I voted!

[ChezCheese:)]

Post here when you've done your civic duty - - especially if you rode your bike to your polling place or ballot drop-off.

 

[indianajo]

Voted October 8. Went to the courthouse to turn in inventory to prosecutor clerk; afterwards noticed line to early voting was 3 persons long. Had been long out on sidewalk in front on TV news day before.
Yes, I rode the bicycle.

 

[AlanDB]

I received my ballot on Oct. 6, filled it in and mailed it on Oct. 7. Used my state ballot tracking system to verify it was received on Oct. 9. I'm glad it is done and happy I didn't have to stand in line for hours.

 

[Alaskan]

Ours were dropped in a box this past Friday. FIngers crossed

 

[Dallant]

Early analog voter at the polling place. I’m not letting the Trumpty Dumpty voter suppression mail system at my vote!

 

[Taylor57]

Voted about a week ago. Cancelled my girlfriends ballot. Ying and Yang!!

 

[ruffruff]

Hand delivered to city hall two weeks ago!

 

[fooferdoggie]

mail in voting here in Oregon but the wife and I rode the tandem to the nearest drop-off box.

 

[harryS]

Taking our household's ballots to the drop-off tomorrow. Don't turst the mail, and it's less than 10 days now.

 

[stanmiller]

Early voted in NC. 15 min wait. Go vote!

 

[Sierratim]

Dropped by ballot at the County offices during one of my rides last week. Dropped my wife's off on a bicycle grocery run on SAT.

 

[pmcdonald]

Good stuff everyone. Voting is compulsory here so given the choice it is reassuring to see so many using it. The US Presidential race is about the only sporting event I follow and, as every 4 years, this one didn't disappoint.

 

[opimax]

Early voted a week ago, of course it was at the senior center lol. No bike ride since fall hopefully by Thanksgiving.

 

[RandallS]

Good stuff everyone. Voting is compulsory here so given the choice it is reassuring to see so many using it. The US Presidential race is about the only sporting event I follow and, as every 4 years, this one didn't disappoint.

How do they enforce the voting rule/law in Oz? What's the penalty? I can't imagine NOT voting for any election. Where I live in Canada, my federal vote isn't worth the paper I mark up, but I simply cannot imagine not voting for any gov't election (Federal, Provincial or Civic).

 

[PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee]

Did mine week or so ago!

 

[DaveMatthews]

Here in B.C. Canada we just had our Provincial election. Voted on the 15th (early).
Not voting is an Electile Dysfunction.

 

[pmcdonald]

How do they enforce the voting rule/law in Oz? What's the penalty? I can't imagine NOT voting for any election. Where I live in Canada, my federal vote isn't worth the paper I mark up, but I simply cannot imagine not voting for any gov't election (Federal, Provincial or Civic).

It's a little like school. When you vote your name is marked off a roll. Your vote is anonymous. The rolls are collated and anyone found to have not been ticked off is sent a fine of $20. That rises to $180 plus legal costs if you ignore it and it lands in court.

Stats on non-voting aren't publically recorded, but it is estimated about 3000 don't vote per election, out of an eligible population of 17 million.

Compulsory voting is widely popular here. It came about 100 years ago when voter turnout fell to around current US levels (~60%). The Federal legislators at the time be all like '75% of the VEP voted for someone else or no one at all, so that be a mandate for Buckley's!'.

It doesn't mean we don't vote in some true duds, but it does save resources on the 'get out to vote' half of voluntary elections. Australia also has more of a utilitarian 'greatest good for the greatest number' philosophy compared to our more individual rights focused cousins.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Australia also has more of a utilitarian 'greatest good for the greatest number' philosophy compared to our more individual rights focused cousins.

I've just voted. The Queensland state elections are held every fourth year on the last Saturday in October. We are permitted, encouraged actually, to vote early.

Don't even think of 'my rights'; you must vote. That's the law and if you flout it, you'll be pulled up and fined the same one penalty point (currently AU$133; about US$90) that you would receive for riding your ebike while not wearing a helmet. (That's not an invitation to hijack this thread's topic!) Of course, you can go to court and have your say and, most likely, pay quite a lot more.

There are seven candidates in our electorate and every one of them had to receive my vote in preferential order (1 to 7). If my #1 loses out, then my vote goes to my #2 choice and so on until it's down to the usual two suspects (but sometimes, the unexpected ones get it!).