Compulsory voting

NotSpaghetti Your vote is never pointless, although it may never contributes to the election of a specific MP'

It contributes to the total number of votes being cast for candidates other than the winner and the size of the majority the winner gets and it counts towards the total votes cast for each party nationally and helps to show the enormous variance between the number of votes that were cast for a party per seat won.

Our right to cast a vote freely and voluntarily for any party we choose is the core principle of democracy and doing that means no vote s ever wasted. the current system highlights the need for our version of democracy needs improvement, but a vote is never wasted.

Franbern How would you ensure everyone voted in a compulsory voting system? Didn't just go voting station, collected the ballot paper then destroyed it or spoilt it?

What they claim re the serial numbers is
‘Your vote is secret. The serial number exists purely to protect the integrity of the vote’. I suppose to make sure you don’t vote twice ? Who knows.

the biggest problem with our UK voting system, is the 'First past the post' system

Yes, indeed.
My own vote is always pointless because of where I live.

When my children ere small they would accompany me and their dad when we voted, and we told them the wonderful stories of those in the past had fought so hard to get us this right. These were great adventure stories, involving life and death, often imprisonment. all of them have always voted.

Compulsory voting does not mean having to choose a candidate to support. \there would be a volumn for none of the above.

However, the biggest problem with our UK voting system, is the 'First past the post' system. The Transferable vote, plus compulsory voting, would result, probably, in much more really democratic results.

nanna8

You can write what you want on your ballot paper because it is confidential! Not many write rude things,though. I was quite surprised at that because our politicians are pretty dire, haven’t had a decent one for years.

Each ballot paper is numbered and that number corresponds to the number on the voter register. Whoever has access to both can check how someone has voted. The papers are stored for a year and a day after the election.
This has always irked me as it would be simple enough to have the number detachable from the slip. Some other countries that use registration numbers detach them from the paper.

It’s my experience that the young ones love their first voting experience. Certainly the ones in my family did.

I am not sure that blanket statements about the young helps either, just because someone doesnt vote doesn't mean they arent politically engaged. There have certainly been periods of my life where there was no party that I could have voted for.

You can write what you want on your ballot paper because it is confidential! Not many write rude things,though. I was quite surprised at that because our politicians are pretty dire, haven’t had a decent one for years.

I've always thought that the ballot paper should have a "none of the above" box. I've written this on my paper once or twice but felt really cross that it counts as spoiled. Should be just classed as "registered". I had thought about my choices, not just spoiled the paper.

Oreo

I feel torn on this issue.It could be looked on as a civic duty, on the other hand should it really be forced on people? What about people with mental health problems for a start, you can’t fine them.

I think I'm with you, yes I do feel it should be a civic duty, but the young don't seem to understand any of it and most just don't care. I do think schools should do more about teaching about 'life', bank accounts, politics, tax, etc.

If you made it compulsory though, because they don't know or care, the result could be what people really don't want ie they just put a cross in the 1st box? It would be very costly and policing it would be impossible.

Overall, it's a no.

Apologies Freya5 the above should have quoted your post - it obviously didn't.

As you say - look to countries for their experience and Australia is an obvious example. Australia allows abstention from voting on religious grounds - I imagine for Jehovah Witnesses whose religion does not allow them to participate in politics, though there may be other religions too.
JW's have been established in the UK for well over a century, so "live here, obey our laws" is hardly appropriate if you change the law without considering their religious principles.

welbeck What I am not sure is whether in the Australian system you have to cast your vote. Can you take ithe ballot form and then just drop it on the floor and walk out, or take it home and destroy it there or is it compulsory to put it in the ballot box. You could probably also eat it!

Looking at some of the governments compulsory voting has produced in Australia, I cannot see any sign that there government is any the better - and could be worse - for ocmpulsory voting.

OldFrill

Just a few questions I'd have.
How would you find/sanction those that didn't vote? What would the financial cost be? What allowances would be made, if any, for religious views, age, health etc? How would people prove they didn't have to vote under these allowances? How much longer would the count take? If it's paper ballot how much more expense/waste in people/material costs? If electronic ballot would there be enough accessibility for all?

What religious views are there against voting, live here, obey the laws. If you are a legal citizen surely you would want a vote on how the country is run.
There is postal voting, proxy voting can be used , although postal voting needs tightening up. ? How. This for people with disabilities or other health problems.
As in other countries these obstacles can be overcome, just need the will to do it. You know by talking to other countries to see how they manage it.
By the way, I agree voting should be compulsory.

i don't understand some of these objections.
we could have the option, none of the above, on the ballot paper, as they do in australia.
they have to turn up at the polling station, take part in the democratic process, not vote for any particular candidate.
if they don't like any of the candidates, that too is recorded and counted.

Hmm interesting idea. Voting is a civic duty ( and hard won). When I was younger life seemed simpler- and I dutifully chose a candidate as carefully as I could. Now the workings and honesty of politicians is more exposed, the press more sensationalist and cynical, and I feel rather hopeless about it all! I suppose if voting ( or obtaining exemption) was mandatory some who had previously opted out, would go back to weighing up the options dutifully and making an informed choice - but I suspect many would not and would just cast a protest vote or a guess.

NotSpaghetti

The trouble, LauraNorderr is that some areas only have one party who is in fact available - as the demographics are basically against a "free" vote.

In this case, vote or spoil or don’t vote, nothing would make any difference.

The trouble, LauraNorderr is that some areas only have one party who is in fact available - as the demographics are basically against a "free" vote.

As a general rule Australians obey . National characteristic despite what you might think ! They come from many different countries and regard voting as a privilege which often wasn’t available in their original birthplace. I think that is why there are so few spoiled votes or no votes.

Better as it is here in the U.K. no point in forcing people to vote when they have no interest. Random crosses in any old box for the sake of it will not improve things.
Personally I will always vote for the party I consider best of a bad lot rather than waste my vote and allow what I consider the worst of a bad lot to take power.

I fully agree with you 100%! And now fishy Rishi and his cronies want to make it law so they can snoop into the bank accounts of those on benefits/Universal Credit/PIP etc. without the permission of the account holder to see if they're committing fraud! That's rich coming from a bunch of politicians!

Here in the UK, they'll just have to fine me. I refuse to vote for a bunch of two-faced fraudsters.

Despite having compulsory voting in Australia as well as PR it does not produce a government that lasts, there is a very high turnover of leaders.

Not that the UK can claim better in recent years.

The day will come when you can get up in the morning and scroll through your mobile device over breakfast. There would be a number of issues to vote on (or ignore) and a time limit in which to do so. If you needed more info you could click on a link or ask the equivalent of Alexa. Would we then need anything as old fashioned as parliament with its archaic ceremonials? Or trolling along in person to some school or church to "vote",

That would be true democracy.