Author Topic: Voting or not should it be a choice?  (Read 5348 times)

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Offline Old Rabbit

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Voting or not should it be a choice?
« on: April 20, 2015, 12:53:58 pm »
Now that the U.S. election is over I thought I would post
the question on voting up for debate.

Seems in the U.S. only around 50% of registered voters
go to the polls. Usually less in midterm elections. Perhaps
compulsery voting should be imposed. After all registered
voters are required to serve on a jury if selected.
Voting is a civic duty, not just a right. Some polititions tend
to like low voter turn out. Especially when it's the other
party's voters.

Personally I have voted in nearly every election since I
became eligible. Some probably feel they should have the
right not to vote. Of course these people probably like
it when they can call 911 for rescue. Letting other people
do things for you is fine, but we should be good citizens
too.

Some countries do require one to vote. I think in Australia people
are required to go to the polls, but they can choose to not vote while
there. This seems like a reasonable compromise.   Of course now days
with so many people having access to the internet perhaps people could
vote that way or by mail if needed.

So what do others think about this. Is there a better way to
get people out to vote? We should remember low voter turn out
allows special interests to buy the legislation they want. Some states
are making it even harder to vote with the excuse of preventing voter
fraud which is generally very rare.



« Last Edit: April 20, 2015, 12:57:36 pm by Old Rabbit »
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Offline Foxpup

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2015, 12:40:37 am »
Some countries do require one to vote. I think in Australia people
are required to go to the polls, but they can choose to not vote while
there. This seems like a reasonable compromise.
It's not as reasonable as it seems. While in theory, there's nothing stopping a protest voter from just scribbling pictures of cats all over the ballot paper, in practice, most people don't know that's an option, so they just vote for the first name listed. That's how Senator David Leyonhjelm got elected.

Offline Yip

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2015, 02:26:15 pm »
It's not as reasonable as it seems. While in theory, there's nothing stopping a protest voter from just scribbling pictures of cats all over the ballot paper, in practice, most people don't know that's an option, so they just vote for the first name listed. That's how Senator David Leyonhjelm got elected.
If that's the case, they should make the first option "Abstain".

Offline Acton

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2015, 03:27:09 pm »
Initializing an act of  force is  counter to a  democratic free society.  Not voting  (however unwise) is much a  right of free speech as voting.

Offline Alsek

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2015, 10:55:14 am »
If people can't figure out how to vote or won't make it a priority I kind of have to think they aren't likely to be paying enough attention to have an informed opinion of what they're voting on.

Also, the government forcing people to do anything is a little disturbing. One should always have the fredom not to be involved in something they don't want to be involved in.

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2015, 12:39:00 pm »
Part of this may be a bit off topic, but I think it applies, and why I would support
a law requiring us to vote.

I know many people feel the government sticks it's nose into our
lives too much already. So telling us to vote would be another intrusion.

But if we don't vote I fear the billionairs and other rich people in this world
could take over this country. Give themselves a free ride and own the rest of
us. Kind of like mine workers who live in a company town. Many of them don't
care about the environment or global warming. Especially if it reduces their
profit margin.

The supreme court  ruled a while back that people could give huge amounts
of money in support of candidates of their choice. Seems unfair since the
average person would be hard pressed to give much more than $1000 bucks.

Personally I think the maximum should be what the average person
could afford. Allowing people that can afford it to give millions
in support of their canidates seems wrong. It's likely they expect
favorable consideration when laws and regulations are made.

Several states have made voting laws that make it more difficult to
vote over the last few years. They claim it's to deter voting fraud, but
there is little evidence to support this to be a problem.

Perhaps I am just paranoid , but many of our politicians seem to only
pay attentioin to voters when they run for office and people who
give them money after they are elected.. Like most people I don't
have much money so I vote. Let's all vote, It's our civic duty.








« Last Edit: May 11, 2015, 12:58:24 pm by Old Rabbit »
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Offline HazardJackal

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2015, 10:21:32 pm »
I say it should be up to each and every person to decide if they want to vote.  That being said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give people more of a REASON to vote (as long as that reason does not involve a cash incentive x_x
Granted, i have only very recently been eligible to vote, so far it hasn't seemed like that big of deal to me.  Maybe that will change over time for me, i don't know, i'd say it's too early for me to say.

That's all i have to say about that.

Offline Yip

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #7 on: June 29, 2015, 04:56:23 pm »
Ideally people should vote because they are interested in doing so. I'd much rather have people that are at least attempting to make an informed decision for the betterment of the country. The main problem I see with forced voting is that it seems to me like it would increase the number of uninformed voters, and that ends up making the results more... random almost.  So I think if someplace has forced voting, they should always have an option on the ballot of "undecided" or the equivalent. If it were done like that, it might be okay. But without that, I'd say its definitely better for voting to be a choice.

Offline Kobuk

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2015, 06:14:19 pm »
Maybe we should make it like in Starship Troopers? If you want to vote and become a Citizen, you must serve no less than 2 years in the military. If you don't, then you're just a Civilian and have fewer rights, including no right to vote or hold political office.

Offline redyoshi49q

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2015, 10:46:45 am »
As paradoxical as it may be for me to say this, I'd be a bit concerned about the possibility of mandatory voting increasing the degree to which voters could be marginalized if it wasn't implemented well.  While such a measure would likely increase the attendance of otherwise apathetic voters, it doesn't address the factors that lead some populations to have difficulty voting in spite of wanting to (such as voter ID requirements, long lines at understaffed polling locations, reduced weekend polling hours, and other similar forms of voter suppression).

Mandatory voting would, however, fine (or otherwise penalize) these populations for failing to cast a vote that they could not feasibly cast, if voter suppression laws weren't simultaneously addressed.
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Offline HazardJackal

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2015, 05:45:06 pm »
Maybe we should make it like in Starship Troopers? If you want to vote and become a Citizen, you must serve no less than 2 years in the military. If you don't, then you're just a Civilian and have fewer rights, including no right to vote or hold political office.
Kobuk, with this plan, i'd totally vote for you serving a second term as our president here.  ;)

Offline Synaptic Road

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2015, 07:02:21 pm »
Since I already gave my own input in a digression in my own topic, I'll just paste the relevant section here:

Quote from: Synaptic Road
Put simply, I don't "vote" for politicians to pass laws to make a better change; instead, I take the "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself" route; volunteer work, random acts of kindness, and a respect for the world and all things that share it with me are a few aspects of my way.  The conduct of many politicians and other "higher-ups" in American society bothers me so much that I make it part of my drive to do things my way, for the sake of making a positive impact.  When you leave all the decision-making to politicians, you effectively give them nigh-absolute power.  A lot of other people are upset at the abuse of power going on, but I've seen mostly negative responses, like protesting, rioting, talks of radical anarchy, violent revolutions, and so on.

Let me state this clearly: not all politicians here are like this, and not all American citizens react negatively to the actions of the corrupt politicians.

Old Rabbit, I certainly understand your stance - I'm aware that many people don't vote, and I myself am one of them.  However, something I've noticed, in addition to "negative responses," is an unsettling level of apathy in the American population.  It's true that not everyone is able to get to a voting booth, and that not everyone in America is even registered to vote for one reason or another, but I also know that ballots are mailed during the election seasons.  There's more than one way to get a vote in, so people aren't "restricted" to one method that might be inconvenient for many.

Maybe you or others here have a different perspective, but to me, it seems that many people just don't care anymore, out of bitterness, disdain, and loathing of "higher-ups" in general.  Your paranoia about politicians is sound, yes...but they aren't the only ones at fault.

I like to think outside the box, and so instead of voting, I like to do lots of volunteer work - to make a positive impact, and with all levels of society in mind.  From my perspective, it's a much better approach than "not giving a crap," and certainly better than responding in a very negative manner.  This being said, I can laugh at people who are audacious enough to whine at me for not voting - if I weren't taking this kind of initiative, then I'd be in no position whatsoever to talk about any of this, and I'd never be able to defend my own stance.

For America as a whole to see the positive change everyone is vying for takes the efforts of all who live here, not just politicians.This is how I do my part, but that will be something different for everyone.

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2015, 12:49:30 pm »
Since I already gave my own input in a digression in my own topic, I'll just paste the relevant section here:

Quote from: Synaptic Road
Put simply, I don't "vote" for politicians to pass laws to make a better change; instead, I take the "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself" route; volunteer work, random acts of kindness, and a respect for the world and all things that share it with me are a few aspects of my way.  The conduct of many politicians and other "higher-ups" in American society bothers me so much that I make it part of my drive to do things my way, for the sake of making a positive impact.  When you leave all the decision-making to politicians, you effectively give them nigh-absolute power.  A lot of other people are upset at the abuse of power going on, but I've seen mostly negative responses, like protesting, rioting, talks of radical anarchy, violent revolutions, and so on.

Let me state this clearly: not all politicians here are like this, and not all American citizens react negatively to the actions of the corrupt politicians.

Old Rabbit, I certainly understand your stance - I'm aware that many people don't vote, and I myself am one of them.  However, something I've noticed, in addition to "negative responses," is an unsettling level of apathy in the American population.  It's true that not everyone is able to get to a voting booth, and that not everyone in America is even registered to vote for one reason or another, but I also know that ballots are mailed during the election seasons.  There's more than one way to get a vote in, so people aren't "restricted" to one method that might be inconvenient for many.

Maybe you or others here have a different perspective, but to me, it seems that many people just don't care anymore, out of bitterness, disdain, and loathing of "higher-ups" in general.  Your paranoia about politicians is sound, yes...but they aren't the only ones at fault.

I like to think outside the box, and so instead of voting, I like to do lots of volunteer work - to make a positive impact, and with all levels of society in mind.  From my perspective, it's a much better approach than "not giving a crap," and certainly better than responding in a very negative manner.  This being said, I can laugh at people who are audacious enough to whine at me for not voting - if I weren't taking this kind of initiative, then I'd be in no position whatsoever to talk about any of this, and I'd never be able to defend my own stance.

For America as a whole to see the positive change everyone is vying for takes the efforts of all who live here, not just politicians.This is how I do my part, but that will be something different for everyone.

When less than 60% vote, and one side ends up gaining power with perhaps 30% of the
voting age peoples vote, it can't be good for the country. Fortunately the constitution
helps prevent a minor majority from dumping on minorities.

Government like humanity is not perfect, but we need to be a part of it to make it better
for all.  Your doing a good part with your volunteer work. Your actions are a good example
to others. Perhaps you and others out there who are willing to help others will give
a politician food for thought the next time they vote on a bill that has some negative effect
on society.

I know many politicians are good people who want to make the country/state a better place. But
they are human, and humans are subject to corruption. So we have to keep an eye on them.
Lobbyist work hard to convince them to do what they want, good or bad. Even the best politicians don't have the time to find out how a bill affects people. So they depend on others to keep them
informed.

Hopefully more people will get involved and vote as time goes on. Perhaps there should be
more education about government in schools. Sometimes I feel many adults don't know
much about it or why we should vote. As I said earlier we require people to serve on
jurys so why not to vote? I do like the idea of having a option to vote none of the above
if they like. We should have that even without requiring people to vote. Perhaps more
people would vote if they did.

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Offline Synaptic Road

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Re: Voting or not should it be a choice?
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2015, 04:39:28 am »
With humanity comes imperfection; this falls into what you said in your second and third paragraphs.  As I see it, it's because of this imperfection that we humans have the capacity find a drive for our self-improvement; it's the reason that although all humans have the potential to fall to corruption, all humans at the same time have the capacity to find their means to keep it from taking hold.

Government and governmental procedures all have their myriad pros and cons, but it would help if everyone stopped to look at the bigger picture.  Who conceived the idea of "government," and who established all the various governmental procedures?  Who is responsible for carrying out governmental duties, and who is responsible for electing officials who will fulfill their duties to the best of their ability?  Who is responsible for keeping corruption at bay, and on all levels of society, who is responsible for making contributions to society regardless of position or rank, and who is responsible for maintaining a sound social order?  Who is responsible for all aspects of society, for keeping a vigil on the effects of social aspects and lifestyles on not just humans, but the holistic "world" humanity shares with everyone and everything that isn't human?

I could keep asking these questions, all of which have the same answer: humanity.

We can make all the amendments to our social, legal, and political infrastructure we want, but the first step to bringing a better change is to stop and consider the fact that we[/] are the ones who are responsible for it.  In order to change things for the better, we have to start with ourselves; each and every one of us must find our own individual drives to make that kind of personal change, and then we must maintain that drive to make the positive change people continuously call for a reality.  It's a process that will take a lot of time and a lot of effort on each human's part, and it would honestly be humanity's greatest trial by far.

It's because I've realized all of this that I walk my own path to a positive change and have made this lifestyle choice, but I do this knowing I can't pull it off alone.  Everyone who's human - regardless of their position - must do the same, and walk their own paths to a better tomorrow.  Part of the reason for my choice is because I understand the impact it can have, and the hope it can bring to people in a world where true hope is actually pretty scarce.