How will my vote be counted if...

Tzetze

...I decide to exercise my right not to vote?

chopperbyrne

It won't be counted.

Tzetze

Thanks for the clarification.

Zebra3

If you're not gonna vote, if you can, go down and spoil your vote.

1) It stops someone else using your vote.

2) It's a better form of protest than just not voting (if that is your intention).

axer

Zebra3 wrote:

1) It stops someone else using your vote.

How can someone else use his/her vote?

edanto

Hey it's up to you. If you decide not to vote, no-one's going to force you.

What are you saying though, that you disagree with all the parties? Or that politics doesn't affect you?

Gobán Saor

Tzetze wrote:

...I decide to exercise my right not to vote?

Why on earth would you do that? While I can understand that no candidate might appeal to you, surely you can't have precisely the same level of dislike for all of them?

Zebra3

axer wrote:

How can someone else use his/her vote?

Loads of ways.

All illegal of course.

3greenrizla's

IMHO if you give up your right to vote, you also give up your right to give out about anything the government does in the next 4 years.


& you shouldnt be allowed to give up your right to vote, it is your civic duty.

Of course someone has the right to not vote. And of course people have the right to tell that person to take a hike next time they moan about the roads, jobs, the health system, taxes etc. etc.

Tzetze

To answer the questions as to why I won't be voting. Call it laziness if you will, but I'm still registered to vote at my parent's address in the East of the country. I'm now living in Galway, and there's no way I can make it back East tomorrow to vote. So, my vote will be wasted.

It's nothing to do with disliking all parties equally.

Zaph

Voting is compulsory in a number of countries, with assorted penalties for failure to comply. In Australia it appears to be a small fine that's not always enforced, but it would be interesting to see what sort of uproar there would be if any of the following measures were taken here:

Wikipedia wrote:

Belgian voters who repeatedly fail to vote in elections may be subject to disenfranchising. Goods and services provided by public offices may be denied to those failing to vote in Peru and Greece. If a Bolivian voter fails to participate in an election, the citizen may be denied withdrawal of their salary from the bank for three months.

axer

Zebra3 wrote:

Loads of ways.

All illegal of course.

I can't imagine that actually happening though - its hardly a reason why someone should use their vote.

jhegarty

If they are all so bad (can't really disagree) did you consider running yourself ?

Tzetze

jhegarty wrote:

If they are all so bad (can't really disagree) did you consider running yourself ?

That has nothing to do with my not voting, as I've already explained above.

3greenrizla's

Tzetze wrote:

To answer the questions as to why I won't be voting. Call it laziness if you will, but I'm still registered to vote at my parent's address in the East of the country. I'm now living in Galway, and there's no way I can make it back East tomorrow to vote. So, my vote will be wasted.

It's nothing to do with disliking all parties equally.

why did you not register in Galway, it is not a hard thing to do.

Pherekydes

axer wrote:

I can't imagine that actually happening though...

It can and it does.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0519/personation.html

Victor

zaph wrote:

Voting is compulsory in a number of countries, with assorted penalties for failure to comply. In Australia it appears to be a small fine that's not always enforced, but it would be interesting to see what sort of uproar there would be if any of the following measures were taken here:

I think the trick isn't to fine people, but to pay them for voting (with their own money).

SeanW

I disagree, compulsory voting or voting-incentives is not the solution.

If people aren't voting, it's most likely because they think politcs are irrelevant to them or that it doesn't make a difference who gets in. If that impression is there, it's the politicians fault, not the publics.

Zambia

Vote Early vote often

Raiser

Tzetze wrote:

How will my vote be counted if...I decide to exercise my right not to vote?

Tzetze wrote:

To answer the questions as to why I won't be voting. Call it laziness if you will, but I'm still registered to vote at my parent's address in the East of the country. I'm now living in Galway, and there's no way I can make it back East tomorrow to vote. So, my vote will be wasted.

It's nothing to do with disliking all parties equally.

Democracys main failing is the possibility that for every informed, calculated and sensible vote there might just possibly be an idiotic, nonsensical vote which carries the same weight and thus negates it.

Thankfully voter apathy serves to tip the democratic scales in the thinking mans favour

cast_iron

I don't think people should be forced to vote if they don't think any candidates are any use or disagree with the voting system.

But I do think people should be made go to the polling booth and state their preference.

The options could be:
1. List of candidates;
2. None of the above;
3. I disagree wth the voting system.

We would get good feedback on how many people are just too lazy, how many just don't like the politicians and how many disagree with the whole setup.

Dampsquid

Tzetze wrote:

Thanks for the clarification.

You needed a clarification?????