Friday, March 20, 2015

Making Po' People Vote

Barack Obama has been musing about the benefits of Australian-style, compulsory voting.  Nothing would scare Republicans more than that sort of law, especially in this period of demographic change.

The people who don't vote, the marginalized (code for poor and minority), probably aren't fond of those who wear the boot that's been on their neck all these generations.  I expect the same holds true for the disaffected youth vote.

Know who else would be crawling out of their leathery hides if such a thing came to be?  The Koch brothers (Lothar und Wolfram), the entire Adolf Coors family, Sheldon Adelson, Mittsy Romney, Ted Nugent, Team FOX News and that whole gang of thieves and brigands.

It's an awfully fine idea.  Can you imagine Stephen Harper transformed into electoral ground beef, extra fat?

6 comments:

thwap said...

I think it would be a good thing.

Incoherent, shit-head anarchists have delusions that not voting is an incredibly radical act the presages the ultimate collapse of the bourgeois-capitalist-authoritarian state system, which is a prerequisite for ushering in the as-yet undescribed anarchist paradise.

Did I say they were shit-heads?

Australia still has right-wing boorish governments and racist parties though. They'll find some way to spin things to their advantage.

The Mound of Sound said...

I think it would have a different outcome in the US due to its rapidly shifting demographics. As for Canada, I doubt that many of those who choose not to vote would be Harper supporters.

Australia? Oh hell, what would they be like if they didn't have mandatory voting?

Anonymous said...

Sorry thwap but not voting is a perfectly valid choice when the only candidates/parties are complete twatwaffles.

I can talk about candidates at the federal, provincial and municipal level in my riding and none appeal to me. That means I have informed myself about them and don't think any deserve the subsidy/monies if I cast my vote for them.

I have voted when I believed in the candidate.


I have had the pleasure/displeasure of being a very active political organizer at the municipal level. You quickly realize that the best candidate rarely wins, the electorate is mostly inept, and that democracy is somewhat of a farce, fear works.

The Mound of Sound said...

Anon, provided it's a paper ballot you can simply spoil your ballot, effectively casting a null vote.

Anonymous said...

@Mound

How long until paper ballots are taken away?

But I do agree with the idea of a protest vote that way.

The Mound of Sound said...

I hope we've learned enough about America's voting nightmares that we keep the paper ballot forever. The ability to count votes quickly and retain a phsyical record is invaluable. My graphite mark on that piece of paper doesn't rely on anyone's dodgy software.