1d ago

Missed it by that much

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356 comments

- Australian voting isn't just mandatory. It's a two-party preferential system. If you vote for a minor party or independent, your vote ultimately goes toward one of the two largest parties. No vote is a throwaway.
  
  Two party preferential is not the same as two party.
  A lot of elected reps needed preferences from other candidates in order to make 50% of the vote. Those reps know where their bread us buttered.
  
  You are talking shit.
- While I agree in principle I don't think that would necessarily change the results in this case as labour was the best mainstream option in that case. The conservatives had messed up badly and lost public confidence, bleeding votes to both Labour and Reform.
  
  You think that Labour are hard left? They literally kicked out all the actual communists and other far left people years ago. I don't think you have ever seen what real far-left organizations look like or believe - I actually used to be a member of one some time ago if you wanted to ask. You're either misinformed or a lot further right than you claim. It doesn't surprise me people are applying that label to you given what you have just come out with.
- I believe that people that do not want to vote or do not feel particularly strongly about politics should be free to stay home. They might not know much about politics. Wouldn't you rather have people vote who are actually invested into politics and come to vote because they actually want to? Also, I do not think it is ok to force people to participate in democracy in suvh a manner.
  Just because you reckon your party would have won if you forced people to vote, does not mean it should be done.
  
  It's true that mandatory voting nets a lot of low information voters. It also encourages a lot of people to check the major party's policies who otherwise wouldn't bother.
  I'm not aware of low information voters swaying the vote one way or another.
  By making voting mandatory, it becomes mandatory for everyone to have an opportunity to vote.
  
  In what country do people not have the opportunity to vote? Even if that is the case, why not just make the voting accessible without forcing people to vote?
  I just don't see the point.
  
  You don't see the point in telling citizens to take an interest?
  Ok mate.
  
  It seems to me that there is a difference between telling someone to take and interest and forcing them to vote even though they do not care to do that on their own.

356 comments