From: duncan@werple.apana.org.au (Duncan Robertson)
Newsgroups: aus.politics
Subject: Clever Voting
Date: 4 Jan 1993 15:18:48 +1100
Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne
NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au
Summary: Interesting voting methods in federal elections
Keywords: federal elections

PLEASE NOTE: I am posting this text file for a friend who wanted it posted.
The views expressed are his, not mine. I'll pass on any comments and flames
to the author. Hopefully soon he will have an account and will be able to
respond directly.

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  HOW TO VOTE CLEVERLY  (in AUSTRALIA, i.e. FEDERAL ELECTION)

YOU CANNOT GUARANTEE that the person you vote for WILL get your vote, but you
CAN GUARANTEE THAT the people you vote against WONT GET YOUR VOTE !!!

This works because of an aspect of the Australian Voting System which doesn't
get much publicity (for historical reasons, lets say).

Normally when you vote, you are lead to believe that you have to number ALL
the boxes on the voting slip.  That way your vote goes through each candidate
in order of numbering, and the one that finally collects enough votes get in.

The problem with that is that even, for example, if you hate the Liberal Party's 
GUTS, it is still possible for YOUR VOTE TO GO TO THEM !!!.


However, there is a solution.  Even though all how-to-vote cards (all I've seen
, anyway) have "number all the boxes" on them, this is NOT CORRECT.

YOU DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT HAVE TO NUMBER ALL THE BOXES !!!.

It is COMPLETELY LEGAL to ONLY NUMBER THE BOXES AS FAR AS YOU WANT.


For example, if there were 5 candidates:

If you numbered ALL the boxes, if the first four didn't get in then your vote
   would go to number five, even if that's the last thing you wanted!

If you only numbered THREE boxes, 1 to 3, then you vote could only go to one
   of those three.  And if none of those three got in your vote would be thrown
   away (and would NOT go to the remaining two candidates) which is better than
   being used to help people you hate!

If you one numbered ONE box, then only that one candidate could benefit from 
   your vote.  If that person didn't get in, your vote would not go to anyone
   else.


CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF, don't rely on my word if you don't believe me.

Just call the Australian Electoral Commission, and make a general inquiry.
It's in your Phone Book.

The number in Victoria is:   (03) 651 6201


PS, some definitions for any who don't know them:

informal vote   - a vote that is done incorrectly, i.e. the voting slip was
                  ticked instead of numbered, not marked at all, had "wouldn't
                  vote for any shithead that closed down schools" written on it
                  instead of numbered, etc etc

"donkey" vote   - some idiot, instead of just making an informal vote, has just
                  gone down the page and numbered all the boxes "1,2,3,4..."
                  etc.  Or they've numbered it randomly or something else etc.
                  This unfortunately is a VALID VOTE !!!  People who do this
                  add greatly to the risk of some slimebag getting voted in
                  by accident.  DON'T DO IT.  If you don't want to vote just 
		  throw the slip in unnumbered.


Please take note of this post and vote cleverly in the next election.  Also
I beg any of you WITH ACCESS TO A PRINTER to PRINT OUT and PHOTOCOPY this post
and hand it around !!!

A small note on recent disasters...(and do you want a GST AS WELL ?!?!?)...
In the last Victorian state election people obviously decided that there were 
only two parties on offer.  NOT ONE SINGLE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE GOT IN!
And it is worth thinking about two things:
i) ONE, there was a HUGE informal vote (about 1/3 of the state)
ii)TWO, almost everyone would have voted in all boxes on the voting slip,
   and thereby the Liberals would have collected a lot of votes BY DEFAULT.
   Some people seem to think this is democracy...I don't know why!

SO! VOTE CLEVERLY, ONLY NUMBER THE BOXES YOU WANT, RING THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION
IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, and DON'T believe ANY of the TELEVISION ADS !!!

TELL EVERYONE BEFORE THE FEDERAL ELECTION !!!  


                                                              Eras

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(End of forwarded text file)

-- 
             Duncan Robertson -- duncan@werple.apana.org.au

 "I wanted to know the exact dimensions of hell - does this sound simple?"
                                                      - Sonic Youth
Newsgroups: aus.politics