The “we already have laws, why not this one” dumb dumb argument could also be used for making abortion illegal, or drugs, or alcohol, etc just as quick as for this voting topic. I bet people can’t see that though lol
Yes. All you have to do is to rock up, get your name checked off, and do whatever you like after that.
Your inability to make the distinction is your own shortcoming. Many of us can think critically enough to see it.
You got that 100% correct. I will never understand why 'you' elected a failure, a fraud, a grub (etc etc etc tc) like Humpty Trumpty.
A mass spoiling of votes would make more clear that the people do not approve of what they are being offered than mass not voting.
“I” didn’t do that. I also fail to understand how so many people could vote for him. I understand that some could, but so many? I’m perplexed. Hopefully the country has corrected the 2016 error this time round.
Its a form of the most sensitive of speech from a first amendment perspective, political speech. The court will give its greatest deference to forms of speech designed to communicate to or about our government. A citizen boycott of an election is also a long established form of protest. I don't think govt can penalize the refusal to cast a ballot or casting an empty ballot. I think it can incentivize the casting of a ballot though.
Why many don’t “get” is the difference between rights and responsibilities. Yes you have a right to free speech but balancing that is a responsibility to not defraud you’re fellow man, you have a right to own a gun but balancing that is a responsibility to keep it in a manner that will prevent danger to yourself and others Rights must balance responsibilities and vice versa other wise they are the wailing of toddlers wanting everything their own way
We don’t have a first amendment or any kind of real amendment to our constitution but I have a sneaking suspicion it is because no one alive can manage to read past the first three paragraphs without falling asleep
Yeah. Been there a time or two when I have started at the bottom of the ticket and been left looking at the prime TWONK about to get number one. Still I always have the option of drawing a pigs backside on the paper and putting that in the box. They are called “donkey” votes and we get a few each year, the most entertaining are those that detail why the candidates are unacceptable - usually in inventive and descriptive language
Not really we stuffed up the Senate voting a time or two by changing the rules and NOT taking into account how many non English speaking Aussies reside here
Look there have been quite a few vocal Aussies over the years who have public ally refused to votes and happily paid the fine. .......
Well Australia is something else. My next door neighbour tells me you are having elections all the time. However when the votes go low which is a sure sign democracy is not working, people just say 'oh the votes are low, people cannot be bothered'. If a sizeable number of people chose to spoil their vote especially if that were near as big or even bigger than the Party who won, it really would show that the Politicians were not serving them. After what went on with Corbyn and what is continuing, the UK has massive problems in trying to assert it is any kind of 'democracy'. There is room here for a mass vote spoiling.
That does not speak to whether a govt has the right to 'fine' citizens for refusing to 'speak' through the ballot, or alternately fine citizens for boycotting the election process as a method of political speech. In this country, considering how deferential our courts have always been towards any form or any structure of political speech, I suspect the answer would be 'no, it does not.' This is not about how punitive the penalty is, its about the very idea of creating a penalty.
No wars were never fought for that reason. Wars have always been fought over money. WWII was fought over conquering territories(think, money, land resources). The revolutionary war over taxes. The whole 'fought for the vote' is democratic propaganda for the democratic system, a system that has failed mankind.
I agree, if someone doesn't care enough to research policies or candidates, I don't want them voting.
