Election breakthrough!

[Patmobile]

I've often thought that voting in elections that concern the government of a country should be restricted to those who are intelligent enough to understand the political debate.

The problem has always been that setting any form of examination in which people have to qualify as voters is seen by many as undemocratic.  So, in most elections, a large block of votes, in effect perhaps the casting votes, are often held by those who lack the intelligence to understand what the choices represent.  This is unfair to the majority of voters who can use their brains.  

How brilliantly the Scotland has dealt with this in the recent local government and Scottish Parliament elections.  By combining two elections in which you had to make your choice in different ways, they made the ballot paper itself the examination.  No matter who won, or did not win this election, we have seen a major breakthrough in the democratic process.  Now we just need to devise a stiffer exam

Patrick

 

[ali-cat]

I loved the comments of a Scottish reporter on yesterdays BBC News 24 programme - describing the 3 main winners.

1. The Spoilt Vote Ballot Party

2. The Broken Computer Counting Party

3. The Lost Postal Vote Party

One woman interview about the decable said her husband & her were told what to do by an election official, at the polling station - & his instructions resulted in both their votes being lost.  Disgraceful. 

 

[Motorhead]

Hear, Hear Patrick.

No wonder the Nats got the most votes. It is my resounding experience that most SNP voters actually think about their vote whereas most SLP voters do not.

[Motorhead]

Update

It now transpires that one N. Kinnock is a director of the company that supplied the vote counting technology. That combined with the Lib/lab pact coming up with the idea in the first place makes me want to find a darkened room to lie down in for fear of irony overload. Were they really arrogant enough to think that making voting more difficult/confusing would be to their advantage?

[RumziGal]

[quote user="Motorhead"]

Update

It now transpires that one N. Kinnock is a director of the company that supplied the vote counting technology. That combined with the Lib/lab pact coming up with the idea in the first place makes me want to find a darkened room to lie down in for fear of irony overload. Were they really arrogant enough to think that making voting more difficult/confusing would be to their advantage?

[/quote]

I doubt it, Motorhead.  "Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity".  [;-)]

[Will]

I like your logic.

I bet the French are feling really upset that the Scots beat them to it in implementing a system of paperwork that is too complicated for the average voter and gives the fonctionnaires so many opportunities to show their superiority.

My experience of most conservative voters, and many old labour, suggests that they vote automatically and do not need to think. [;-)]