that voting was actually more important than Real A&E or whatever.
Quite simply vote or either put up and shut up or f
k off somewhere else where you don't have the chance to have your say.(Please note that this post isn't aimed at any poster but at the general opinions stated.)
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