Government

[_osk_]

I've been vaguely working on a new system of government for many years now, one that combines the best (i.e. most effective ways to establish a government that thinks and plans and represents) features of democracy and monarchy. Describing it will be for another day. All I want to do now is summarise a voting system that I WISH could be adopted

Comments

[phoebevee]

Do you think that voluntary voting would be better than the current situation? I'm sure there are people who don't want to vote who purposely vote informally - isn't that just a waste of resources? What is the point of forcing people who don't care about the outcome to help decide it? (I do care about the outcome and think carefully about my voting.)

[pezzae]

If you force everyone to show up at the polling booth, you force a system in which you know more or less how many people will show up at each polling booth, and (assuming an independent and fair electoral commission to take care of such things) you ensure that everyone who wants to gets the chance to vote. As soon as voting is not compulsory, people will be trying to 'save money' by not staffing booths adequately etc, and then you get disenfranchisement. I think preventing this is more important than the temporary inconvenience of people having to submit a ballot paper when they don't care.

[_osk_]

Yes, that's the very frustrating thing. Every couple of years, everyone is asked to vote in an election, whether state or federal. I believe that anyone who won't at least admit that the reasons it's compulsory are sound (even if they still don't care) is an idiot and not worth listening to. BUT, the same people, just like us, are also asked to pay for car rego and submit tax returns, and do so... So, is it relatively really that terrible an inconvenience?

I should have also said, under this quiz system you won't be told if you got the questions correct. There might need to be some sort of independent scrutiny of this, but generally you'll only know if you know.

[smangesable]

This sounds like the Egelstaff questionnaire

[_osk_]

This sounds like the Egelstaff questionnaire.

Yeah I came up with something similar independently.

I worry though, that carefully choosing questions or concealing some of the answers could become an elite thing, thereby stopping some voters from having their votes heard.

Potentially, some voters might suffer like that unless the question choices are properly impartial. But at the moment, I'm more worried about the reality of some of the terribly misinformed people I have the misfortune of meeting having influence over the government of my country.

I'm not even claiming I'm the most politically informed person I know, but I'll be the first to spend an extra hour or two studying before voting so that my vote counts, if that's what it takes.

[pezzae]

Good in principle - but I have concerns similar to smangesable that it could become a way of stopping people voting. Who would decide on the questions? Who determines what is a 'major policy' and not somewhere down the candidate's list where people who aren't on that bandwagon might not have heard of it? (Do you go by media airtime? Because, oh gods, how I wish the media would shut up about inconsequential things and concentrate on issues I care about!) Why ask about the voting system? Do you think most people change their voting method (or should?) because of the electoral system used? I grew up in Canberra, imbibing the democratic process with my mother's milk, and I have difficulty understanding the Hare-Clark system!

There was actually a recent discussion on the GetUp blogs about how our system of democracy could be improved...

[_osk_]

Mmmmm, yes. In one sense it is a way to stop a person voting - if they don't care. But for someone who goes to the polling station, gets his name crossed off and then leaves, or submits a donkey vote, just to avoid the fine, this quiz system will not change anything. His vote won't count, like it doesn't count now. All I'm talking about is upping the ante. The voter who goes in and votes for the guy who looks best on TV, or against the other guy because of ideology, without having anymore understanding of the process than that... the quiz may well group his vote in with the guy who doesn't care at all, and it won't be counted. His own ignorance will nullify his vote.

Thanks for the discussion, everyone!

[danman80]

Or we could get everyone to answer questions like this

http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/practice/practice_test.htm

before they can vote.

[smangesable]

I just found my post from a million years ago ranting about similar things. Thought you might like some of the links.