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You can just submit a blank ballot. https://www.quora.com/As-voting-is-compulsory-in-Australia-are-voters-allowed-to-spoil-their-ballot-papers-if-there-is-no-o

You can just submit a blank ballot. https://www.quora.com/As-voting-is-compulsory-in-Australia-are-voters-allowed-to-spoil-their-ballot-papers-if-there-is-no-one-they-wish-to-vote-for-or-does-this-count-as-not-voting https://www.quora.com/As-voting-is-compulsory-in-Australia-a...

gregsq 5y ago
I don’t see this as anywhere near the same thing though. These so called ‘donkey votes’ are derided, and categorised as together with voting errors and other invalid voting forms. The right to withhold your vote is as fundamental as the right to withold your labour. Voter turnout is an important metric in its own right, and is observed tactically in, say, the UK. Compulsory voting simplifies competition, and destroys some forms of it. In particular, the ‘mandate’
- girvo 5y ago
  > In particular, the ‘mandate’ The amount of electorates that swung, and the percentages that the winning representative (and party) received mean that's not true at all, in my opinion anyway. Happy to be convinced otherwise, but the "mandate" still exists.
- rapind 5y ago
  I highly doubt most non-voters are intentionally "witholding" their vote. I think it's more often just laziness or lack of access (voting during work day etc.). It has to be incredibly more meaningful to have statistics on how many people intentionally said "screw you" with a vote for "ficus" or w/e.
- Nursie 5y ago
  And in democracies like the UK, people who don’t vote are disregarded as lazy and ignored too. I agree, you should be able to withhold as a protest, in practice it’s 100% meaningless.
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    They aren’t ignored - parties try to woo them over.
    - Nursie 5y ago
      In a system where there are many more parties, and ballots can still be spoiled, I don't see how that would be different.
- caf 5y ago
  A donkey vote isn't a blank ballot. It's a ballot that's just been numbered unthinkingly from top to bottom.
  - tacocataco 5y ago
    Are they counted as votes? That would mean the person at the top of the ballot have an advantage because of these donkey votes.
    - caf 5y ago
      Yes, they are counted, because it is a perfectly valid vote. This does indeed advantage the candidate who draws the top spot on the ballot (the positions are randomly assigned). In a preferential system it advantages the candidate in the final two that drew the higher position - it seems to be worth about 0.7% ( https://www.crikey.com.au/2010/08/02/whats-the-donkey-worth-plenty-the-ballot-draw-reveals/ https://www.crikey.com.au/2010/08/02/whats-the-donkey-worth-... ).
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
You don't have to vote, the fine is like $40 and they'll usually wave it if you say you were working or unwell. Compulsory voting still drives people to turn up and vote for the LNP where they otherwise probably wouldn't bother. Why vote when you can do something else more pleasant with your time. I'm in Tasmania ex Adelaide, and the overwhelming majority of the population here are poorly educated working poor, and yet we have a Liberal Party state government because people turn up on election day and vote Liberal "because fuck those latte drinking hippie faggot cunts / brown people / coons / queue jumping boat-people". I'm not evening kidding, the vile vitriol that comes out of peoples mouths here is shocking.

gregsq 5y ago

I don’t see this as anywhere near the same thing though. These so called ‘donkey votes’ are derided, and categorised as together with voting errors and other invalid voting forms. The right to withhold your vote is as fundamental as the right to withold your labour. Voter turnout is an important metric in its own right, and is observed tactically in, say, the UK. Compulsory voting simplifies competition, and destroys some forms of it. In particular, the ‘mandate’

girvo 5y ago
> In particular, the ‘mandate’ The amount of electorates that swung, and the percentages that the winning representative (and party) received mean that's not true at all, in my opinion anyway. Happy to be convinced otherwise, but the "mandate" still exists.
rapind 5y ago
I highly doubt most non-voters are intentionally "witholding" their vote. I think it's more often just laziness or lack of access (voting during work day etc.). It has to be incredibly more meaningful to have statistics on how many people intentionally said "screw you" with a vote for "ficus" or w/e.
Nursie 5y ago
And in democracies like the UK, people who don’t vote are disregarded as lazy and ignored too. I agree, you should be able to withhold as a protest, in practice it’s 100% meaningless.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  They aren’t ignored - parties try to woo them over.
  - Nursie 5y ago
    In a system where there are many more parties, and ballots can still be spoiled, I don't see how that would be different.
caf 5y ago
A donkey vote isn't a blank ballot. It's a ballot that's just been numbered unthinkingly from top to bottom.
- tacocataco 5y ago
  Are they counted as votes? That would mean the person at the top of the ballot have an advantage because of these donkey votes.
  - caf 5y ago
    Yes, they are counted, because it is a perfectly valid vote. This does indeed advantage the candidate who draws the top spot on the ballot (the positions are randomly assigned). In a preferential system it advantages the candidate in the final two that drew the higher position - it seems to be worth about 0.7% ( https://www.crikey.com.au/2010/08/02/whats-the-donkey-worth-plenty-the-ballot-draw-reveals/ https://www.crikey.com.au/2010/08/02/whats-the-donkey-worth-... ).
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago

You don't have to vote, the fine is like $40 and they'll usually wave it if you say you were working or unwell. Compulsory voting still drives people to turn up and vote for the LNP where they otherwise probably wouldn't bother. Why vote when you can do something else more pleasant with your time. I'm in Tasmania ex Adelaide, and the overwhelming majority of the population here are poorly educated working poor, and yet we have a Liberal Party state government because people turn up on election day and vote Liberal "because fuck those latte drinking hippie faggot cunts / brown people / coons / queue jumping boat-people". I'm not evening kidding, the vile vitriol that comes out of peoples mouths here is shocking.