To despise people who don’t vote

[Unfinishedkitchen]

Found out recently that a friend who complains about the possibility of Brexit didn’t actually bother to vote in the 2016 ref. I know of a few people who couldn’t be bothered to vote in the recent EU elections although it appears they have plenty to complain about.

I actually feel like distancing myself from them. I know at least one of them has bothered to in to vote on one of those stupid ITV talent shows.

There’s some woman right now on the radio saying she didn’t vote because she’s fed up and doesn’t know who to vote for!

Why are so many people happy to be bystanders in things that affect their lives and those of their loved ones? Maybe that movie ‘Idiocracy’ was a premonition?

The whole point of democracy is freedom to choose, whether to do something or not do something. To make something compusory on a democracy is kind of an oxymoron. Cerainly not something to despise someone for exercising their right to choose.

To all those who say voting should be compulsory, what should be the consequence of not voting?

In Australia you get fined $20.......

In Australia there's a fine.
But I reckon a first offense should be mitigated by attendance at a citizenship class with a free creche.

Most countries I've lived in teach citizenship and require you to be a lot more engaged in civic life than the UK.

It's a bit weird not at least encouraging voting.

Completely agree and they have no right at all to complain either.
We fought for the vote....

Australia get it so right

Plenty of things are compulsory though.
Registering to pay council tax...
Paying national insurance...
Giving your details before receiving nhs treatment except in dire emergency

Spoiling your ballot paper doesn't mean anything in the current system though as it's lumped in with everything else (voter error etc). The best thing would be to help increase awareness among everyone ahead of future elections how to mark their ballot paper so that their intention is clear that it's a protest vote - if those numbers increase, it becomes harder to defend not having a "none of the above" as an option and then we can start to be heard more.

If you don't spoil your paper in that particular way, it's no more or less effective than not voting.

If voting were to be made compulsory then there needs to be NOTA option.

You shouldn't/can't be forced to vote for someone/thing that you don't support.

Absolutely. A positive abstention option is vital.

Thursday was the first time I have ever chosen not to vote.

Despise away.

My rationale ks mine and, in any case, makes perfect sense.

I did find it slightly startling that in the UK, where we are embroiled in Brexit, voter turnout was only 37%, whilst in Europe overall voter turn out was at about 52%.

@SuperLoudPoppingProud. With love and thanks. This is important and not known. Again x

I always vote but didn't in these EU elections. I genuinely have no idea how I feel about Brexit anymore. I also am a floating voter anyway but don't feel drawn to any political party right now.

I certainly don't despise people who don't vote, but I'm in a very different mental space to them.

I strongly believe voting should be made compulsory, of course with a 'none of the above' option. It should also be made much easier to do electronically. If I can do bank transfers from my mobile phone, why not voting too. There will be ways of confirming identity beyond doubt.

As a citizen of a democracy, you have rights as well as responsibilities - that's something I've drilled into my DC (and the fact that women fought so hard to get the vote in the first place). If you have the right to vote, you also have the responsibility to vote - and if that means 80% of the electorate choose the 'none of the above' option, that's a far more valuable message than a non-vote.

I was disenfranchised by the British a while back for having lived outside the country 'too long'. That's not democracy, but then first past the post is hardly a democratic system. Now I have another nationality I feel really proud and privileged to be able to vote once more.

In fact I always volunteer to count votes now, which is fascinating. Spoiled papers give us a bit of a giggle, but achieve very little else. Interestingly, there were very few deliberately spoiled papers at yesterday's count - far fewer than in national elections. And in our particular electoral district, the Greens got 40%, over double the votes of the next most popular party, although that wasn't reflected nationally.

I didn't vote on Thursday.

I agree that if you want to despise anyone then despise those who voted for the shit we have now in the first place.

I still have every right to complain about what is happening to our Country. I do vote as a rule but this time I didn't. I didn't spoil my paper because it means very little.

“I didn't spoil my paper because it means very little.“

Means a bloody sight more than not turning up, though.

Living in a democracy means it’s your right to abstain if you want to.

With you 100% OP. Despise is a strong word but fair I these circumstances.
If the EU Referendum had been compulsory full voter turnout nobody would be able to argue the result; whether it was just an amplified version of the 52/48 split or entirely different.
I am astonished that people give so little of a shit that voter turnout was only 36%. I have a lot of friends who are are unable to vote because they are EU residents here but not British citizens. They would have voted to remain. I’ve always felt that one has a moral duty to vote as a woman especially but also to cast a vote less for oneself and more for those who have no voice and depend on you to do the right thing by them.
Like another poster up thread said I have no problem with someone voting Brexit party - rather they vote than spout shit from their armchair without getting out of it to go the polling station.
Also, a spoiled paper is still a vote and if they appeared in vast amounts that would also be a vote of some kind.
Laziness; apathy; ignorance - this is how you end up with shocking governments. And deserve them.

It needs to be made easier. I hadd a changr of plan and was away from home on Thursday unavoidably. Too late to vote by post or by proxy. If I could have voted at a different polling station I would have.

I could understand why some people didn't vote in the referendum. It is a very complex issue and many people felt they couldn't make an informed decision. You could argue that they should have read up on it but considering the lies told to them by politicians who probably didn't understand the issues either that was arguably never going to be possible. Many people didn't vote in the Euro elections out of protest and while I don't really agree it is better than voting for a party with no actual policies other than to leave the EU without a deal despite the fact that it would led to a huge price rises, recession etc.

“It needs to be made easier. I hadd a changr of plan and was away from home on Thursday unavoidably.”

That must be quite unusual, though?

I'm disappointed then people don't vote, but I don't despise them.

I suggest they spoil their paper rather than not vote at all. That seems to be quite effective; several of dd's exes do now vote because they see that spoiling a paper is a very strong statement, in some ways stronger than voting positively.

I do think spoilt papers in sufficient number will have all parties running scared, so if someone feels that voting is pointless or they have no idea who to vote for, then spoiling your paper is the best way forward.

It's very tempting to make voting compulsory, but that's hardly democratic is it

I vote in every election - even for police commissioner. BUT freedom to vote is also about the freedom not to vote like religion, I believe there should be no compulsion in politics . But by failing to vote, you automatically lose any whingeing rights.

Fuck you, missing - that would have made my post coherent

I took a positive decision not to vote in the European elections. I am a Labour party supporter, but can't vote for them in this election until they swing behind an unambiguous remain position. By the same token i can't bring myself to vote against Labour, especially if it meant backing the Lib Dems. The only way i could send a message to the party was to withdraw my vote.

I took an actice choice not to vote. I couldn't give two shits what you might think of that op.