our government wants to make it harder to vote

[miriam_e]

We never know when a federal election is to be called -- that's the way of it in Australia. It seems the dickheads in power just get it all their way. They get to call an election when it looks most likely to them that they'll win.

Now the monsters in power have decided they so distrust the voters that the usual week for voter registrations has been cut down to less than a single day! Voter registration will close at 8pm on the very day the new election will be called. The net effect will be to exclude large numbers of young and itinerant voters.

Demand that this cynical law be revoked.
The politicians won't fix it... YOU have to fix it.
Clobber the slimy weasels.
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/DontLetThemStopYouFromVoting

Comments

[annie-lyne.livejournal.com]

Do GetUp submit their petitions to Federal Parliament?

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

I think they mail them to each of the politicians concerned, individually.

Shutting registrations early!

[(Anonymous)]

Did pollies of both persuasions lend support to this scrap of legislation?

It'll not only stuff up things for first-time voters and itinerants, but everyone else who has a busy life and may have neglected to change their details with the Electoral Commission.

It'll increase the level of voter apathy in this country. (I know several young people who have never bothered enrolling to vote and use their changes-of-address to evade the AEC.)

I've signed the Getup! petition. It is important people become more involved in politics not less. Politics is too important to leave to politicians!

Cheers, MFG.

[kremmen.livejournal.com]

What's the big deal. If people give a damn, they should register at some convenient time once they become eligible, not jam up the bureaucracy by leaving it to the last minute. IMHO, the net effect will be to exclude lazy, careless, disorganised people.

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

Should those people be excluded from voting by suddenly, arbitrarily altering the rules?

Since Federation we have had a week to ensure our registrations are up to date after an election is announced. You have to wonder why the sudden change?

Could it be that the same government that wants easily corruptible electronic voting systems has noticed that if large numbers of people are cleanly disinherited from voting then their votes can be quietly, effortlessly inserted back into the system to vote for whoever is desired. We know what an admirer of Bush is Howard. I'm sure he also covets the easy way to cheat his way into power that disinheriting voters confers.

I don't see myself as lazy or careless, though I guess I'm pretty disorganised about a number of things. I've been caught short a few times when I've realised I haven't been registered to vote at my new address, and had to take time off to go and fix it. Under the new rules I would have missed out on voting. I wonder how many people this would apply to, given Australians are among the most mobile people on the planet. Would that number have a great effect on an election? I think it just might, and I'm sure all this was carefully researched. Politicians, on the whole, don't do things without great and clear benefit to themselves.

[qu-is.livejournal.com]

see comment below.

[qu-is.livejournal.com]

Not knowing a deadline means people don't prioritize this little update of information - sometimes being busy, overseas or if you have changed addresses a lot in the last four years this will also make it hard to know what your status is - and a week at least gives a few days to double check and fix any errors. Where as 8 hours? what kind of a totalitarian joke is that.