Compulsory Voting: Yes or No?

[SWP's back]

I’d have compulsory testing for people wanting to vote.

Someone should be able to pick off 3 policies from a list of 10 that their chosen party has in their manifesto. Far too many people vote a certain way by habit or because their folks did but have no idea about what they’re actually voting for.

 

[inbetween]

Thats your call but in my view failing to take part in the vote denies you any involvement in any debate about the actions of the Govt that is elected - if you vote FOR you can say how well they are doing or how you feel let down if you vote AGAINST you can state how they are performing as badly as you predicted. If you absent yourself from the vote then you forfeit any involvement in comment on that Govt in my view - what you approach does is encourage laziness towards vital political decisions and enhance the lazy narrative of " they are all the same " - they are not - if you think Starmer would do what Johnson has and is doing then you are beyond help

I don't think it should deny you access to debate. Not voting is a legitimate choice if its informed, you can't say that most people voting are even informed. We had Brexit and most people on here would love to deny Brexit voters access to voting or impose intelligence tests etc.... The whole thing is a bit hypocritical really and no-one cares about participation, it's about getting more votes for the party you want.

Since I moved here in 2020 it doesn't really matter anyway as our MP is the speaker. I'd vote for Hoyle but I'd certainly think twice about voting for my last Labour MP in my old area that's for sure.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

It's a not from me because i think most MPs are full of shite lying cunts in it for themselves, hence the avarice of them helping themselves in the 2009 expenses fiasco where they all got away with a slapped wrist when dipping their hands in the taxpayers money. Fuck 'em.

 

[flook]

Then what happens when the GE results have "none of the above" has most votes. Who Governs thereafter?

Go on then I'll do if I must FFS, I was hoping to retire soon but if my country needs me.....

 

[domalino]

I’d have compulsory testing for people wanting to vote.

Someone should be able to pick off 3 policies from a list of 10 that their chosen party has in their manifesto. Far too many people vote a certain way by habit or because their folks did but have no idea about what they’re actually voting for.

It would be interesting to see an experiment where people vote on policies instead of candidates.

 

[grunge]

It would be interesting to see an experiment where people vote on policies instead of candidates.

that thought has crossed my mind also. Removes the partisan eliment entirely where people just vote for a party as it’s what they ( and there parents ) always did

 

[flook]

It would be interesting to see an experiment where people vote on policies instead of candidates.

I like that idea, I might vote if it was like that. To clinch my vote, breaking manifesto promises or lying to garner votes should be criminalised, though the latter becomes moot if your idea is adopted

 

[malg]

No. It's a democracy and if you choose not to vote then it should be respected.

 

[domalino]

No. It's a democracy and if you choose not to vote then it should be respected.

Accepted.

Don't know why it should be respected.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

No, and a mechanism to stop morons voting. Maybe a simple intelligence test like asking people to count how many fingers they've got without moving their mouths, and provide an answer somewhere between 9 and 11. So not too onerous but enough to filter out anyone who might be stupid enough to vote for someone like Farage or Galloway.

That’d mean that people from Burnley and Norfolk wouldn’t be able to vote because of their extra digits and webbing.

I can’t see any issue with your suggestion though. Seems a great idea.