Comments on: Voting Down Under

By: Hamilton Lovecraft

Hamilton Lovecraft — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 23:42:57 +0000

There’s no way to reliably distinguish between a donkey vote and a considered vote that happens to match a donkey-vote pattern, so yes. That’s why you want to do some randomization of ballot order, rather than always putting “Bush” and “Kerry” in alphabetical order.

By: Leah

Leah — Mon, 19 Apr 2004 09:02:55 +0000

do you count donkey votes?

By: Hamilton Lovecraft

Hamilton Lovecraft — Fri, 20 Feb 2004 00:44:16 +0000

/me hypothesizes increased voter turnout in the US for the next 12 years or so as a consequence of the 2000 election and subsequent national mismanagement – it’s now clear that small numbers of votes can be very significant.

By: The Eligible Ross Lincoln

The Eligible Ross Lincoln — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 21:17:20 +0000

How dare you insult the Electoral College. We have the best means of election stealing in the free world. If you don’t like it you can go back to Russia, or china, or Fancyland, or wherever the hell you come from commie!

(Suddenly gulps three beers in a row, wishes for EU residency).

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 20:42:10 +0000

While uninformed voting does seem a valid concern, from what I understand it’s not a big problem in Australia. When people realized they were *required* to vote, most of them then took the initiative to become more aware of the political process and get informed on the issues. And those who didn’t? The fine for not voting is something like $150–not much more than a speeding ticket. Not a hefty price when elections only take place every 4 or 5 years.

But before you Americans consider implementing such a system, I think you need to reform a couple of other things (cough, cough, electoral college) first . ;-)

By: Ruth

Ruth — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 16:49:26 +0000

While I wholeheartedly support compulsory voting (Australians are among some of the most politically apathetic people in the world), I’m not sure it exactly promotes “responsibility”. What it does do, however, is stop the right from absolutely trouncing the left (who’s traditional support base was the unionists, but union membership and support has rapidly declined), and thus cementing class divisions even further. Despite the fact that they are far more likely to get stooged by the government, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds are often the most politically ignorant and lethargic. I don’t think compulsory voting makes them care any more about the democratic process or give a damn about the “responsibility” of it, but I think it does drive a lot of people to at least give a few seconds thought to how the government effects their lives for better or worse.

In my experience, most Australians have no real objections to compulsory voting, and if anyone cares that much, they can just not fill in the ballot properly. It?s not more an affront to liberalism than public enterprise, and in a liberal-democracy, liberal traditions can?t and shouldn?t win out every time, anyway.

Seeing as the President of the US has such an effect over the rest of the world, I think that for every American who chooses not to vote, someone from another country should get to. It?s really the best of both worlds ? you?d be supporting democracy, but you wouldn?t have to actually get off your couch. Or alternatively, you can use it to guilt your lazy friends into voting nagging-mum style, ?There are people in some other countries who would give their left arm to vote in the American presidential elections! You don?t know how lucky you have it, young man!?

By: Becky

Becky — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 13:51:58 +0000

The American equivalent of a donkey vote could be used thusly: “who would vote for an ass like George Bush” or “what kind of a dumbass would vote for George Bush.” Any pairing of ass and Geroge Bush (ex. – Dubya has his head up his ass) in an election year would meet the criteria of a donkey vote.

By: filkertom

filkertom — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 13:29:15 +0000

I like your explanation better. I was thinking along the lines of, “Look, ass, just pick one”.

By: Hamilton Lovecraft

Hamilton Lovecraft — Thu, 19 Feb 2004 01:07:16 +0000

A “donkey vote” means voting according to a pattern, e.g. choosing the first candidate or option on each issue – like checking A, A, A, A on a multiple choice test. You need to create multiple versions of the ballot, with order randomized, or else the person in the first slot always wins. As long as the voting system ensures that donkey votes go to statistically-random selections, they aren’t a huge problem – they tend to make counts closer than they would be otherwise.