Ignorance regarding voting is rife

[DistinguishedSocialCommentator]

With the GE around the corner, I read too many times some people banging on about: "You must vote..... women died for the right to vote. etc etc" - then at times you get, "My great grandfather/etc/etc for your freedom so you should vote,etc,etc!"!

People around the world fought for their freedom from the Nazis. It was freedom we retained with millions of armed personnel and civilians losing their lives.
Freedom is the right to choose!!

AIBU to feel that ignorance is rife regarding voting, IE many lack the basic understandings of a 'right to vote' Vs mandatory voting??

FYI, I'm posting from London/England. At times I feel that a lot of these posters may be posting from Russia, China, Australia, North Korea etc as voting there is mandatory I believe and you are not given the freedom to decide.

Scenario!! Come the GE and I have a choice to vote for Labour, Conservatives, Greens, Libs, Refrom, Independent, Etc, ETC. Why should I vote for any of them as I do not just trust my local candidates and nor do I trust at all any political party they represent as things stand!!

I guess, if they had a Jackass as a candidate with the above, I'd vote for that animal.

Finally, everyone that is a citizen of England must have the right to vote when aged 18 and over. Importantly, the right/freedom to refrain from voting must be upheld as this is what my great-grandparents nd their parents fought for!!!

Thank you.

You’re right that they fought for the right to vote.

mandatory voting is removing our democratic right to not vote.

You don't have to vote, but as my father used to say:
If you don't vote, don't moan after.

Are you sure you're posting from London/ England? The fact that you think this is an English election and we are all English, and use the word jackass just makes me wonder.

Yabu. Low turnouts lead to unrepresentative results.

I don't think anyone in the UK thinks voting is compulsory though?

If only a small number of people vote, a very unpleasant government could get voted in. A small party with terrible policies but with fanatical supporters who turn out in force gets into power, and afterwards everyone says how did that happen? Because we didn't use our vote.

This!

my view is even if you don’t like any of the options vote for the least worst option but vote!

I don't have a least worst option, no independent in my area. All options are equally appalling

The same thought went through my head @Piggywaspushed

If you are going to post things like this, you should educate yourself about basic things, such as the group of countries that collectively make up the U.K.

You don't think???

The messages I read as per my OP suggest otherwise, hence their ignorance of our voting rights and the freedom to choose. The very freedom our families fought for!!

We are not in Russia/Australia etc

Exactly

Omg I just realise who the OP is

This is a regular poster, generally goady, often ignorant of fact

Comparing to Russia, China and North Korea is laughable when you’re trying to complain about democratic rights 😂 if you don’t want any of the candidates and had to vote just spoil the ballot, nobody knows who does what. If you don’t vote you have no recourse to complain about anything until the next general election.

Makes sense when penny drops!

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't realise. Will hide this one in that case.

Those comments are very dated and with respect, sound silly!!

Everyone has the right to moan and those not voting could even moan about the ones that voted in the clowns, for example. I hope you know understand why people should have the freedom to vote, not to vote and not vote and complain!!

But if you don’t vote you play a part in electing those clowns as your empathy means other parties (a bit less clown like!) don’t get the vote.

If anybody does, it'll be the OP.

Valid point. However, how would one feel if they voted in someone who had little respect for women and was if favour of eroding women's's rights. Then on top of that lied about x/y/z??

As I said, you have a valid point/argument but I am of the strong opinion that one must retain the right not to vote as ll they see is misfitd/selfish/shallow/lying/two-faced clowns that treat the public and especially their voters like fools!!

But not voting doesn’t change a single thing though. All that counts in the long run in the crosses in the boxes on the day nothing else.

You said what I was thinking.

I don't think you are understanding what they are saying. They aren't saying you have to vote as a legal thing, they are saying you should vote. I always vote and part of that is to honour the women who fought, suffered and sometimes died so I have that right.

It is also so I have the right to moan like #WantToMakeWorldSilkySmooth's dad.

Again, you make a valid point but my principles are not easily won!!

I just wished we had one decent, honest B that could tell the truth and I'd vote for that person but then the problem is the Jaclasses he is affiliated too

I'm not sure what the solution is but we must reatian the right not to vote

I'm not sure if Australia is run by a dictator but other than Australia, the other countries where voting is mandatory are run by one the whole, dictators hence the mandatory you have to vote, or esle!!