Comment on Record enrolment [98.2%] ahead of 2025 federal election | AEC
Whirlybird@aussie.zone 11 months agoWith the number of people who actively vote against their own interests because they’re dumb, I’m starting to agree with those who say voting shouldn’t be compulsory.
Why would they suddenly not vote if it became optional? The problem isn’t that they’re voting, it’s that they don’t have the class consciousness to recognise and investigate their core interests in federal politics.
From Condorcet’s jury theorem, it’s clear that having a few million less voters won’t solve the problem, but improving the political literacy of voters can.
Lots and LOTS of people only vote because they’re dumb have to, and they vote for whoever lies the best.
If they didn’t have to vote they wouldn’t, and the major parties would lose a LOT of votes, which is what needs to happen. We need independents to actually have a chance.
Its a nice theory, but the people who stand in line saying, “the majors are as bad as each other, i’m gona send them both a message”, kind of undermines the idea.
I’d say it’d be a more uniform shift down in lower turnout than you’ve suggested across the political spectrum. But interestingly it’ll be of the more moderate sections of each political side. Thereby over time reducing the points of commonality between the Party’s resulting in increasingky hateful political partisan rhetoric and policies. So what has happened in the USA.
@Whirlybird @null_dot arguably, not voting is a vote against your own interests
It’s less of a vote against your own interests than literally voting against your own interests. Less votes means each vote has more power.
compulsory voting removes some of the apathy: “they’re both the same” isn’t as powerful to stop people getting out to vote if they’re already at the polling place… it virtually eliminates voter suppression
I’m sorry but “voter suppression” isn’t a thing, especially when something as logical and simple as “have ID to prove you have the right to vote” is constantly called “voter suppression”.
that absolutely is voter suppression… voter fraud is not a real problem. if it were, sure! let’s do ID… but the fact is, it just doesn’t happen: the only way to actually move the needle is large scale voter fraud, and the systems in place absolutely catch that… a single vote (as much as we say your vote counts: it does, but more figuratively) doesn’t matter 1 bit
If voter fraud isn’t a real problem then you should have no issue making sure it can’t happen.
Fleur_@hilariouschaos.com 11 months ago
The reality is there are more lazy people than mislead people. Getting rid of compulsory voting increases the fraction of mislead people voting. See American voter turnouts for reference.