4 ms·

What would your answer be? I would put "none of the above" on ballots, and if it wins, all the candidates are barred from politics or public office of any sort

by gaius 9y ago

What would your answer be? I would put "none of the above" on ballots, and if it wins, all the candidates are barred from politics or public office of any sort for life, and the election is re-run.

keithpeter 9y ago
Might not give the outcome you expect. Spoiling of ballots is quite rare even in countries with compulsory voting. UK http://www.votenone.org.uk/spoilt-ballot-results-2015.html http://www.votenone.org.uk/spoilt-ballot-results-2015.html 1% spoiled ballot papers. One third didn't vote (less in 2017 as much higher turnout). Australia http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23810381 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23810381 Compulsory voting and 6% spoiled papers
- gaius 9y ago
  But this is a very different thing than "spoiling the ballot" that I am proposing. Under my scheme there would have been no Trump vs Hillary nor Macron vs Le Pen because the potential consequences of losing to "none of the above" and never being allowed to do politics again, forever, would act as a deterrent to sleazy candidates.
  - keithpeter 9y ago
    Er - not so sure but it would be fun to try. UK is parliamentary so you are voting for your local MP. People quite often vote for the actual member as well as/despite the party so could be tricky with the sanctions. There is also a constitutional thing about being able to stand in elections except under very narrowly defined conditions [1]. How about lotteries for local government - like jury service? Local government in UK is problematic as it is unpaid and often elections have very low turnout. Not sure that I or the people of France would necessarily agree that M. Macron is a sleazy candidate - he represents something different absolutely, and you need to be careful designing systems where it becomes hard to change things. Podemos and SYRIZA were both extremely popular. They are now facing the reality of governing, hence winners and losers, and so the sheen is somewhat tarnished but they still command a significant level of support. [1] https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/214228/Parliamentary-By-Election-Part-1-Can-you-stand-for-election.pdf https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_fil...
    - gaius 9y ago
      He was wildly unpopular for Macronomics - Le Pen was about the only candidate he could possibly have beaten, and Le People very much voted against her rather than for him. I agree that this would be a constitutional change but the beauty of an unwritten constitution is that you can do that as circumstances change.
      - keithpeter 9y ago
        Good luck getting major changes to the Representation of the People act in the direction that you are suggesting through Parliament and the Lords. PS: Macron's strange new party did rather well in the Assembly elections as well remember.
        gaius 9y ago
        But with very low turnout

by gaius 9y ago

What would your answer be? I would put "none of the above" on ballots, and if it wins, all the candidates are barred from politics or public office of any sort for life, and the election is re-run.

keithpeter 9y ago

Might not give the outcome you expect. Spoiling of ballots is quite rare even in countries with compulsory voting. UK http://www.votenone.org.uk/spoilt-ballot-results-2015.html http://www.votenone.org.uk/spoilt-ballot-results-2015.html 1% spoiled ballot papers. One third didn't vote (less in 2017 as much higher turnout). Australia http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23810381 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23810381 Compulsory voting and 6% spoiled papers

gaius 9y ago
But this is a very different thing than "spoiling the ballot" that I am proposing. Under my scheme there would have been no Trump vs Hillary nor Macron vs Le Pen because the potential consequences of losing to "none of the above" and never being allowed to do politics again, forever, would act as a deterrent to sleazy candidates.
- keithpeter 9y ago
  Er - not so sure but it would be fun to try. UK is parliamentary so you are voting for your local MP. People quite often vote for the actual member as well as/despite the party so could be tricky with the sanctions. There is also a constitutional thing about being able to stand in elections except under very narrowly defined conditions [1]. How about lotteries for local government - like jury service? Local government in UK is problematic as it is unpaid and often elections have very low turnout. Not sure that I or the people of France would necessarily agree that M. Macron is a sleazy candidate - he represents something different absolutely, and you need to be careful designing systems where it becomes hard to change things. Podemos and SYRIZA were both extremely popular. They are now facing the reality of governing, hence winners and losers, and so the sheen is somewhat tarnished but they still command a significant level of support. [1] https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/214228/Parliamentary-By-Election-Part-1-Can-you-stand-for-election.pdf https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_fil...
  - gaius 9y ago
    He was wildly unpopular for Macronomics - Le Pen was about the only candidate he could possibly have beaten, and Le People very much voted against her rather than for him. I agree that this would be a constitutional change but the beauty of an unwritten constitution is that you can do that as circumstances change.
    - keithpeter 9y ago
      Good luck getting major changes to the Representation of the People act in the direction that you are suggesting through Parliament and the Lords. PS: Macron's strange new party did rather well in the Assembly elections as well remember.
      - gaius 9y ago
        But with very low turnout