How do you vote?

Exit

Firstly, I know someone will say this is more suited to the politics forum, but I'm looking for the average person's opinion rather than a more politically minded person's response. Can a mod not move this there please?

I'm not hugely knowledgeable on politics. I know who people are and what parties they represent but I don't really know what they stand for. So when I go to vote I usually just vote in terms of parties (e.g. 1. FF candidate, 2. PD candidate,... and so on) unless a particular candidate has stood out to me on a particular issue. Likewise, if they've stood out to me for the wrong reasons, they'll be at the bottom end of my votes.

So how does everyone else vote? Is this the way the average person votes, or do you really try to educate yourselves on the candidates beforehand? To be honest, the leaflets that come in the door all read the same really - against crime, against drugs, hard worker in the community, etc.

I feel I'm going to be lambasted by a politically minded poster for not having stronger opinions on such things, but I think a lot of people vote this way. Anyway, at least I'm voting. My ma refuses to vote this time around, and my brother is too lazy to go get himself registered :rolleyes:

vorbis

similar to you. Wouldn't really know the candidates so would vote for a party i liked.

Stark

By party as well, although there's loads of independants in the Munster area for the European elections, so that makes things really confusing.

beardedchicken

i consider myself politically minded, but in general, i tend to think on the national/global level, and on the individual level, more so than local politics, and as such, i find it more difficult to know how to vote in local elections than in national elections, as often, i know little or nothing about local issues.
what i'm doing is looking at candidates' manifestos to see which ones match closest to my opinions on issues that are important to me. i'm also taking into account their own stance on other issues, like their ethical/moral stance, as i think that might have an impact on how they vote in the local councils. finally, i take into account strongly the party they represent, as i think local elections are a good opportunity to let the government know how dissatisfied i am with them. i know this isn't (in an ideal world) what you're "supposed" to do, but i think it's a better approach than simply electing single-issue candidates. that's just my two cents.

Sleepy

Well, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein go directly to the bottom of my vote, from there I tend to vote for the individuals whos policies echo mine best that I feel are trustworty individuals.

Basically, I try to pick the lesser of the many evils.

spoofilyj

Ok i dont wont to rant but i've got an anything but Fina Fail and PD attitude...

Most of the parties these vdays have more or less the same police's and stuff like that but i feel that with the likes of Fine Gale, Labour and the Greens that at least the dont have the power to have a clear majority so by fighting as one against FF then the have to be better then what we have at the moment.
By the way I have no political allegience what so ever so... Mhea Mhea
Just vote for who would see your best interests fulfilled...
They're all the same these days just there curcumstances have changed!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Voting.

Stephen

The first thing i do is ignore all the FF/PD whores. No matter what their agenda is, who can trust them? Sinn Fein/SWP types also go to the bottom of the pile.

I think this year i'll be voting for labour with transfers to fine gael.

Capt'n Midnight

The nice thing about PR is the transferrable vote..

Pick the person you like least and give them the highest number - and work your way back to those you think are least corrupt

Stark

Spoken like a true cynic I follow a similar pattern, I usually have a fairly clear number 1 and a fairly clear number 10 or whatever, then I work my way inwards.

I'll be voting number 1- Greens, number 2 etc. - Labour, next votes - Fine Gael, Fourth Last - SWP, Third Last - Sinn Fein, Second last - PDs, Last votes - Fianna Fail

I'll be voting Greens number 1 as they're an important minority (you need someone who's going to stand up in parliament and say "okay this huge company has invented this poison, maybe we shouldn't let them put it in our kid's schoolmilk despite the money they're giving us?"), and my votes will be very helpful. Also thanks to PR I don't have to worry about voting for an underdog, because if they don't get in, then my vote gets turned into a No. 1 vote for the next person down on my ballot paper.

smoke.me.a.kipper

on a national level id vote by party, on a local level i vote by canditate(sp?), but im unsure about the european elections. must go read up on it abit more.

swiss

I spotted an election poster recently that simply stated that the name of the hopeful and the slogan "On Your Side". I can't argue with that. He gets my vote.

On second thoughts, I spotted a Justin Barrett poster that stated he was "At your service". Despite the fact that I strongly disagree with many of his opinions and policies. I just can't bring myself to vote for a candidate that won't be "at my service".

Yet another poster I saw had the name of a candidate and the slogan "Stop the paedophiles!". I certainly don't want to vote for a candidate that doesn't want to stop paedophiles, which obviously must be everybody else.

However, all of this confusion was quickly remedied when I saw another poster. It simple slogan was "Your No. 1 choice". Phew! Glad I didn't have to make that decision for myself. My vote will certainly go for that candidate, and I must make a note of his name next time when I see that poster.

Stephen

that stop the paedophiles guy is an ex-carlow IT students union president. That's as good a reason as any not to vote for him I think!

<-- carlow it student

Rabies

Don't vote. Know real interest really.

Stephen

You should vote. Even just to help whittle down the FF/PD base that little bit more.

Gurgle

I actually read the fliers.
Some candidates are ruled out by their party - e.g. FF / SF are not getting any votes from me, they represent positions that I find unacceptable.

After that, anyone with a decent point to make or issue to chase up will get my vote.

So far, for the town council elections, there is only one person on my 'maybe' list. He is an advocate of putting proper tarmac surfaces on the roads in the town.

Of all the fliers coming through the door in the last few weeks, this is the only one that even suggested addressing an actual issue.

Originally posted by Stephen:
that stop the paedophiles guy is an ex-carlow IT students union president. That's as good a reason as any not to vote for him I think!

:rolleyes:
that doesn't entirely rule out the possibility that he might help stop the paedophiles

Rabies

You should vote. Even just to help whittle down the FF/PD base that little bit more.
Meh :dunno:
Maybe at some stage when i get a bit of interest in politics i might vote. Doesn't bother me who is in power right now.

eirebhoy

I think people would be foolish to vote by party in the local's. I probably won't vote for a member of Sinn Fein in the European but I'll be putting Daithí Doolin of Sinn Fein No.1 in the local's. He's one of the few that comes knocking on your door in the middle of winter when there is no election's due and actually listens to what you have to say.

Gurgle

Originally posted by Rabies:
Maybe at some stage when i get a bit of interest in politics i might vote.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Use your vote before an interest in politics corrupts your ability to think.

Seriously though, you're better off without an interest in politics.
Use your vote for someone who promises to do something useful, like legalising pot and hookers or increasing your student grant or bringing back fizzle sticks.

Dont waste it on a politician, they're not worth it.

super_furry

1) Socialist Party
2) Labour
3) Greens

That's it then.

maxheadroom

I don't quite understand why someone would give the lowest preference to a party / candidate they didn't want to win - just don't put anything in the box, that way there's no chance they might get your transferred vote.

super_furry

Originally posted by maxheadroom
I don't quite understand why someone would give the lowest preference to a party / candidate they didn't want to win - just don't put anything in the box, that way there's no chance they might get your transferred vote.

I've always wondered that myself. I usually only ever get to six candidates before I stop.

Agent Orange

Why on Earth would anyone vote for Sinn Féin terrorists?

A vote for SF is a vote for the IRA. Cop yourselves on and vote for someone who doesn't use violence when politics aren't going their way.

Capt'n Midnight

Originally posted by maxheadroom
I don't quite understand why someone would give the lowest preference to a party / candidate they didn't want to win - just don't put anything in the box, that way there's no chance they might get your transferred vote.

It's true that you may not need to fill in the very last box but you'd feel sick as a parrot if someone got in on the seventh tansfer and you'd only filled in the first six.

Filling in all the boxes dilutes the vote to those lower down. - Have a look at the vote for Neil O'Brollochain in (Green) in Galway last election. (is there a link to that count ??)
Very few first pref's finished about 12th or lower on first count , but since he was pulling in preferences left, right and centre he romped up the field and got damn close to being elected on all the lower preferences.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Agent Orange
Why on Earth would anyone vote for Sinn Féin terrorists?

A vote for SF is a vote for the IRA. Cop yourselves on and vote for someone who doesn't use violence when politics aren't going their way.

Since I'm the only person that said i'll be voting for a member of Sinn Fein i assume that was directed at me? You'd have to know Daithí in person to understand why I'm voting for him.

Sleepy

Maybe he's a nice guy, but he's still a member of a quasi-terrorist party.

Your description of him as the guy who knock on the door outside of election time doesn't mean anything more than that he knows a good idea when he hears one. Bertie Ahern was famous for knocking on doors on his way to the pub on a Friday evening.

Stark

Lol. I've this image of a druken Bertie banging on people's doors as he's stumbling home after the pub

maxheadroom

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
It's true that you may not need to fill in the very last box but you'd feel sick as a parrot if someone got in on the seventh tansfer and you'd only filled in the first six.

Filling in all the boxes dilutes the vote to those lower down. - Have a look at the vote for Neil O'Brollochain in (Green) in Galway last election. (is there a link to that count ??)
Very few first pref's finished about 12th or lower on first count , but since he was pulling in preferences left, right and centre he romped up the field and got damn close to being elected on all the lower preferences.

I think you're missing my point a bit - Even if - for example - a FF or PD candidate got in on the 7th count, there's no way in hell I'd want my vote attributed to them. If I gave them a really low preference, that could still happen, and then I'd feel awful for possibly helping them win.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Sleepy
Maybe he's a nice guy, but he's still a member of a quasi-terrorist party.

Your description of him as the guy who knock on the door outside of election time doesn't mean anything more than that he knows a good idea when he hears one. Bertie Ahern was famous for knocking on doors on his way to the pub on a Friday evening.

This is the reason I'm voting for him:

"In his own constituency he has been to the fore in campaigning against bin charges, incineration, hospitals closures, high rise developments and the scourge of drugs. Since the 1990s Daithí has tackled both the causes and consequences of drug addiction in our communities."

It's what he does for the area I live. I couldn't care less if he's a member of SF, FF or FG.

Most leaflets say exactly what I quoted above but the difference with Daithí is he actually tries his best to get what people want and often succeeds in the smaller things like getting tennis courts for the kids, etc.

Agent Orange

Originally posted by eirebhoy
It's what he does for the area I live. I couldn't care less if he's a member of SF, FF or FG.

Would you be singing the same tune if the IRA/Sinn Féin injured someone you care about?

Joining a political party is not a decision taken lightly. This guy joined them even though they are tightly linked to an illegal terrorist organisation that has killed and maimed thousands of people.

But hey, I guess it's okay as long as the ickle kiddies get a tennis court, eh?

Edit: A charming little outfit once available at the Sinn Féin online store.

Superman

MAYBE

billy the squid

Will vote in the referendum and the european election. I wont bother with the localelection as I think local councils are a waste of money given that the city or county manager makes all the decisions anyway.

Local elections are for people who are not charismatic enough to get into the Dail.

that said will be voting independent

BTW there is a 19 year old running for Limerick City Council, and she has a mad dublin accent is she the youngest election hopeful in the country