deb68

We watched sky news this morning and watched the election votes starting to come to and end, and to our astonishment we heard that everyone as to vote in Australia.
One woman stood outside the polling station proclaiming her hatred for the system, and the fact that her vote meant nothing as all mp's are liars and not worth a bar of soap.
Looks like the new PM Miss Gillard is in for a rough time, in office only weeks and a exit poll as showed that if the original Labour leader (Kevin Rudd) had still been in charge they would have had an extra 7% in positive votes, maybe Australian and British candidates are more or less the same breed.
Interesting all the same.

fish.01

It has some positives. No huge amount of money wasted on getting people out to vote like in the UK or USA. They make money in fines instead . No slanting of the vote by transporting people to the booths and other tricks.

Forces more people to engage with the political system and you get a vote representing the whole spread of society...most people have some sort of view even if it is formed from a gut reaction to the candidates...if you really don't want to vote you just turn up and get your name marked off or post in a donkey vote.....doesn't happen often enough to be a big deal.

elice_in_oz

You can also forget to register on the electoral roll... for years...

ABCDiamond

But still get fined if they find out ...

Pollyana

...which leads me to ask, is it illegal NOT to go on the electoral roll here? And does anyone ever get caught for not going on it?

Pollyana

Your post crossed with mine!!! But I still wonder if they actually catch/fine people for it?

ProudVIC

I'm not sure if it is an offence in itself, you just have to ensure you have enrolled in time to vote in an election.

I'm pretty sure the penalty for not voting in a federal election is only a $20 fine, unless you are below the poverty line it is hardly a penalty at all.

galba

I could barely get my white slip into the ballot box, it was ridiculous how large it was - the booth needed to be 3ft wider to allow me to lay it out properly!

...and how do they know you've not voted at numerous polling stations? It was all a bit antiquated. I ended up voting 3 suburbs away from my local polling station and was shocked at how long the queues were.

ABCDiamond

Not sure if they do, but the legality is:

Pollyana

Hardly a punitive fine though - same as with the $20 for not voting.

I asked The Bloke that once and he seemd to think that people juts wouldn't do that I never managed to find anything that actually prevented the system being abused like that - I guess they must do spot checks or something, but it does seem a system horribly open to abuse.

northernbird

I thought that too, found it all a bit strange. Didn't have to prove who I was, I could have been anyone.

breezeboylan

So do you get a voting card sent to you first?

northernbird

No, you just rock up, tell them your name and they cross you off of this big list. All a bit airy fairy for me.

Sherlock Holmes

I voted today, as a citizen who was provisionally enrolled. (Basically, I became a citizen in between the election being called and election day. That means I was provisionally enrolled.)

I had a letter on green paper from the AEC outlining exactly what I should do at the polling station which was:

Take my citizenship certificate.

Take some photo i/d

Have my vote sealed in an envelope which would be opened and counted once my entitlement had been confirmed at a later date.

Here's what happened:

A mob outside the polling station tried to tell me how to vote.

I was met by the lady in charge who checked my address against the list. I gave her my driver's licence which shows a different address on the front (new one on the back). She didn't turn it over.

I had to tell her that she needed to see my citz cert. "Oh do I?" she said.

She then HELPED me fill in the forms in the booth. So not a secret ballot then?

She then placed my voting forms in the ballot boxes.

Hmmm...but it was all very friendly. But no sausage sizzle or cake stall

You have to love Australia though

fish.01

If you voted outside your electorate you should have had to show proof of who you are?

If putting in an absentee vote away from your electorate you shouldn't have to queue at all....the big queue is for the locals....just skip around it as you'll be the only one at the absentee desk.

This is how fraud is dealt with:

http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publ...ple-voting.pdf