Vote if you want, but don't deceive yourself. It's not the solution. The oligarchs own the system, and we will NEVER be permitted to vote their boots off our necks.

#GeneralStrike

#Australia has #compulsoryvoting.

There is postal voting open weeks ahead. There is a week of pre-poll voting where voting booths are open before voting day so you can go from work, or for older or disabled people to avoid queues.

Our voting days are always on a Saturday, to help those who work on weekdays.

There are multiple polling booths in big cities, and several in smaller towns so usually easy or close to work or home. Often we vote in a local school or community hall.

It is compulsory to be on a local Electoral Roll and we are checked off against that. We therefore do not need identification.

To sum up - because it is compulsory it is made as easy and accessible as possible for everyone to vote.

In fact it is usually a perfectly easy, fairly quick procedure. It is good humoured and friendly, you see your friends and neighbours often on voluntary cake stalls or #DemocracySausage sizzles using the crowds to raise money for charities.

If #USA had compulsory voting and a straightforward system where the majority vote wins, I do not believe they would have had the horrendous results they are living with now.

I am eternally thankful for the fairness of the Australian voting system.

If he attempts to throw out November's results after two battlefield defeats and an electoral blowout, he could even hand us an opportunity to remove him immediately via an otherwise impossible 2/3ds Senate vote for removal after impeachment. This requires fewer votes than a 25th Amendment emergency removal but in normal times is blocked by party loyalty. Possibly not after a 2nd coup attempt though,

This is even after ICE at polling places, even after voterID/REAL ID disenfranchisement, even after felon disenferanchisement, even after mass gerrymandering and all the other GOP dirty tricks. All that will do is reduce a 20-30% spread to 10-15%...

I think a long time ago four vile schoolchildren, and a guy who made both-sides-ing jokes about the news on a daily show (and some other sources too, not just them) helped create an atmosphere of cynicism that still plagues us today.

Anything that encourages people to at least try participating again is welcome. Gotta make people realize they are inside a machine they can change via collective action.

Voting should be mandatory AND voting day should be a paid holiday for all workers with only actual essential people allowed to work (and in those cases voting occurring at their workplaces).

nah turn out is the most important thing

i used to be against compulsory voting. i thought "you can't force people to care"

but now i'm for it

because just getting some of these lazy assholes in the voting booth should be enough

sure some will draw dicks on their ballots but the results are close enough that just a few percentage points of nonvoters begrudgingly finally making a choice is enough to make the difference

Yes, 37% who didn't give a shit are giving it now.

BE LIKE THE HUNGARIANS