Banning how-to-vote cards and political material?

[ninwa]

Another interesting legislative alert, I know it's only a QLD Bill but it could very well happen here too.

(last-ditch attempt to start a debate on non-religion things)

New Bill - Electoral Reform Bill 2010 (QLD)
The Electoral Reform Bill 2010 (Qld) proposes to amend the Electoral Act 1992 No. 28 (Qld). The Bill was introduced into the Legislative Assembly and received its second reading speech on 24 November 2010.

According to the explanatory notes, the objective of the Bill is to introduce a compulsory preferential method of voting, a voluntary voting system, prohibit the distribution of how-to-vote cards and prohibit displaying political material on land occupied by the State.

Specifically, the Bill would:

(a) substitute s. 113 (How electors must vote) to provide that an elector must vote by writing on a ballot paper the number one opposite the name of the candidate for whom the elector votes as the elector's first preference and writing the numbers two, three and so on in the other squares opposite the names of all the remaining candidates to indicate the order of the elector's preferences for all of the other candidates; and
(b) insert s. 161AA to prohibit a person from distributing or displaying, or permitting or authorising another person to distribute or display, a how-to-vote card on the polling day for the election, the maximum penalty for which being 20 penalty units (currently $2,000) for an individual and 85 penalty units (currently $8,500) for a corporation.

I can't see how you could link this to religion but I bet VN will prove me wrong -_-

[burbs]

I keep getting propaganda from parties on how to vote, and I remember seeing a news story where one party (can't remember, gonna assume Libs) was doing these things and it was tricking elderly voters.

Side note - maybe this will reduce money spent on elections, or greatly increase as they find new mediums?

Also, I think this whole issue can be traced back to Palestine... (obligatory religion post mention)

[Mao]

I support this, the amount of paper wasted on how-to-vote cards and etc is ridiculous, and they don't do much at all. This is all because of Christianity... (obligatory reliion post mention)

[Eriny]

I hate receiving the propaganda. It's completely ruins mail time! I also object to using tax payers money for political advertisements veiled as public service announcements. However, if the parties themselves are funding the awful things, they can go for it. It is unlikely to change my vote though, it is more likely to annoy me.

And guys, the problem is clearly agnosticism. If people could just make up their damn minds then they'd already know who to vote for and the effect of how to vote cards would be minimal.

[Cthulhu]

I hate receiving the propaganda. It's completely ruins mail time! I also object to using tax payers money for political advertisements veiled as public service announcements. However, if the parties themselves are funding the awful things, they can go for it. It is unlikely to change my vote though, it is more likely to annoy me.

And guys, the problem is clearly agnosticism. If people could just make up their damn minds then they'd already know who to vote for and the effect of how to vote cards would be minimal.

Whats it like in Canberra around national election time? Is it quiet because everyones gone home to defend their electorate or is it absolute chaos?

[Kotza]

The most stupid thing about it is that they hand it to you literally 2 minutes before voting! Im not going to go through 5 separate party policies and change my mind by reading a piece of paper lol.

If it were in the mail a week beforehand well then perhaps i could see the logic in that, but when im in the car driving to the voting joint i sure as hell know who im voting for.

[ninwa]

Side note - maybe this will reduce money spent on elections, or greatly increase as they find new mediums?

I read that as "find new muslims".

This goddamned forum be messing with my mind.

[Duck]

I asked the greens person whether he thought it was ironic that the greens where handing out millions of paper how-to-vote cards. He didn't reply.

[burbs]

Side note - maybe this will reduce money spent on elections, or greatly increase as they find new mediums?

I read that as "find new muslims".

This goddamned forum be messing with my mind.

You are the one steering the debates onto religion! Puppet master!

[Eriny]

I hate receiving the propaganda. It's completely ruins mail time! I also object to using tax payers money for political advertisements veiled as public service announcements. However, if the parties themselves are funding the awful things, they can go for it. It is unlikely to change my vote though, it is more likely to annoy me.

And guys, the problem is clearly agnosticism. If people could just make up their damn minds then they'd already know who to vote for and the effect of how to vote cards would be minimal.

Whats it like in Canberra around national election time? Is it quiet because everyones gone home to defend their electorate or is it absolute chaos?

In my experience, it's pretty much the same as Melbourne. When the politicians are on TV during election time, they are almost never in Canberra, they're usually in some marginal electorate or some backwater town (even more backwater than Canberra!). This is bad for business for the brothels in Canberra, I hear (apparently they get the most business when parliament is in sitting and during Floriade).

[Mao]

I asked the greens person whether he thought it was ironic that the greens where handing out millions of paper how-to-vote cards. He didn't reply.

I was handing out cards for liberals, our cards one-up'd the greens, we were using 100% recycled carbon neutral paper Way to beat the greens at their own game.

[burbs]

I love how the Greens' pamphlet for federal elections were full colour.

[MuggedByReality]

  There was a girl from my old school -who had a bit of a reputation as an out-and-out Liberal -who performed a stunt whereby she posed as a Green candidate and issued numerous how-to-vote-Green cards -but tailored to give 2nd preference to the Liberals. (She swapped her normal classic attire for some hippie garb for the occasion)

[chrisjb]

  There was a girl from my old school -who had a bit of a reputation as an out-and-out Liberal -who performed a stunt whereby she posed as a Green candidate and issued numerous how-to-vote-Green cards -but tailored to give 2nd preference to the Liberals. (She swapped her normal classic attire for some hippie garb for the occasion)

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Election-2004/The-Young-Lib-the-green-Tshirt-and-the-howtovote-card/2004/11/02/1099362144577.html
It's just not cricket.

[burbs]

Politics has never been cricket. It's more like poker.