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Location: New South Wales, Australia | It's compulsory to vote down here. If you don't...you get a fine. |
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Location: closely held secret | It's worse here. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about your candidate losing. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | But at least you get free coffee! Mmmmmm, free coffeeeee!!! |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by ozwatto:
It's compulsory to vote down here. If you don't...you get a fine. Thank You for reminding me...
I knew that there were some countries where you HAVE to vote.
Also, if you live there you are registered to vote.
But the problem with that is "undecided voters"...
If you don't know who you want to vote for... Stay Home!
As some know, in Oregon everybody votes by mail.
They send you a voter guide a while in advance, then they send you a ballot.
So you can sit-down with your guide and your ballot and take your time and know what or who you are voting for.
It is a good system.
People born in America nowadays are given a Social Security number at birth.
Voter registration should be the same.
It is good to hear y'all Aussies (Ozzy's?) got it all worked-out...
Now, does your boss give you two paid hours off work to vote like they used to in Massachusetts?
[Oh! In the Real Old Days, in Massachusetts we use to vote at the "Towne Public House" (Bar)...
We need to go back to that too! :p ] |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Voting is on Saturday. If you can't do it then you can do an absentee or early vote. Most people aren't working on Saturday so it's not a major issue. If you really don't know who to vote for (or are too stupid to know how) then you can vote informal by not filling out the ballot paper properly. The law requires you to turn up and get your name ticked off, what you do in the voting booth is up to you. From recollection I think something like 96% of registered voters (registration is compulsory) cast a valid vote.
I think it cuts out the "Come out and vote" campaigning that you do in the US. The only people suggesting you come out and vote are the Electoral Commission and they restrict it to "There is an election on x and you are required to vote. If you can't make it then, cast an early or absentee vote"
It's a good system |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
As some know, in Oregon everybody votes by mail.
They send you a voter guide a while in advance, then they send you a ballot.
So you can sit-down with your guide and your ballot and take your time and know what or who you are voting for.
It is a good system.
I agree, except for the huge potential for fraud, and the possibility of damning information coming to light the day before the election concerning the person you cast your vote for two weeks ago...
The idea is great, but I think they should eliminate the 'early voting' part and require the ballots be personally turned in (not by mail, and with ID) no sooner than two days before the election. |
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Location: Montreal | If I can add something...... the rest of the world is looking the United State today.
It's something!!! :) |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent |  |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I was worried about Waskel's concern, but I didn't receive any pertinent information between the time I voted and today that would have changed my vote. As a matter of fact, I received very little pertinent information at all. For the most expensive election ever, we really learned very little. I agree with Beal, we went right from spin to spoo. |
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May 2008
Posts: 160
Location: Montana | It's interesting how different locales handle election day. In my current state (confusion?) the State employees get the day off to vote, so they all vote absentee and then go hunting on election day. When I lived in PA there was a law that the bars could not open until the polls closed. Supposedly this was to keep the politicians from scouring the bars and buying votes for the price of a drink. |
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December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Washington has the mail-in thing too. It was really nice to sit back, read the issues, even do extra research to vote.
Very cool indeed. |
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March 2005
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | But at least you get free coffee! Mmmmmm, free coffeeeee!!! And may I say that the coffee at the Smokey Jam Cabin was Excellent! And Iffy, we all wanted to make sure you need not have worried about it.
By the way, Starbucks is serving mostly Sumatra blends lately and Dunkin Donuts coffee at the store is mostly Costa Rican...We enjoyed mostly Columbian at the Jam...FYI |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
using as much honest information as you can gather. Where are ya gonna get THAT?? :confused: |
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Location: closely held secret | It ain't easy. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | See I told you.
-5 will be here soon, as in January. |
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| Interesting how the popular vote was roughly 50/50 all night and the electoral ends up being more than 2:1
I'll have to read up on that system some day. |
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Location: Avondale, AZ | Can you believe the outcome? YEAH! |
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April 2008
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by Joe Rotax:
Interesting how the popular vote was roughly 50/50 all night and the electoral ends up being more than 2:1
I'll have to read up on that system some day. That's what happens in "winner take all" situations. Our House of Reps in Australia goes the same way - a 51/49 vote ends up with about a 30-40 seat majority |
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Location: closely held secret | Welcome to the USSA. |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | Welcome to the USSA Pour taste and getting pointed towards a political slur.. :( |
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February 2008
Posts: 747
| Originally posted by The Artist (FKA Richard):
That's what happens in "winner take all" situations. Our House of Reps in Australia goes the same way - a 51/49 vote ends up with about a 30-40 seat majority [/QB] Yeah, ours goes by the number of MPs elected from the various ridings for a majority followed by the official opposition.
Only problem is that the local MP can be a complete disaster but his/her party might be better for the country overall.
We just finished our elections here last month - took 90 days from start to finish.
What's the fine for not voting in Oz - last I heard it was $25 or something nominal like that. |
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August 2006
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Location: Marlton, NJ | Originally posted by Tim in Tidewater:
Welcome to the USSA Pour taste and getting pointed towards a political slur.. :(
USSA |
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November 2005
Posts: 4817
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Pour, taste, and pour another. It gets better.
Better to deflect than defend..... |
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September 2006
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by christian1958:
If I can add something...... the rest of the world is looking the United State today.
It's something!!! :) When I go to sleep at night I listen to the BBC on my clock radio... Puts me right out.*
But they had been asking around Europe, and most Europeans wanted Obama to win.
So they oughta be happy... the people in Kenya too.
*[Something about them English accents puts me right to sleep. :D ] |
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April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by Joe Rotax:
What's the fine for not voting in Oz - last I heard it was $25 or something nominal like that. I think it's $50. I don't know anyone who's ever been fined. |
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Get out and vote!
Forums Archive -> The Vault: 2008
