Reply #52: The Australian case.... [View All]

[Eureka]

Just if anyone is wondering.......

The Australian electoral model differs from the US one which maybe makes our "mandatory voting" not as clear cut as it might seem.

For a start, it's not the voting that's compulsory, it's the registration and turning up on the day.

It is mandatory to be on an electoral role if you are eligible to vote, but they only really check if those enrolled didn't vote. Also, they don't really check for those who aren't enrolled (although they do send door knockers around to register voters prior to major elections, just to make it easy for everyone to enrol properly)

It is also mandatory to attend a voting centre and have your name checked off the list on voting day.

But, it is not, per se, mandatory to vote, only to have your name crossed off the list. Once you have your ballots, you can do whatever you like with them, so long as they end up in the little box by the door on your way out. Draw, scribble, pick a candidate, it's all up to the individual because it's a secret ballot, there is no way for them to check if you actually 'voted'. If you don't fill in the ballot correctly the vote is informal (a "Donkey Vote")

And one last thing, we always vote on a Saturday (it's something about letting the working stiffs take part in democracy without loosing part of their pay :-) )

BUT, the biggest difference between our systems, IMHO, is the Australian Electoral Commission. This is a Federal agency that is responsible for all voting on State/Local/Federal elections (and if, for example, you ran a big club and wanted to take a vote, you could get the AEC to run it on your behalf to ensure it's all above board). The system works the same way everywhere in the country. I think this would make a huge difference in the US, where states seem to run things themselves, which leads to Florida and Ohio. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think there might be a case for having a unified system of voting across the entire US.

Oh, and we use paper and pencil, quite a reliable system.