A timely quote from Robert A. Heinlein

[flywoman]

"If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for, but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong. If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advice. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (if such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time on it that truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires."

- Lazarus Long, Time Enough for Love

Comments

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

Australia gets around the tricky problem of getting people to vote by making it compulsory :)

Good luck with it - hope you get the right result!

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

Really? What is the penalty for not voting?

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

It's a fine of some sort - I'm thinking $60-$80 or something like that. So most people turn out just to avoid the fine although there is still around about a 10% informal vote I think (didn't turn up, didn't mark the ballot correctly etc). They can't make you actually vote, but you have to turn up and get your name marked off.

Mind you we don't have to vote for school boards and DA's and whatever else you guys have to either.

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

One of my colleagues recently pointed out that we have a low turnout per election, but a high turnout if you consider how many elections we have here per equivalent numbers of years...

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

So very true.
If I was American I'd never have any doubts, but here it's sometimes less clear cut. Hope the result goes the way it should.

I love going to vote, just on the principle of the thing; could wax lyrical at length for all sorts of practical and sentimental reasons. Then totally judge people who don't vote or can't be bothered to be informed.

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

I've never had any doubts either, although sometimes only because, per the quote, I know I need to turn out in order to vote *against* ;).

I've always voted since reaching the age of majority, but it has been way easier to stay informed at some times than others, based on the political coverage by local media. Here, if I didn't have MoveOn.org to give me a list of progressive candidates and tell me my polling place, I'd be screwed.

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

I've done that a few times too, there's one particular party here that I'm so totally against; but beyond that I'm not above crossing party lines for a particular issue/candidate.

That does sound a good site, wonder if there are equivalents for other countries.
Ah see I wouldn't ever think of needing to check the nearest polling station. Here it's just printed on your registration forms. But then it's a smaller country so must be easier to organise those things.

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

Here it's just printed on your registration forms.

It is here, too, I just... *ducks head* lost my registration card, pretty much immediately.

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

lol oops. As the details are all on a central database we just get sent a new little bit of paper each time; we don't have many elections so quite a lot of people probably would end mislaying/forgetting one card in the intermin.

So, you happy with the result?
I got way too emotionally invested in the thing given it's not even the same continent.

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about happy, but I am immensely *relieved* by the result, see above quote about always having something to turn up to vote against ;).

[sageharper.livejournal.com]

Well that's ok then, and usually my reaction to elections here as well. :)