Your Right Not To Vote

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It's a $20 fine for not voting down under, supposing one doesn't have a valid reason.



Being a member of one of those sects is a valid reason.



You're right though, that Republicans benefit from low turnout and would be hostile to attempts to increase turnouts. Not that that's a good reason to not make attempts to improve turnout, it's a clear conflict of interest.

Thanks for the clarification.I am not familiar with the laws down under.I could see the Democrats wanting this kind of law if they were able to get a great amount of power and keep it for a while.Maybe if had a democrat president and a democratic house and a democratic senate.It may require a constitutional amendment but I dont know.It would harder to get the law if it required amendment.The democrats would have to get control over more of the states possibly.

Marxism is a hard line form of communism which can be partly democratic but democracy with Marxism is one sided as in the left is not allowed to be represented. Communism is usually democratic. Russia was under Marxism, but as all Marxist systems always do, it collapsed. (Marxism, which did seem a lovely system when Marx invented it, does have a flaw of having 70 year cycles. The origional leaders love the people and all goes well. But as time goes by, the sons of the leaders take over, and they don't care so much, by the time the grandsons take over they have no care for the people and it goes bad. People get murdered if they don't obey. The people make a stand. They get assassinated. Finally after thousands of lives are lost, there is a mass revolt, all the leaders get killed, new leaders are put in and the 70 year cycle repeats.

Communism is a milder form that is fairer where everyone shares. Modern day Communism allows a democratic vote. Modern Russia moved to this in the days when Soviet Russia collapsed, as the people realized that Marxism does not work.

Any democratic system which errodes free speech representation of the far extremes (Usually the far right) becomes unbalanced and enters itself towards a Marxist style government if the people don't put pressure to restore the democratic balance. It is why the foundational process of a democratic system needs the inclusion of free speech.
Russia is communistic these days. China is not as China assassinate anyone who opposes their leaders, hence showing they are much further left than an ordinary communistic government will be.
A dictator is not really on the political spectrum but most likely is far left, but could equally be far right or even inbetween! But to categorize a dictator depends on the individual person who the dictator is. Oddly, the EU is dictatorship run, as the leader is NOT democratically elected. It is an odd mix where below the leader, decisions and positions ARE democratically taken or elected, but it is by definition a lose dictatorship because by nature of the chaos that would happen if the leader was an elected position, they decided the solution was to have an unelected leader to have the final say. It is an interesting system which is not without its flaws as the UK and other countries that left found out.

Yeah, I don't see it as likely to happen. I think it would require a massive grassroots campaign and a constitutional amendment, rather than something either party could do through Congress.

I doubt Democrats could even successfully get Election Day made into a national holiday, even without mandatory voting.

Also I will say that right and left are not in the same places in the USA as they are in the UK. European countries also differ slightly. This has brought much confusion on discussing politics between us because I could say right where to you it could be left and vice versa. It is not as simple as left or right... I am discussing my take on what I have learned by living in the UK.

I'm familiar with what Marxism means, but I'm not sure your definition is all that valid. Same goes with how you appear to be defining left and right. I've followed UK politics since elementary school so I'm pretty familiar with how those terms are used in the UK.

I think it would be a stretch to claim the Soviet Union was democratic.

Typically sons don't take over in Communist states, the only one where that's the pattern is North Korea and NK operates more like an absolutist monarchy cosplaying as communists.

Yeah, that’s true although I think sometimes these groups are limiting members freedom by not allowing them to vote. That’s how it can be with JWs, not that some aren’t fully invested in that teaching. I wanted to vote when I was a JW but, at the time, not bad enough to risk being disfellowshipped and shunned. I still could get in hot water for voting even though I’m no longer active, but I do it anyway. I usually try not to stand out when I’m waiting in line which probably just makes me look more Conspicuous.

Good points.Back in the Day quite a few in the Church of Christ were totally against voting because of David Lipscomb.Its less popular now though but there is a tradition with my faith of not voting.I have voted in every presidential election since I became 18.There is a minority of Church of Christers who dont vote because of Lipscomb.Lipscomb did not want Christians to be involved in the government because he thinks the Christian should only be concerned with Heavenly matters.It reminds me a lot of the JW's.

That's an improvement on what we've got. Currently a lot of people only vote for one lot to stop the other lot getting in.

I'm ideologically opposed to compulsory voting. Members of parliament often abstain, so why can't we? I think it's the underlying assumption that we've got to have somebody to push us around that bugs me most. I don't need a leader.

Now if they gave us compensation for our time and effort, say £100 each, it might be different. Better than fining people for not doing it. Spare a thought for the poor sods who are so overworked that they can't spare the time.

Why does politics always boil down to trying to make the best of something really bad? I hate having to do that.

I think election day should always be a paid public holiday, whether or not voting is mandatory.

I'm not opposed to making MPs votes on bills mandatory. Why are they getting paid if they're not attending and doing their job? They can still vote 'present', which is analogous to a voter submitting a spoiled ballot.

Apologize for not replying if anyone expected a reply. Had other things happening and then I wasn't paying attention to the 15% battery warning and my tablet went to 0% while I was on the phone. Wondered why it went off! Had to wait for it to charge enough to turn it on but by then I had lost my train of thought. (Ummm... I said "Train" ).

I was an election official in Australia for years.
It is possible to get exemption from compulsory voting for religious and medical reasons.
It is only compulsory to have your name ticked in the electoral roll and to be issued the necessary ballots. There are no penalties for spoiling your ballot, or even not posting it, as this would be unenforceable.
A legitimate ballot is required to have a minimum sequence of numbers above (party voting) or below (individual candidate voting) the line.
YOU MAY WRITE ANYTHING ELSE YOU LIKE ON THE BALLOT.
This will not spoil the ballot.
YOU MAY ADD A BLANK SQUARE WITH THE NAME OF YOUR CHOICE AND INCLUDE THAT IN THE NUMBER SEQUENCE.
In the electoral counts in which I've participated there was always an office sweepstakes for the number of ballots with a penis drawn on them.
A vote can basically only be spoiled by duplicating or omitting a number from the sequence,