To think that people who can't be arsed to vote are lazy.

The Northern Territory is just generally weird ;)
Its not a state, but neither is the ACT and definitely the ACT votes count so I assume NTs do too.

(ACT - Australian Capital Territory - where Canberra is located)

i think 6 am till Midnight is more reasonable.

oh and have it as a national holiday!

Isn't there some weird thing (I only know this from Bill Bryson) about the Northern Territory? As it's not actually one of the states, people's votes don't count, but they vote anyway??

How late and early are the polls open? 7am-10pm as standard in the UK seems pretty reasonable to me. And I work odd hours.

Dionnelorraine, with regards to your move to Australia, do you realise that voting is compulsary there? You WILL get fined if you don't turn up to vote (I forgot to remove myself from the electoral roll before I left Sydney - so I speak from experience).

I think voting should be compulsary - even if your spoil your ballot paper. It is one's duty as a citizen.

(Admittedly in Australia, it is set up fro compulsary voting - voting is always on a Saturday, polling stations are open early and late, and you can vote anywhere in the country for a national election).

hey, there's always next time!

: )

Oh it's not really worthy of congrats - I gave up after 14 days, every single day was like that one! (I didn't know about Mumnset then, you see... )

congrats on the BF - still me thinks that doesn't excuse the rest of the 40% who don't vote!

: )

I once didn't vote because my DD was 6 days old and I was desperately trying to establish breastfeeding. Meant to, but it got to 10 O'Clock and she still hadn't had a peaceful feed. So didn't vote. Not because I was being lazy.

Being lazy isn't the only reason people don't vote, that's all.

the state interupts the process of getting a pay check with NI contributions, Tax, Private Pension etc

surely that's important.

maybe i'm just being pig-headed but i can't see any reason NOT to vote. voting is part of being a citizen in a democracy.

think of the people in Zimbabwe - people are killing each other for the right to vote and vote legitimitely (sp?).

• as for vote rigging, an absolute disgrace. we all should be protesting to our MP's about vote rigging and the apperent ease to which our voting system can be corrupted (i can feel an emiail coming on!)

Sorry what is intelligent about spoiling a ballot paper?

Some people spoil them because they are illiterate and mistake the names of their candidates.

As I said before, until there is a specific, positive "none of the above" option, spoiling isn't necessarily an intelligent protest.

In some cases nowadays it can mean the computerised ballot machine has failed (apparantly this is happening in Scotland now - there's a big hoo-ha about it on the news).

so show them that you excesise your right in an intelligent way. show them you can be bothered not to vote.

anything else is just a lazy excuse and you know it. If you want to excersise that right them get of your bottom and actually go further than your own front door to "excersise your right"

I really don't think the state should have the right to interrupt Emmerdale.

(Not that I ever watch it, but for those who do and prefer it to voting, that's their choice.)

I prefer Corrie and would be pissed off if I was told that I wasn't allowed to watch it because I had to waste my time spoiling a ballot paper.

Again, spoiling a vote doesn't really mean anything. Until we have a meaningful spoiling system (the "none of the above" option). It reminds me of that ridiculous "vote labour with a peg on your nose" business. Did the peg on the nose change the policies?

sorry for vote rigging- not applying for vote rigging!

I have not had ONE canvasser at my door- showing me why they want my vote.
If they cannot be arsed, then why should I?

I really did not have a minute spare yesterday to go and vote, what with trying to work/study and arrange childcare for my ds1 who was out of school, specifically because of these poxy local elections.

Im in Birmingham, look at the news, most of our councillers here are bloody corrupt- two were arrested only a couple of nights ago for applying for vote rigging.

No, my argument is that the right not to vote is just as important as the right to vote.

And that the state doesn't have the right to tell its citizens to vote any more than it has the right to deny them the vote.

My other argument is that some people have no-one who represents them even vaguely (I'm not talking every single I and T here). Why should those people be forced to stop pursuing more interesting things in their lives in order to go and spoil a paper? If they want to, fine, I'm all for it, but I don't think the state should have the right to require you to do it.

Poiling the vote is to make an individual protest. An intellectual protest at that. a private protest that says " i am not lazy, i understand the system, but i refuse to vote for what i have been presented with"

Rather than " there's no point, i can't be bovvered, Emmerdale is on in a minute"

this is the point:

"it only takes apathy to let in the BNP - please vote!

look at France, where it's almost acceptable to vote for the National Front.

do you really want your comfortable life turned upside down by these people?

i'm going to go all Yoda speak now...

apathy leads to ignorance
ignorance leads to distrust
distrust leads to hate
hate leads to fear
fear of... leads to loss of freedom and democracy

even now it absolutely enrages me that the police can imprison anyone by dragging them off the streets and hold them for 28 DAYS without due process.

what is the world coming to?

use your vote or loose it."

[climbing down off soap box]

i havent read all the posts but i get the general idea.

when i lived in essex my mum used to get leaflets through the door and people canvassing etc at election time.

now i live in cumbria,and the only leaflet i got through the door was from the BNP.

i didnt even know about the elections till i saw the headlines of the local paper today.

I don't see the point of 'spoiling the vote'. Its happened in Scotland and it has just been assumed that the people found the voting paper too complex. Its not really making much of a stand.

your argument is "what's the point?"

Agree that spoiling is a better option.

But a duty to vote? For that shower? Come off it.

Hmm.

D'you reckon Martin Bell and/ or any of those other independent candidates changed the system from within?

Not a chance.

We have a choice of Tory or Tory-lite in this country. If you are a socialist, unless you have a lefty labour candidate, there is just no-one to vote for.

you have a duty to excersise your vote or spoil it.

but use it. use it to say the system is rubbish if thats what you want - spoil your vote. make a protest.

but doing nothing?!

shameful

This is really irritating. People telling me I've got a duty to vote for people I despise, really irritates me.

If you've got no-one who represents your politics, then there is no-one to vote for. It is just stupid to say do it yourself, our electoral system ensures that independent candidates make no impact whatseover on the political system. ANyone remember Martin Bell? He got rid of that corrupt Tory politician by standing as a knight in white armour candidate. Anyone think corruption in politics is finished because of him?

"And if you don't consider the election system legitimate, standing as a candidate wouldn't really be consistent with your views, would it."

it could be argued that you should stand, then you can change the system from within.

stepping waaaaaay back for fireworks!