Voter thread/poll--NON POLITICAL!!!

[Locutus of Bored]

I'll be voting by absentee ballot.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Fines are given for not voting. I remember back in the 80's, my parents got one when they forgot when visiting Australia's Wonderland. They simply just forgot.

I forgot to vote once. I am not sure if it was in a state or federal election. I got a letter and a form the Electoral Commission asking if I had a reason for not voting, I wrote on the form that I had a migraine on election day and sent the form back to them. They must have believed me as I wasn't fined.

 

[SVD]

I always vote and this is an important Election. I typically vote Absentee so looking forward to when I get the ballot in the mail and what is going to be on it. I know there's governor, senator, probably a whole crap load of propositions this state doesn't need or can't afford, and probably some local representative elections. I'm very interested really in the Governor and Senator Race.

My method of voting exactly. Governor and Senator race is intriguing indeed. I don't know about the propositions, I haven't seen an ad, mail, TV, or otherwise, about them. When I find out about them, one of them might be worth the paper it's printed on and good for the state. Which one, if any, is outside of the scope of this thread.

it's compulsory here in Australia to vote.

How do they enforce that?

Fines are given for not voting....

Seems uncharacteristically un-free of a democratic country , but that debate is probably out of thread-scope as well.

 

[Rush Limborg]

To be frank, many of the "Propositions" on the ballot are worded in a way I don't even understand.

"Hmm, let's see...it looks like this, at first glance...but if you read it carefully...it looks like the exact opposite!"

Nonetheless...many of them are pretty important. One of the propositions I've been told to expect is a total ban on gerrymandering in Florida.

Sounds good, right? Well, frankly...Florida is not Iowa. There are pros and cons--some of the cons involve the idea that it might affect minorities negatively. (Emphasis on "might". I just might leave this one blank....)

 

[SVD]

To be frank, many of the "Propositions" on the ballot are worded in a way I don't even understand.

"Hmm, let's see...it looks like this, at first glance...but if you read it carefully...it looks like the exact opposite!"
...

To follow this tangent, I know what you mean. California's "Official Voter Guide" has a section, written by named third parties, of Pro's and Cons to the given propositions in the election's ballot.

Half the time, the spread looks something like this, leaving me spun in a circle:

Pro Camp: Vote YES of Proposition #! By doing Q, it will do X, Y, and Z good things. If we don't vote yes, H, I and J horrible things will continue.
Con Camp: DON'T BE FOOLED! Vote NO on Prop #! Doing Q will actually do A and B, the opposite of X and Y. Worse yet, by doing P, it will not actually do Z, nor stop H, I, and J!
(prop and con camps rebuttals are ad hominem attacks against one another, and short reiterations of their positions)

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Something similar is done is Massachusetts. There is a summary of the proposed law, followed by the specifics of what a "Yes" or "No" Vote will actually do, followed by a paragraph in favor and a paragraph against.

 

[SVD]

Right, I think ours essentially the same thing, only the for and against arguments form a two page spread in ours.

Per proposition, there is a two to five page summary of the prop, with the two page spread elsewhere in the book, and I think, but I'm not sure, the text of the prop itself. Past booklets I think have been ~30-40 pages, sized and bound like a magazine, all printed on newsprint.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yes, right, I was just thinking about the Ballot itself. But I think they do also distribute booklets with the full text of the proposal, and longer pro and con arguments. Or at least they have done so in the past.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

To be frank, many of the "Propositions" on the ballot are worded in a way I don't even understand.

"Hmm, let's see...it looks like this, at first glance...but if you read it carefully...it looks like the exact opposite!"
...

To follow this tangent, I know what you mean. California's "Official Voter Guide" has a section, written by named third parties, of Pro's and Cons to the given propositions in the election's ballot.

Half the time, the spread looks something like this, leaving me spun in a circle:

Pro Camp: Vote YES of Proposition #! By doing Q, it will do X, Y, and Z good things. If we don't vote yes, H, I and J horrible things will continue.
Con Camp: DON'T BE FOOLED! Vote NO on Prop #! Doing Q will actually do A and B, the opposite of X and Y. Worse yet, by doing P, it will not actually do Z, nor stop H, I, and J!
(prop and con camps rebuttals are ad hominem attacks against one another, and short reiterations of their positions)

You guys should check out Ballotpedia. While obviously it shouldn't be your only source since it's a Wiki and can be edited by biased sources before being corrected, it provides a good overview of all the ballot initiatives and elections around the country and goes a lot more in-depth than the summaries you mention above, and with easier to understand terminology.

 

[iguana_tonante]

How do they enforce that?

Fines are given for not voting....

Seems uncharacteristically un-free of a democratic country , but that debate is probably out of thread-scope as well.

If I remember correctly, you don't need to actually vote, just show up at the polling station.

 

[SVD]

Fines are given for not voting....

Seems uncharacteristically un-free of a democratic country , but that debate is probably out of thread-scope as well.

If I remember correctly, you don't need to actually vote, just show up at the polling station.

Opinion still stands.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I must agree. Being forced to Vote, or even show up at the polls, is inconsistent with a free society.

You guys should check out Ballotpedia. While obviously it shouldn't be your only source since it's a Wiki and can be edited by biased sources before being corrected, it provides a good overview of all the ballot initiatives and elections around the country and goes a lot more in-depth than the summaries you mention above, and with easier to understand terminology.

Thanks, that looks like a fascinating site. It will be interesting to see what's going on all over the country.

 

[B.J.]

Per proposition, there is a two to five page summary of the prop, with the two page spread elsewhere in the book, and I think, but I'm not sure, the text of the prop itself. Past booklets I think have been ~30-40 pages, sized and bound like a magazine, all printed on newsprint.

Yeesh. If the *summary* is 2-5 pages, that's (IMO) some seriously out-of-control lawyerbabble in the proposition.

 

[Mr. B]

I always vote on election day. My polling place is walking distance from my house so it's hardly inconvenient.