Voter loadings

Din Taylor

Was talking to a Tory today and he thinks not all people should be allowed to vote. While I think this may be undemocratic I think that maybe some people should have their votes loaded down. Something like docking a percentage off for not knowing a single item on a candidate's manifesto, not being able to name the Taoiseach etc.

Any other ideas?

Turtyturd

How about if the voters don't vote the way you like, you hold the election again so you get the result you want?

Prof.Badass

Din Taylor wrote: »

Was talking to a Tory today and he thinks not all people should be allowed to vote. While I think this may be undemocratic I think that maybe some people should have their votes loaded down. Something like docking a percentage off for not knowing a single item on a candidate's manifesto, not being able to name the Taoiseach etc.

Any other ideas?

The last time someone started a thread with this idea it didn't go down too well;

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055742791

epgc3fyqirnbsx

He's a facist

squod

Turtyturd wrote: »

How about if the voters don't vote the way you like, you hold the election again so you get the result you want?

That actually happens http://www.lisbon2.ie/

Turtyturd

squod wrote: »

That actually happens http://www.lisbon2.ie/

Sh*t I forgot to add :rolleyes: to show the sarcasm.

bonerm

Din Taylor wrote: »

Was talking to a Tory today and he thinks not all people should be allowed to vote. While I think this may be undemocratic I think that maybe some people should have their votes loaded down. Something like docking a percentage off for not knowing a single item on a candidate's manifesto, not being able to name the Taoiseach etc.

Any other ideas?

I'd go the other way and make it mandaTORY. Fines and prison for those who couldn't be bothered getting off their arse and contributing to society in this most minor of ways.

Maybe then the social elite would stop engineering a society that encourages the bottom-feeding population to get bigger and bigger in order to service the elite.

minidazzler

bonerm wrote: »

I'd go the other way and make it mandaTORY. Fines and prison for those who couldn't be bothered getting off their arse and contributing to society in this most minor of ways.

Maybe then the social elite would stop engineering a society where the bottom-feeding population just gets bigger and bigger in order to service the elite.

Voting is the illusion of choice.

ibarelycare

bonerm wrote: »

I'd go the other way and make it mandaTORY. Fines and prison for those who couldn't be bothered getting off their arse and contributing to society in this most minor of ways.

Maybe then the social elite would stop engineering a society that encourages the bottom-feeding population to get bigger and bigger in order to service the elite.

I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not but that's the way it should be. Australia have it right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting

bonerm

ibarelycare wrote: »

I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not but that's the way it should be. Australia have it right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting

Where'd you think I got the idea?

No I am serious. I also think that people who do not vote (even if only to go in and hastily scribble "you're all just a shower of ****" on their ballot) should be allowed have no opinion on the state of governance in this country, or at least should be sneered at every time they open their mouth by the rest of us.

Din Taylor

Dominique Late Smugness wrote: »

He's a facist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law#Corollaries_and_usage

El Weirdo

Din Taylor wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law#Corollaries_and_usage

He mentioned fascists, not nazis.

I get the Godwin.


Edit: He actually mentioned facists.

Din Taylor

El Weirdo wrote: »

He mentioned fascists, not nazis.

I get the Godwin.


Edit: He actually mentioned facists.

Fair enough

DubMedic

Din Taylor wrote: »

Was talking to a Tory today and he thinks not all people should be allowed to vote. While I think this may be undemocratic I think that maybe some people should have their votes loaded down. Something like docking a percentage off for not knowing a single item on a candidate's manifesto, not being able to name the Taoiseach etc.

Any other ideas?

Problem identified.

Einhard

bonerm wrote: »

I'd go the other way and make it mandaTORY. Fines and prison for those who couldn't be bothered getting off their arse and contributing to society in this most minor of ways.

Maybe then the social elite would stop engineering a society that encourages the bottom-feeding population to get bigger and bigger in order to service the elite.

Problem with that policy though is you have loads of completely ignorant voters who have never read a manifesto in their lives, don't give a crap about politics or the choice their making, and either making a decision off the top of their heads, or vote for the likes of the BNP. Methinks we have enough uncaring voters as it is, without herding millions more into the ballots after them!

Din Taylor

Einhard wrote: »

Problem with that policy though is you have loads of completely ignorant voters who have never read a manifesto in their lives, don't give a crap about politics or the choice their making, and either making a decision off the top of their heads, or vote for the likes of the BNP. Methinks we have enough uncaring voters as it is, without herding millions more into the ballots after them!

Which is why I don't think it is fair that they get a full vote. Obviously everyone who wants to vote should have some say. For example a minimum vote, after loadings have been applied, 10%. Any other questions to decide on loading factors?

bonerm

Einhard wrote: »

Problem with that policy though is you have loads of completely ignorant voters who have never read a manifesto in their lives, don't give a crap about politics or the choice their making, and either making a decision off the top of their heads, or vote for the likes of the BNP. Methinks we have enough uncaring voters as it is, without herding millions more into the ballots after them!

Exactly my hope. My scratch theory is if all the undesirables out there were actually having a say in the balance of power rather than just harmlessly propping up the false economy then the social elite would start exploring ways of breeding them OUT of existence rather than encouraging them to expand in numbers (which is the current case). Instead of throwing benefits to teenage baby-factories they would actually take them away. Finally we might have a race to the top instead of the bottom.

Fanny Wank

I have a few

Serious ones

1. name at least 2 policies of your chosen candidates party
2. name at least 2 out going TDs
3. name the current Taoiseach
4. name the current President
5. What is the current ECB interest rate

a few that would never make it on any list but we all know are pertenent questions

1. are you voting for X on the basis he played GAA for your county
2. are you voting for X on the basis he got your Jacinta moved up the housing list
3. are you voting for X on the basis he's a 'daycent skin'
4. Were you born after 1950 yet the civil war still influences your vote
5. do you excuse political corruption on the basis of 'shur fair play to him if he got a few bob' or 'shur wouldn't we all do the same in his shoes'

Also the examiner should scale down scores by 5% if the respondent uses any of the following phrases

1. ah shur
2. bejaysus
3. fair play ta ya

I guess the problem is if you don't let the morons vote, then who's going to look out for the interests of the morons - can the non morons (very few people in this category in Ireland) really be trusted to have the moron's best interests at heart?

squod

Fanny **** wrote: »

I have a few

Serious ones

1. name at least 2 policies of your chosen candidates party ( that are actually likely to be carried out)

FYP

Einhard

bonerm wrote: »

Exactly my hope. My scratch theory is if all the undesirables out there were actually having a say in the balance of power rather than just harmlessly propping up the false economy then the social elite would start exploring ways of breeding them OUT of existence rather than encouraging them to expand in numbers (which is the current case). Instead of throwing benefits to teenage baby-factories they would actually take them away. Finally we might have a race to the top instead of the bottom.

Now that's both ambitious, and far-sighted! How long have you been working on this??

In fairness though, the "social elite" put very little more effort into their votes than your "undesireables" do!

Einhard

Din Taylor wrote: »

Which is why I don't think it is fair that they get a full vote. Obviously everyone who wants to vote should have some say. For example a minimum vote, after loadings have been applied, 10%. Any other questions to decide on loading factors?

Who asks the questions though? There were 50,000 polling stations in the UK yesterday, and assuming you'd need at least two people at each, that's 100,000 people you'd have to trust to be absolutely indepentent and unbiased. And I just don't have that much faith in people to believe they could be found!

Din Taylor

Einhard wrote: »

Who asks the questions though? There were 50,000 polling stations in the UK yesterday, and assuming you'd need at least two people at each, that's 100,000 people you'd have to trust to be absolutely indepentent and unbiased. And I just don't have that much faith in people to believe they could be found!

It'd have to be done before any election. For example whenever a person registers and they have to retake the "test" after every two elections. They are then given a colour coded ballot paper according to their loading. Admittedly there would have to be a limited amount of loadings possible to make administration simple.

Einhard

Din Taylor wrote: »

It'd have to be done before any election. For example whenever a person registers and they have to retake the "test" after every two elections. They are then given a colour coded ballot paper according to their loading. Admittedly there would have to be a limited amount of loadings possible to make administration simple.

Yeah but anyone who wants to vote can just google the answer. Anyone who doesn't just won't vote. No offence, but doesn't sound very practical to me.

Degag

Din Taylor wrote: »

Was talking to a Tory today and he thinks not all people should be allowed to vote. While I think this may be undemocratic I think that maybe some people should have their votes loaded down. Something like docking a percentage off for not knowing a single item on a candidate's manifesto, not being able to name the Taoiseach etc.

Any other ideas?

Yeah, as was already said, we do that in this country already.

Pherekydes

Fanny **** wrote: »

I have a few

Serious ones

1. name at least 2 policies of your chosen candidates party
2. name at least 2 out going TDs
3. name the current Taoiseach
4. name the current President
5. What is the current ECB interest rate

a few that would never make it on any list but we all know are pertenent questions

1. are you voting for X on the basis he played GAA for your county
2. are you voting for X on the basis he got your Jacinta moved up the housing list
3. are you voting for X on the basis he's a 'daycent skin'
4. Were you born after 1950 yet the civil war still influences your vote
5. do you excuse political corruption on the basis of 'shur fair play to him if he got a few bob' or 'shur wouldn't we all do the same in his shoes'

Also the examiner should scale down scores by 5% if the respondent uses any of the following phrases

1. ah shur
2. bejaysus
3. fair play ta ya

What a load of bolloxology!

There's only one pertinent question (to a Tory):

Do you own land (and/or slaves)?

As mentioned above, the landed gentry/social elite (is that a euphemism for wasters who waste our money snorting coke in expensive clubs at weekends and spending their working week buying high and selling low?) wouldn't ever want to breed the lower classes out of existence. What would they do for slaves? Who'd do the work? All chiefs and no indians doesn't make a good mix.

brummytom

Din Taylor wrote: »

Was talking to a Tory today and he thinks not all people should be allowed to vote.

That's because he's a wanker

Mike 1972

Fanny **** wrote: »

What is the current ECB interest rate

Why should knowing/not knowing this count for anything ?

Unless one has a tracker mortgage and/or a substantial sum on deposit at a building society it doesnt affect them directly.

And while it could be argued that it has an indirect effect on the wider economy so do just about ten thousand other factors.

Besides the individual TD's have damn all role in determining ECB policy. County councilers have even less. Why should the value of a vote cast by a person for either body be affected by their knowledge (or lack therof) of such an irrelavent piece of data ?

Din Taylor wrote: »

Was talking to a Tory today ?

Why ?

bonerm wrote: »

I'd go the other way and make it mandaTORY. Fines and prison for those who couldn't be bothered getting off their arse and contributing to society in this most minor of ways..

So what would you accept as a lawful excuse for not voting ?
How much police resources would you divert towards chasing up non-voters (half of whom turn out to be dead) ?
In order to lock up non voters you would have to release other prisoners to make space. Would you release the muggers or the bankers first ?

Din Taylor

Einhard wrote: »

Yeah but anyone who wants to vote can just google the answer. Anyone who doesn't just won't vote. No offence, but doesn't sound very practical to me.

You think people who don't know how who the Taoiseach is would be able to google it? Anyway don't see why you can't have exam centres like for deiving tests.

Einhard

Din Taylor wrote: »

You think people who don't know how who the Taoiseach is would be able to google it? Anyway don't see why you can't have exam centres like for deiving tests.

I think it unlikely that people who don't know who the taoiseach would be voting anyway. If you're willing to give up your time and energy to get to your local polling centre, then chances are you'll a) have some idea about the candidates and b) won't be too put off about googling some information if doing so determines your right to vote, or its weight.

Again, I don't think testing the entire electorate every five years is a very practical idea. What about local and European elections? referenda? Who sets the questions? Who corrects them? If you're looking to increase interest in politics, the last thing you want to do is to seek to make people jump through hoops to exercise their democratic right.

Mike 1972

Werent such "exams" used in parts of the US onetime as a means of denying Black people the vote ?

Closer to home there used be a "property qualification" originally intended to exclude the lower orders. It was (gradually and after a long fight) abolished in Mainland Britain but retained for local elections in Northern Ireland supposedly because it wasnt fair to let those who didnt pay (much ?) rates have a say in local Government. Of course in many places (most notoriously in Derry/Londonderry) it also had the effect of being creating electoral bias against those residents who tended to prefer the shorter form of the citys name eventually leading to all manner of unpleasentness.