Should Voting In The General Election Be Made Compulsory?

[sp1814]

Those who do not wish to support any party could have a 'None of the above' option.

Whaddya think?

[-Talbot-]

No...What's the point?

[hc4361]

No, we live in a democracy and can't be forced to vote

[ummmm]

No. There are some seriously stupid people about who might vote for someone because they prefer their name!

[237SJ]

There`s not really any point in having compulsory voting if there is a 'None of the above' option.

[retrocop]

Rather right wing thinking coming from you.Changing politics? Ve haf ways of making you vote. You will be telling us you are voting for Nigel next.

[237SJ]

Well, Australia is a democracy and they have compulsory voting. I have been with friends there when the elections were upcoming and people (or the ones I met, anyway) were very much engaged with the whole process. Then again, there were probably some people who just ticked any box because they had to which is probably not a good thing.

[hc4361]

What is the penalty in Australia for not voting?

[237SJ]

170 aussie dollars according to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_system_of_Australia but I never met anyone who said they weren`t going to vote.

[hc4361]

Around £90, then.

[Deskdiary]

I struggle with the Austalian model....

We are a democracy, but voting is compulsory, but if voting is compulsory, how are we a democracy, we are a democracy because we vote, but we have to vote so how is it a democracy.....and so on

How about this? Most people that don't bother to vote, are those that we wouldn't want to vote in the first place - you all know the ones, they breath through their mouths, have grazed knuckles from where they scrape the ground, and have an incredible appetite for breeding. I'm glad they don't vote. If we had compulsory voting could we make it so it is compulsory only once people have passed a test to demonstrate they have a rudimentary grasp of politics? (I have a friend who votes Labour "because my dad did").

[ummmm]

Some people just have no interest in politics. That doesn't make them knuckle draggers.

[Deskdiary]

What on earth are you talking about?

Was my post not clear about the types who mostly (probably) don't bother to vote?

[ll_billym]

I do vote but I only vote for the party I think is going to win the majority so that I feel like I'm on the winning side. Conservatives this time round.

[Deskdiary]

I've voted in every GE since I was old enough to.....that said, where I live they could stick a blue rosette on a piece of cheese and it would get elected, so I have wondered in the past 'what's the point', but bizarrely I think I would feel guilty if I didn't vote.

[woofgang]

well if its a democracy and the majority vote for a party who say they will make voting compulsory then the democracy have spoken surely?
I would like to say yes it should be compulsory. I think that people should vote, should get up off their bums and turn out even if its to say "none of the above" I would like to think that maybe doing that might encourage a few more people to think a bit about what they want government to do.....but I am not sure it would work.

[Svejk]

Should be making it harder to vote.

[jourdain2]

Have you read 'In the Wet' (Shute) Svejk? Apart from being a good read, it offers an interesting line on the vote.

[maggiebee]

Read "In the Wet" many years ago jourdain2 but can't recollect what was said about the vote. Must revisit this book as I love all Shute's books, especially A Town Like Alice.

[handyguy]

Absolutely not, nothing should be compulsory.

[Svejk]

No, but shall endeavour to do so, jourdain.