• How does voting in America compare to Australia?
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I didn't post this in Sensationalist Headlines because although it's not an editorial, it's kind of like a blog post. I also didn't post this so I could go 'lol our system is betar get rekt muricans', I just thought it was interesting because different places in the world do things differently, and there are probably things that we can learn from each other. There are definitely some things to discuss here, and at least some things to learn about. I'm only going to post snippets of the article, so follow the link to read more. [t]http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7979598-3x2-700x467.jpg[/t] [t]http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/7563898-3x2-700x467.jpg[/t] [quote=ABC News]There are vast differences between the American and Australian electoral systems — and it's not just calling the humble democracy sausage a democracy hot dog. Here are four of the biggest differences, and how they compare to the Australian system.[/quote] [quote][b]Marginal electorates versus swing states[/b] A swing state is one that has historically flipped between the Republican and Democratic parties. Winning the swing states is extremely important for any candidate wanting to be president. ... Well before the last election the Australian Electoral Commission defined 62 seats out of our 150-seat parliament as marginal. [b]So about 40 per cent of the seats were considered up for grabs at the last Australian election. And in America? "We're talking more like 15 per cent of the states," Professor O'Connor said.[/b][/quote] [quote][b]Seats in parliament versus electoral college[/b] It means the popular vote doesn't directly elect the president (and why those swing states we talked about earlier really matter), but Americans do have direct control over the decision. So, what about seats in Parliament? As voters, Australians don't have control over the Prime Minister we elect. The party that wins the majority seats in our 150-seat House of Representatives chooses a Prime Minister. It can be tough to draw comparisons, because as one of the earliest democratic experiments, America's electoral college is unique. ... "A preferable system would just be a national vote — so the candidate that got the most votes across the whole of America. Every vote would count more in that regard," he said.[/quote] [quote][b]Compulsory versus non-compulsory voting[/b] If you don't want to vote in America, you don't have to. [b]At the last presidential election in 2012, the Bipartisan Policy Centre found only 57.2 per cent of eligible citizens voted[/b]. That has big ramifications for the whole electoral system, and one of the biggest is this acronym: GOTV. Translation: Get Out The Vote. ... "It's difficult for Australians to envisage what that looks like," Professor Jackman said. So, what about compulsory voting in Australia? [b]As of the 2016 election, 95.4 per cent of eligible Australians were enrolled to vote.[/b] And according to Professor Jackman, that means GOTV operations in Australia just aren't as necessary for our political parties. They know you're probably going to vote. Because you have to.[/quote] [quote][b]How to vote in Australia versus how to vote in America[/b] "It depends," is the simple answer according to Professor Jackman. You might tick a box with a pencil. Or you might fill in a bubble sheet (kinda like the ones you got with standardised tests in school). You could push a button on a machine, which punches holes in a ballot. (Hanging chad anyone?) And it's not just the presidency that's at stake here either. Americans will be voting on a whole range of things on November 8, depending on where they live. "Everything from county judges, water commissioners and then in California a whole bunch of ballots propositions — should the porn industry be compelled to use condoms?" Professor Jackman said. [b]"I just got my absentee ballot from where I used to live in California," Professor Jackman said. "It's eight pages long."[/b] The vote is also always on a Tuesday, meaning many Americans have to juggle work and long lines at polling booths. So, what about voting in Australia? You might think it's a pain, but by comparison, the system we have to cast a vote is super easy, and that's by design. "One of the great things about compulsory voting, you've got to have simple voting," Professor Jackman said. [b]"Voting in Australia is simple. It's on a Saturday, you can pretty much do it anywhere, you can pre-poll. And it all looks the same."[/b][/quote] I only posted snippets, read more from [url]http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-03/us-election-vs-australian-election/7968490[/url]
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