VOTE GREENS TOADY!

I haven't researched it but I do recall we were told at the time that
we could just write NO DAMS on the paper.

But maybe as long as you have walked into the polling station and
signed off, who is going to be able tell who wrote that on the paper
anyway? So technically it is legal in the sense I have gone there. I
could draw a large penis on the form and they would not have a clue
who did that. If they did, I'd be even more worried.

But I am still fairly sure an informal vote is a valid vote. A guy in
Tasmania years ago changed his name to Informal by deed poll and stood
for parliament. Yeah, it was a stunt, but did start the informal vote
discussion going at the time.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:44:41 +1000

You could, but the vote was not valid.

You could do that, you would not be fined for not voting.

But you would not have a valid vote unless all the scruitineers agreed
that your drawing of a penis was clearly intended to indicate a vote
for a particular candidate.

You can be as sure as you like, you would still be wrong.

And anyone who correctly voted for him would have a valid vote. Dunno
why it's so hard to understand.

Zebee

 

I have to agree... a drawing of a penis (or even a penis and a head to
be even clearer) wouldn't specify WHICH politician one was referring to.


G-S

 

Yes it is valid, and still legal and still a statement. If you don't
like _any_ of the candidates, why vote for them?

Disagree but am happy to be proved wrong. And even then I would be
scared if they could come and find me and fine me. That would be
worse.

No, it would be an informal vote. I hear that 6% of people have lodged
informal votes this year. It is a statement in itself and not just
people being stupid and not knowing how to fill out the form, (OK,
there may be some of that, guaranteed).

It's not hard to understand. He knew that he would not get into
parliament. He was just taking the piss out of the whole system.

 

See my other reply. It is valid. You have turned up and done what the
law requires. That is all you are required to do. They are not going
to hunt you down because they can't.

It is valid in the sense that it sends the party system a message.

And an informal vote tends to send messages to all parties that people
are not happy with anyone.

It is NOT illegal to vote informal. You vote informal to tell all of
them that they have nothing to offer. Or because you are too stupid to
fill in the form properly.

I'd be really scared if they could tell I had voted informally. That
would be a breakdown of our voting system.

 

Wow, I've never been called an extremist before...


BTH

 

The same discussion came up at work a few days ago. One of the staff, who
is a solicitor, was of the opinion that it is not illegal to exhort
others to vote informal. Seems the laws changed a few years ago making it
legal to do so.

cheers,

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:05:17 +1000

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it
means.


Zebee

 

6% I believe.

But I still think that if there is no-one on that paper you can't
stand then an informal vote is valid. As in "I don't want any of these
bastards". Maybe they should add that as a box on the paper, then we
have a better idea whether informal votes are a protest or
incompetence..

 

I know what it means and it is my right to cast a vote that says "I do
not like anyone on this ballot form". Why should I tick a box against
a name of someone I think is an idiot if the form is chock full of
them? It is a valid vote. And legal.

BTW, I have only voted informal once. At the moment I am unenrolled so
don't even have to tick the boxes.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:05:47 +1000

You still don't get that "valid" isn't about fulfilling your legal
duty.

go look at the AEC website glossary eg

Formal vote
A vote cast in an election or a referendum that has been marked
according to the rules for that election. A vote not marked correctly
is an informal vote.

Exhausted votes
These are ballot papers which show no further valid preference for any
candidate and must, therefore, be set aside from the count.

See the word "valid" there?

Yes, if you turn up and get signed off you are not liable for
prosecution for not voting. THat does not make your vote valid, only
filling it in in the required fashion does that.

Get your head around the idea that the word "Valid" does not mean what
you think it means. A vote that is not valid but has been placed by
an elector entitled to do so in the ballot box is called "informal".


Zebee

 

So have they arrested Latham yet?

I'm not sure if they've closed this particular loophole but I read a
long time ago that you could mark your ballot paper 1 for your first
choice and 2 for all the other candidates. This would constitute a
valid vote and your primary vote would count towards your candidate.
If your candidate did not get enough primary votes and was eliminated,
there were no preferences to assign.

Theo

 

I see where you are coming from. My point is that is still legal and
therefore a valid political statement.

We are getting bogged down in semantics here.

It is perfectly valid to vote informal if that is what you feel.

The No Dams issue is a prime example of how that vote sent a message
to the government.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:01:07 -0700 (PDT)

I think that's what someone got arrested for advocating.

from www.aec.gov.au

A House of Representatives ballot paper is informal if:

it is blank or unmarked,
ticks or crosses have been used,
it has writing on it which identifies the voter,
a number is repeated,
the voter's intention is not clear, or
it has not received the official mark of the presiding officer and is
not considered authentic.

You'd have to check the actual legislation to see if htey are lying to
you.

Zebee

 

I remember reading about that, they were talking about closing it (and
that was a fair while ago).


G-S

 

Yep, I remember the blind feller who was prosecuted for telling people
how to foil the preferential-voting-system too.
Form what I remember it's perfectly legal to vote they way but illegal
to tell others how to do it.
My understanding (and what he said) is that you still have to number all
of the boxes for it to be technically "valid".
I believe (and I did this, this election) that it is perfectly valid to
put the same number in multiple boxes so I voted 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
If I wasted my vote then too bad, so sad.

 

"a number is repeated"?
****!

 

4 days later; *sound of far off crickets chirping in the silence*

 

Or do what I do and don't re-enroll ...

 

From the Australian Electoral Commission website:

" *Formal votes*

To make a formal vote on a House of Representatives ballot paper, a
voter must number every box with a series of consecutive numbers
according to their preference. A voter must:

* write the number 1 in the box beside the candidate who is their
first choice,
* write the number 2 in the box beside the candidate who is their
second choice,
* write the number 3 in the box beside the candidate who is their
third choice, and so on until they have numbered every box.

*Informal votes*

An informal ballot paper is one that has been incorrectly completed or
not filled in at all. Informal votes are not counted towards any
candidate but are set aside.

A House of Representatives ballot paper is informal if:

* it is blank or unmarked,
* ticks or crosses have been used,
* it has writing on it which identifies the voter,
* a number is repeated,
* the voter's intention is not clear, or
* it has not received the official mark of the presiding officer
and is not considered authentic.

Note: If a House of Representatives ballot paper has all squares
numbered but one then it is assumed that the unmarked square constitutes
the last preference and the ballot paper will be deemed formal. "

So your voting 1, 2 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 made your vote informal.

s.329 of the Electoral Act makes it an offence to publish anything that
might induce a voter to vote informal under the mistaken belief that
they are in fact casting a valid vote, but it doesn't prevent you
telling someone that is what they should do if you are having a beer
together down the pub.