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Aussies LXIII - Fear Inc


Stubby

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After getting some fairly speculative/dodgy info from some friends I decided it would be good to get an actual answer to this question: as of a few months ago I'm old enough to vote, as I have no inclination to vote I would rather not go to the effort of doing so. So, if I just never enrol to vote am I legally ok? Or can they still fine me for not voting?

I'm pretty sure the AEC chase you up if you haven't enrolled, I have a vague recollection that's what happened with me. As to whether a fine or anything is involved, I'm not sure.

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If you have a fixed address and are 18 years or over you're required to enrol and vote. If you don't have a good reason for not doing so they can fine you, and if you don't pay that they can take you to court.



I don't know whether that actually happens, but legally you aren't ok.


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It's more that you're old enough to be forced to go somewhere on a Saturday, not necessarily to vote. Plenty of people just get their name marked off and out of protest don't fill in a vote or otherwise do it informally so it doesn't count.


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After getting some fairly speculative/dodgy info from some friends I decided it would be good to get an actual answer to this question: as of a few months ago I'm old enough to vote, as I have no inclination to vote I would rather not go to the effort of doing so. So, if I just never enrol to vote am I legally ok? Or can they still fine me for not voting?

Some info regarding your situation >> Link

It has been compulsory to be enrolled to vote since 1912. After that it became compulsory to vote.

A direct answer to your question will be found a little ways down the page under the title Fines and penalties. The whole page is informative though. As it will become harder to avoid being enrolled.

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So The Australian just published this cartoon of Muhammad and Jesus. Not exactly what Hitchens would call biting satire but still important nonetheless especially considering the pathetic capitulation of almost every other media outlet. Which is ironically encapsulated by the fact that none of the outlets covering this article are showing the cartoon, instead choosing to describe it us.


Whether deliberate or not, one of the most damaging aspects of this atrocity, is that it hit our civilization in a place already shaping as our Achilles Heel — a spineless and growing penchant for political correctness.
Over recent years, in the face of the perpetually outraged, our pluralistic, democratic and free societies have gradually been yielding on our hard-won freedom of expression.
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Every time I see the phrase politically correctness I just want to scream. What it means 99% of the time is "someone is asking me to be considerate of others, and choose not to be an asshole over amusing myself". Most assholes take issue with being asked not to be an asshole.


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After getting some fairly speculative/dodgy info from some friends I decided it would be good to get an actual answer to this question: as of a few months ago I'm old enough to vote, as I have no inclination to vote I would rather not go to the effort of doing so. So, if I just never enrol to vote am I legally ok? Or can they still fine me for not voting?

Coincidentally, a day before I posted this I got an e-mail from the NSW Electoral Commission (which I only read today) that told me it was automatically enrolling me. Ah well...

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Oh bullshit, one has the right to complain about anything related to how their country is governed regardless of the manner in which they voted, who they voted for or whether or not the voted at all.



I have a somewhat related question: is it the case that regardless of which middling party I vote for, my vote will trickle up (via preferences) to one of the larger parties if the party I vote for doesn't win the seat that I'm voting for them in?


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I don't get the appeal of donkey votes.





I have a somewhat related question: is it the case that regardless of which middling party I vote for, my vote will trickle up (via preferences) to one of the larger parties if the party I vote for doesn't win the seat that I'm voting for them in?





Not necessarily. If you were to put your preference for Labor/Liberal/whoever at the bottom of your preference list, it's very likely that they (or another candidate) would reach 50% votes before the counters ever reached those preferences, so in that case you'd do nothing to benefit them.

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Ah! It brings a tear to the eye to see compulsory voting doing its trick.

1. Young chap learns he has to vote

2. Educates himself on the matter

3. Donkey votes

4. Whinges about politics

Working as intended! :cheers:

I scrutineered once. One voter took the time to draw a very artistic Mickey Mouse on the ballot, put a neat square next to him and then put a 1 in it.

In the time that must have taken he could have made a sensible vote and not wasted the scrutineers' time (informal votes still have to be accounted for and are a pain in the arse). A donkey vote is even worse, as it is in fact a valid vote.

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God dammit, got a letter of fine today from the AEC for not voting on the Newcastle by-election! :crying:



$55 or send an excuse for not voting. I do have a semi-legitimate excuse, but I feel that paying the fine will teach me a valuable lesson and that I will unlikely to be as forgetful and disorganized in the future!

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God dammit, got a letter of fine today from the AEC for not voting on the Newcastle by-election! :crying:

$55 or send an excuse for not voting. I do have a semi-legitimate excuse, but I feel that paying the fine will teach me a valuable lesson and that I will unlikely to be as forgetful and disorganized in the future!

...compulsory voting doing its trick?

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$55 or send an excuse for not voting. I do have a semi-legitimate excuse, but I feel that paying the fine will teach me a valuable lesson and that I will unlikely to be as forgetful and disorganized in the future!

I usually just pay to make them go away because I can't be bothered to write letters and all that. At least, as long as it's not a whopping great fine...

That being said, there was one instance where I got a parking fine at the beach for $90 or so (the hourly metered rate was about $6/hour) so I decided to stay at the beach the entire day and night to get my money's worth!

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