Why don't they have voting on a Saturday

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:21PM #1

Why the feck do they have the voting on a weekday and not the weekend? Surely Saturday would make more sense.

Lots of people work away during the week (myself included sometimes) and so I won't make it home tomorrow to vote. Some students away in college are in the same boat.

You would surely get more people voting if it was held on a Saturday.

It seems to me that they have it midweek in order to prevent certain sections of the community voting.

Am I just being paranoid?

christmas2012 · 30-05-2012 11:22PM

votings tommorrow ::eek::

RMD · 30-05-2012 11:23PM

Because having an area of the public service which isn't an essential daily service working on the weekend is laughable.

eth0 · 30-05-2012 11:25PM

They don't want people who are working to vote, they don't want students to vote

they want ould biddies who don't mind doing what they're told to vote. they want people who have nothing better to do than spend the day looking at RTE to vote

telekon · 30-05-2012 11:26PM

I'm not wasting my precious weekend going into the polling station, feck off students!!

Battered Mars Bar · 30-05-2012 11:26PM

The only people the government want to be voting are the public sector because they're puppets in their pockets the lot of them...and to boot they only work half a day anyway at most...probably finished at 3:30 I'd say sure who'd want to work after an extended hours lunch break really that's what I think there about that. That's why we've so many of them too, strength in numbers ye know, feckers.

davetherave · 30-05-2012 11:27PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Lots of people work away during the week (myself included sometimes) and so I won't make it home tomorrow to vote. Some students away in college are in the same boat.

Or...you know, maybe change your address on the Electoral Register to where you will be?

leggo · 30-05-2012 11:27PM

I'd imagine it's for the opposite reason that you suggest OP: people are more likely to make time to vote during a weekday, driving to/from work etc. Whereas Saturdays are usually filled for the average family: kids playing football, weekly shopping, and so on. Voting isn't likely to make the 'To Do' list on a busy day like that. And there are many more average families than people working away from home.

flutterflye · 30-05-2012 11:27PM

eth0 wrote: »

They don't want people who are working to vote, they don't want students to vote

they want ould biddies who don't mind doing what they're told to vote. they want people who have nothing better to do than spend the day looking at RTE to vote

Why do people say such shyte like this?
Really.
So many people do it - just make up reasons for things and spew it out their asses as if it's true.
Eh no.. that is just something stupid you just made up!

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:30PM

davetherave wrote: »

Or...you know, maybe change your address on the Electoral Register to where you will be?

Ah yes, but I'm where I'll be from one week to the other is a mystery to me. I often only find out at a few days notice. I'm at the whim of my employer.

Kurz · 30-05-2012 11:32PM

Believe it or not OP, the vast majority of people work and live in the same part of the country.

blindside88 · 30-05-2012 11:32PM

Surely in the case of this vote it would make sense to have the vote on a saturday (from a yes perspective), while not wanting to make sweeping generalisations a large proportion of the no campaigns support seems to be from people that are out of work and disheartened with the government and will therefore vote any day if they are going to. As the yes side is getting support from most of the major unions and ibex it makes sense that a larger proportion of these may not be able to vote on a weekday. By the way this is not a swipe at the no side, of I don't see it from your point of view I respect your decision to view it that way

davetherave · 30-05-2012 11:33PM

Battered Mars Bar wrote: »

The only people the government want to be voting are the public sector because they're puppets in their pockets the lot of them...and to boot they only work half a day anyway at most...probably finished at 3:30 I'd say sure who'd want to work after an extended hours lunch break really that's what I think there about that. That's why we've so many of them too, strength in numbers ye know, feckers.

Voting for the referendum opens from 7am to 10pm on polling day.

But don't let that get in the way of a good public service bashing.....:rolleyes:

big_heart_on · 30-05-2012 11:33PM

flutterflye wrote: »

Why do people say such shyte like this?
Really.
So many people do it - just make up reasons for things and spew it out their asses as if it's true.
Eh no.. that is just something stupid you just made up!

Because thats exactly what government politicians were saying a few years ago, weekend voting was to allow thousands of students to vote, and I heard them saying on the radio that it worked.

So having weekday voting its easy enough to draw the conclusion that they prefer to not have students voting.

No references to excreta needed.

Morag · 30-05-2012 11:35PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Why the feck do they have the voting on a weekday and not the weekend? Surely Saturday would make more sense.

Lots of people work away during the week (myself included sometimes) and so I won't make it home tomorrow to vote. Some students away in college are in the same boat.

You would surely get more people voting if it was held on a Saturday.

It seems to me that they have it midweek in order to prevent certain sections of the community voting.

Am I just being paranoid?

Students for the most part.
It is a away of disenfranchising young people and getting them out of the habit of voting and feeling like they don't count.

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:36PM

davetherave wrote: »

Or...you know, maybe change your address on the Electoral Register to where you will be?

Another point on the above quote.

Changing my address is fine for the referrendum, no problem there as it's a yes or no vote. It's not worth a sh1te if it's a Local or General Election.

My home area is down the country but if I am in Donegal, I think I can only vote for the Donegal candidates. That's not worth a fcuk to me. I want to be voting for my local candidates who work for my own area, not somebody in Donegal or wherever that I have never heard of before.

This system of having voting on a weekday totally excludes a huge number of people (or at least makes it very hard for them to vote), and this shouldn't be the case.

Battered Mars Bar · 30-05-2012 11:38PM

davetherave wrote: »

But don't let that get in the way of a good public service bashing.....:rolleyes:

I won't

davetherave · 30-05-2012 11:39PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Ah yes, but I'm where I'll be from one week to the other is a mystery to me. I often only find out at a few days notice. I'm at the whim of my employer.

Oh right, well that is a pain. Have you investigated the possibility of getting a postal vote due to occupational reasons?

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:39PM

leggo wrote: »

I'd imagine it's for the opposite reason that you suggest OP: people are more likely to make time to vote during a weekday, driving to/from work etc. Whereas Saturdays are usually filled for the average family: kids playing football, weekly shopping, and so on. Voting isn't likely to make the 'To Do' list on a busy day like that. And there are many more average families than people working away from home.

The average family as you say at least have the chance to vote. It's up to them if they want to bother their ar5e going out to vote.

At least they have the option. I can't vote unless I decide to finish work early and drive 4 hours hometo vote and then 4 hours back up to work in the morning.

Voting should be made simple, and this type of scenario wouldn't happen if the voting was on a Saturday. There are plenty of ads in the media telling us to go out and vote but then they put obstacles in a good percentage of the population's way.

Kurz · 30-05-2012 11:40PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Another point on the above quote.

Changing my address is fine for the referrendum, no problem there as it's a yes or no vote. It's not worth a sh1te if it's a Local or General Election.

My home area is down the country but if I am in Donegal, I think I can only vote for the Donegal candidates. That's not worth a fcuk to me. I want to be voting for my local candidates who work for my own area, not somebody in Donegal or wherever that I have never heard of before.

This system of having voting on a weekday totally excludes a huge number of people (or at least makes it very hard for them to vote), and this shouldn't be the case.

The huge number of people that are in your very specific and unique personal situation? It would exclude an awful lot more people if it was on Saturdays when people traditionally go to football matches, concerts, weekends away, visiting relatives and the like.

dr.bollocko · 30-05-2012 11:40PM

Personally I think it would be beneficial to the democratic process.

mod:

Battered Mars Bar wrote: »

The only people the government want to be voting are the public sector because they're puppets in their pockets the lot of them...and to boot they only work half a day anyway at most...probably finished at 3:30 I'd say sure who'd want to work after an extended hours lunch break really that's what I think there about that. That's why we've so many of them too, strength in numbers ye know, feckers.

This is the kind of crap that too often clouds the possibility of a decent level of discussion in an open forum on the internet.

Please do not post in this thread again.

Fair warning.

PM for clarification.

shancoduff · 30-05-2012 11:42PM

leggo wrote: »

I'd imagine it's for the opposite reason that you suggest OP: people are more likely to make time to vote during a weekday, driving to/from work etc. Whereas Saturdays are usually filled for the average family: kids playing football, weekly shopping, and so on. Voting isn't likely to make the 'To Do' list on a busy day like that. And there are many more average families than people working away from home.

Ah the average family,

don't forget about the people who would too lazy to leave the gaff to vote on a day off, like myself!

My name is URL · 30-05-2012 11:44PM

People work on Saturdays too. As for those 'away' at college, why haven't they updated their place of residence on the register? The problem doesn't lie with what day elections/referenda are held, it lies with the primitive way in which they are conducted.

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:45PM

davetherave wrote: »

Oh right, well that is a pain. Have you investigated the possibility of getting a postal vote?

It's too late for me to do this now but it's what I'll do from now on. I would have registered for a postal vote but I was expecting to be home this week.

One thing though, don't you have to vote early if you are voting by post, ie. maybe 5 days before polling day?

Also, by voting early with a postal vote, would I not be missing out on some of the debate regarding the Treaty and therefore be making a possibly less informed decision than somebody voted on the day? You can tell I'm p1ssed off because I am picking an arguement with everything about this "voting-during-the-week-so-we-exclude-lots-of-people" sham.

LeinsterDub · 30-05-2012 11:46PM

Surely allowing postal votes would mean it wouldn't matter what day the vote is held as those interested but not available on the day could have their say?

LeinsterDub · 30-05-2012 11:47PM

davetherave wrote: »

BattleCorp wrote: »

Ah yes, but I'm where I'll be from one week to the other is a mystery to me. I often only find out at a few days notice. I'm at the whim of my employer.

Oh right, well that is a pain. Have you investigated the possibility of getting a postal vote due to occupational reasons?

Postal voting doesn't exist in Ireland

leggo · 30-05-2012 11:48PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

The average family as you say at least have the chance to vote. It's up to them if they want to bother their ar5e going out to vote.

At least they have the option. I can't vote unless I decide to finish work early and drive 4 hours hometo vote and then 4 hours back up to work in the morning.

Voting should be made simple, and this type of scenario wouldn't happen if the voting was on a Saturday. There are plenty of ads in the media telling us to go out and vote but then they put obstacles in a good percentage of the population's way.

Your circumstances do not represent 'a good percentage of the population', though. I doubt even 1% work in such constantly irregular locations that they can't even be in their constituency on polling day.

So, as handy as it would no doubt be for you if they changed the entire world to suit your very specific qualm, it's not very practical is it?

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:50PM

Kurz wrote: »

The huge number of people that are in your very specific and unique personal situation? It would exclude an awful lot more people if it was on Saturdays when people traditionally go to football matches, concerts, weekends away, visiting relatives and the like.

Voting starts at 7am and goes on until 10pm. Plenty of time to find a couple of minutes to vote so I don't think football, concerts, etc should stop you voting.

Fair enough, I see your point about people being away, but some people are often away during the week too.

There are over 110,000 students in Ireland and a fair percentage of them go to college away from home. That's one huge group that voting is made awkward for.

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:52PM

My name is URL wrote: »

People work on Saturdays too. As for those 'away' at college, why haven't they updated their place of residence on the register? The problem doesn't lie with what day elections/referenda are held, it lies with the primitive way in which they are conducted.

True, you could update your place of residence. But like I said in my earlier post, this means that you vote in the constituency that your new residence is. That's fine for referrenda but no use for General or Local elections.

As for working on Saturdays, it's a long shift if you are working from 7am until 10pm.

tobsey · 30-05-2012 11:53PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Voting starts at 7am and goes on until 10pm. Plenty of time to find a couple of minutes to vote so I don't think football, concerts, etc should stop you voting.

Fair enough, I see your point about people being away, but some people are often away during the week too.

There are over 110,000 students in Ireland and a fair percentage of them go to college away from home. That's one huge group that voting is made awkward for.

Aren't most, if not all, college courses finished for the summer?

BattleCorp · 30-05-2012 11:59PM

tobsey wrote: »

Aren't most, if not all, college courses finished for the summer?

I'm not only talking about tomorrow's vote. Voting has often happened midweek during the school year.

Why don't they have voting on a Saturday

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