People confused by English language

Fluorescence wrote: »

If someone is such an imbecile that they can't decipher a straightforward ballot paper then they have no business voting.

I can't understand the confusion at all. It was very simple.

So what your saying is only educated people should be entitled to vote.

Its not like it would be the first time the people would be duped into voting way the government wanted them to vote.

Fluorescence wrote: »

If someone is such an imbecile that they can't decipher a straightforward ballot paper then they have no business voting.

I can't understand the confusion at all. It was very simple.

It is very low to refer to someone as an imbecile, for anything. In a situation such as an election that could change our Constitution where people are nervous already (reform, any kind of change, can bring nerves to the fore for people); it is just downrite rude imo!

I walked into the polling station yesterday and looked at my ballot papers. I've a 1st class honours in Psychology and a history in youth politics and was prepared with how I was going to vote. I am well used to reading and deciphering, but this I had to read more than once.

It was not phrased in an easy to comprehend language for everyone. No it was not! It mentioned the articles of the Constitution in both Irish & English and I saw how that could throw people. I did not like the way it was phrased nor laid out on the ballot paper and no, I can assure you for some people it was not simple or straight-forward regardless of reading the info delivered by An Post, nor listening to nor speaking with your friends and neighbours at home or around town.

Shame for how this was delivered! Certainly not user-friendly!

SpaceTime wrote: »

The layout of the ballot paper is absolutely awful. If you're not able to see all that well (in dim light of your typical grotty polling station) or if you're dyslexic it would be very confusing.

The language is also too confusing and it shouldn't be in English and Irish together line by line. That makes it very hard to read in either language.

Then the whole way the question is phrased is so legalistic that it's difficult to follow.

The constitution doesn't prevent the ballot paper being laid out clearly and in plain English and plain Irish.

The need a user interface designer and a good graphic designer who knows how to desk with accessibility issues.

A ballot paper should take into account visual and cognitive issues that voters may have.

That paper was just use unfriendly no matter which way you were voting.

Correct! I did not think the ballot papers yesterday were as user-friendly as they could have been at all.
Maybe that's something else for reform

Fluorescence wrote: »

Hardly - the language is pretty clear and straightforward in these things. "Do you agree with abolishing the Seanad - Yes or No?" Not exactly rocket science or the most baffling of legalese

I think it was the court of appeal one that wad not very clear. I had to read it 2-3 times as it did not directly ask of you wanted one created. Infact, if you thought a court of appeal already exsisted, some might think they were asking if you wanted it abolished as well.

In the adverts on the run up, the language used was very simplistic - on the day you will be asked to vote yes to abolish the seaned or no to keep it. In reality when faced with the ballot, yes means to amend the constitution to abolish the seaned, so can understand where this arose - some people thought voting no was to abolish it

Fluorescence wrote: »

If someone is such an imbecile that they can't decipher a straightforward ballot paper then they have no business voting.

I can't understand the confusion at all. It was very simple.

It was. But, for far to many years, there has been a trend by the establishment to discredit referendums. Any time we have the audacity to vote No to a referendum there has to be some reason why we were wrong to do so:- We couldn't read the paper, we were registering disapproval of the government, it was about abortion, the government failed to get it message across, etc etc blah blah blah.
The very concept that we were offered a change in our constitution that we disagreed with is alien to them. Our motives or our reading ability is never questioned when we do as we are told and vote YES. Never.
Even on days when we vote on more than one question on the same day and return different results, as it looks like we have just done, they continue on with this patronisng, insulting bullsh!t. It makes me puke, to be perfectly honest. I'm sick of it.