[mothered]

Greetings to all,

So I've read quite a bit around the forums pertaining to voting, and thought I'd create this thread. My question Is a simple one. If you're enrolled to vote and you do not like any of the parties who are going for leadership, should you "have" to vote (because It's compulsory) even though you don't believe In their leadership?

For example, In my locality, when 2 members of parliament are going for leadership and I don't believe either one Is worthy of the role, I should not be forced to vote on someone I don't believe In just because It's "compulsory" to do so.

What are your thoughts?

[insidious]

No! you should not have to vote. If you don't like any of the candidates, then it's totally OK not to vote. But, imo don't complain about a certain canditate if you haven't voted or your the type that's all "I don't believe in voting/democracy" and then once someone's voted in all you can do is complain.

If you didn't contribute then you don't have the right to complain
If you didn't vote becaues you didn't believe in any of the candidates for real, then, that's cool and a different story

[Oni]

Compulsory voting makes no sense. Just vote for the worst candidate or randomly. Or, if you're a nice person, pick the lesser of two evils.

[Panther_]

No, you should not be forced to vote. Abstaining from voting is a way to show the partys that you are not happy with what they present. Same with voting for a joke candidate like Vermin Supreme. I think maybe you should be forced to go to a voting booth, at which point you can just disgrace the ballot paper and leave if you wished. But it would put make more people vote over all. I think, totaly of the top of my head, here in the UK only something like 45% of the public actualy voted.

[mothered]

Compulsory voting makes no sense.

That's exactly the point of this thread, I couldn't agree more.

Many years ago In my locality, because voting Is compulsory for those over the age of 18, one young woman refused to vote on the grounds that she did not approve of either person going for leadership. She was Issued fines for not voting, refused to pay them and was then threatened to serve jail time If the penalties were not paid for. She took the latter option (didn't pay) and was locked up for a couple of days or so.

The moral to this, Is she stood her ground and did not give Into something that was against her beliefs and most Importantly, her "right" not to forcefully do something against her will.

[XltSystem]

I think you should vote whoever is the best in your opinion out of them, but if they are all really that bad then no, voting should be optional. However if you do get unhappy with the way things are running, you cant really complain as you didn't vote.

[Pirate]

No, of course not. We are the land of the free. So if you want to destroy everything your country believes in by not voting that's fine.

[Wildfire]

You can't be made to produce your opinion, but if you do, you're doing a service to your nation.

/opinion

[mothered]

You can't be made to produce your opinion, but if you do, you're doing a service to your nation.

/opinion

Yes I agree on the opinion side of things.

Whilst I also agree on doing a service to your nation, In my views, If you don't believe either party should be elected for leadership, then voting under those grounds Is falsified.