Hi,

This is an email I received from GETUP this morning . I didnt know this and Im sure I cant be the only one.

If this effects you-you only have a short time (to the 16th April) to enrol so Howard cant STOP you from voting!!!






Dear Friends..
It beggars belief, but this federal election tens of thousands of eligible Australians will be stopped from voting. Will you be one of them?

The Federal Government has passed extraordinary legislation that will close the rolls for new voters at 8pm, on the very night the election is officially called. In the last election, 83,000 first-time voters enrolled in the first week after the election was called. Hundreds of thousands more registered at their new address. But this time they won't get that chance - unless we act urgently.

That's why whether you're enroled to vote or not, there's a crucial role for you to play right now. Click on the link below to demand this law be revoked, and help friends and family enrol correctly in the next two weeks - before new changes and extra red tape come into effect on April 16 making it even harder!

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DontLetThemStopYouFromVoting

In Australia we never know what date to expect the federal election; it's up to the party in power to decide. Typically, the big announcement prompts tens of thousands of people, especially young, newly-eligible voters, to enrol that week. Hundreds of thousands more remember to register at their new address. It's been that way since Federation with no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

But this time if you're too busy or don't hear about the election in time, and you're not already correctly enrolled, you can't vote. Even if you're organised enough to get in early, new forms and ID requirements are about to come into effect on April 16 - making it that much harder for many Australians overseas or in rural areas to register. And if you've been overseas for more than 3 years and you're not on the roll, you're still not allowed to enrol from abroad.

The effect of this law - the Orwellian-inspired "Electoral Integrity Act" - is to stop people from voting. Our purpose is to fight back. We've made it easy to spread the word to ensure your friends and family are correctly enrolled before the polls slam shut: just use the note below to share this essential campaign with everyone you know, including Australians overseas!

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DontLetThemStopYouFromVoting

Thanks for taking urgent action to spread the word,

The GetUp team

PS: GetUp has taken your calls for climate action directly to decision makers, at the weekend's National Climate Summit. We told leaders from politics, industry, science and the business community they have a mandate for bold action to fight global warming, and presented Kevin Rudd and Peter Garrett with our Action Agenda and 75,000-strong Climate Action Map petition. For details and photos, click here.

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If you have trouble with any links in this email, please go directly to www.getup.org.au.

GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues.

To unsubscribe from GetUp, please click here.

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Hi,

I'm part of a new campaign to make sure no one is stopped from voting on Election Day, and I wanted to make sure you're enrolled to vote.

We used to have seven days after the election date was announced to actually enrol, but this time the polls will close to new voters at 8pm - the very night the election is officially called. If you're too busy or don't hear about the election in time and aren't already correctly enrolled, you won't be able to vote on Election Day.

Not sure if you're enrolled correctly? Just click on the link below. You can join the call to revoke this legislation and tell politicians to make it easier, not harder, for all of us to have a say at election time. You can also make sure you're correctly enrolled before the polls close in record time.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/DontLetThemStopYouFromVoting

It's up to us to make sure we get a voice on Election Day.
Many thanks!

PS: On April 16, new ID requirements and extra red tape come into effect, so if you're in a rural area or overseas especially, make sure you get on the roll now

Direct democracy in Australia

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1175406277

the need for political parties

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1173261822/0

Should preference voting be disabled

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1176974719

Republic discussion vs Monarchy (?)

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1174963616

A different Political System  ?

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1175233421

Liberals trying to gag voters..sneaky deceitful.

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1175730573

Rock Enrol

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1171784399

Politics Online

http://ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1176680937

This is old news :)

Make sure you are enrolled everyone!! Howard is a ****

well im glad its old news..

everyone will be already enrolled then??? :)

Well probably not oceans :)

What I want to know is this: what about the group of people who are not 18 when the election is called, but turn 18 before the election is held? Seems to me that you would be completely denying a group of people their right to vote? Would this be enough of a case to challenge these new laws?

Good point zoso.


Quote:

what about the group of people who are not 18 when the election is called, but turn 18 before the election is held?

Many of these teenagers would be currently working under Workchoices - this will deny them their right to oppose this government.  

There is no one to oppose Howard.   He has a mandate to do whatever he wants and if it means excluding a large percentage of our youth from the right to vote - it will only work in his favour.

and thats why it stinks mantra.

I have been forwarding on that email to everyone I know.

He,ll sink to any low to get an outcome thats for sure--

How hated must he be???? >:(

Howard and the Liberals are right to do this. They know, like everyone else, that the typical Liberal voter is more committed than the typical Labor voter. Those more committed don't need extra time and a push to enrol - they do it because they care. This is really well known and is the reason, as has been demonstrated,  that Liberal MPs are opposed to compulsory voting whereas Labor MPs are all for it and know they depend on it. Labor has a clear majority among those who have to be coerced into voting - Liberals have a majority amongst those who would vote anyway.

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Those more committed don't need extra time and a push to enrol - they do it because they care.

That is entirely wrong sense.  There were many committed labor voters who had been registered for 20 or 30 years whose names weren't on the role this year.  Letters of confirmation were sent to everyone  reminding them to vote for the State election, but when they rolled up to the polling booth - their names had disappeared.

If you think Liberal voters are so committed - why are the majority of written complaints about the Coalition in newspapers and online,  from Labor and Green voters?

Apart from the last Federal election - Labor has always received more primary votes than Liberal, but because of the way preferences are given they lose the election.  The same goes for the Greens who usually receive more primary votes than the Nationals.

wrote on Apr 5^th, 2007 at 10:52pm:

Howard and the Liberals are right to do this. They know, like everyone else, that the typical Liberal voter is more committed than the typical Labor voter. Those more committed don't need extra time and a push to enrol - they do it because they care. This is really well known and is the reason, as has been demonstrated,  that Liberal MPs are opposed to compulsory voting whereas Labor MPs are all for it and know they depend on it. Labor has a clear majority among those who have to be coerced into voting - Liberals have a majority amongst those who would vote anyway.

Oh really?? So what is it you are saying here? That those with a bias towards one side of politics should be given the advantage in the polls because their side is in power? So what happens when Labor is in power and the same standard is applied then? This is about the most anti-democratic thing a person could say, your words defy belief. You are saying that a bias towards one party in a democratic system is justified because you like that party? I'm sorry but the argument that 'liberal voters are more engaged in politics therefore they should have the greater say in things' is absolute rubbish, Anyone in this country is entitled to the same right to vote as anyone else.

What about the scenario I proposed sense? What if that 18yr had good initiative and went out and enrolled the day they turned 18? Still get blocked under this system.

Compulsory voting ensures everyone has their say, it is not biased towards Labor, if that were true then why have we had 11 years of coalition government??!!!??

zozo says:

"What I want to know is this: what about the group of people who are not 18 when the election is called, but turn 18 before the election is held? Seems to me that you would be completely denying a group of people their right to vote? Would this be enough of a case to challenge these new laws?"

Nobody is being denied anything. ALL 17 year olds can enroll - they just can't vote until they're 18. The fact that you don't know this demonstrates that you are very poorly connected with the political system in this country. Most politically minded 17 year olds are aware of this and will already be enrolled.

On the wider point I don't support compulsory voting and I support any rules which have the effect of eliminating the don't cares from the election - they'll probably spoil their voting forms anyway. If you can't be bothered to enroll or change your address for enrollment then I'm pleased that you are being barred from voting. There obviously has to be a cut-off date for enrollment for admin purposes. That is the reason for it but I would support it just to stop the lazy buggers from voting.

On the issue of political commitment of Labor voters versus Liberal voters the situation is obvious. Why otherwise would the Liberal party be against compulsory voting and the Labor party for it? It has been well understood for years by political commentators and is not normally disputed. The politically blind who find themselves forced to the polling station simply equate themselves as working/labour class and naturally assume that their class is best represented by the Labor party with its overlap with the Unions. Of course many Labor voters are politically engaged but the distorting effect remains.

wrote on Apr 6^th, 2007 at 2:53pm:

The politically blind who find themselves forced to the polling station simply equate themselves as working/labour class and naturally assume that their class is best represented by the Labor party with its overlap with the Unions. Of course many Labor voters are politically engaged but the distorting effect remains.

If that is the case and those who are less interested in politics choose to vote labor without putting as much thought into it as you might then that is their choice and they have as much right to choose to vote this way as you do to vote otherwise. This is not a 'distortion' this is the reality of it and if that gets to you then maybe you need to work at accepting reality a bit more. Deliberately slanting the polling process to counter this is only creating an artificially imposed bias.

The reason Labor support forced polling is that it means that polls reflect the true feelings of the entire community.

The reason Liberals support voluntary voting is because they have an overall philosophy of personal freedom.

Thank you though for correcting my mistake. I hardly think it makes me 'out of touch' to have made it in the first place though.

A couple more thoughts in response to Zozo.
We have had 11 years of Liberal government DESPITE compulsory voting. The majorities would have been bigger without it.

You accuse me of being anti-democratic. You're right if your form of democracy includes forcing people to vote under threat of fines or confiscation of possessions if the fine is not paid. Well I am anti-democratic in most peoples eyes. I think voters should have a minimum level of education so they at least have some idea of what it is they are voting for. The idea of majority rule by idiots is absurd. Fortunately the majority of households in Australia own property. If it were otherwise, the penniless renting majority would be able to set up their own party, put it in power, and have ALL the property transferred to themselves. Democratic nonsense.

Quote:

You're right if your form of democracy includes forcing people to vote under threat of fines or confiscation of possessions if the fine is not paid.

I actually agree in principle with non-compulsory voting and I agree with you that compulsory voting is undemocratic. I have however come around to realising that inherent benefits of compulsory voting in that it makes voting a true census and less of a newspoll.


Quote:

think voters should have a minimum level of education so they at least have some idea of what it is they are voting for.

This is verging on elitism, except that while I see where you are going with this (only the elite should vote), Australia has compulsory minimum education requirements that mean, you guessed it, everyone who votes DOES have 'a minimum level of education so they at least have some idea of what it is they are voting for'...Just because someone disagrees with you does not make them uninformed.


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The idea of majority rule by idiots is absurd.

This is democracy... how do you think I (and roughly one out of two others) have felt for the last 11 years??

Get used to it mate.


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Fortunately the majority of households in Australia own property.

What on earth does that mean?


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the penniless renting majority

Oh you mean the people who pay your mortgage for you?


Quote:

and have ALL the property transferred to themselves. Democratic nonsense.

What on earth are you ON about? Property owners are a vast majority in Australia (some 70%)?? Democratic what? do YOU even know what that is supposed to mean?

Face it, if some person you consider to be less educated than you chooses to vote differently to you based on less informed views than you, then suck sh!t, that is our system. Do you propose we go back to an elitist system where only the well educated and rich can participate in the political process?

The system is not perfect, but it works better than the elitist systems of the past...

Re: Liberals trying to gag voters..sneaky deceitfu
Reply #12 - Today at 4:12pm    A couple more thoughts in response to Zozo.
We have had 11 years of Liberal government DESPITE compulsory voting. The majorities would have been bigger without it.

You accuse me of being anti-democratic. You're right if your form of democracy includes forcing people to vote under threat of fines or confiscation of possessions if the fine is not paid. Well I am anti-democratic in most peoples eyes. I think voters should have a minimum level of education so they at least have some idea of what it is they are voting for. The idea of majority rule by idiots is absurd. Fortunately the majority of households in Australia own property. If it were otherwise, the penniless renting majority would be able to set up their own party, put it in power, and have ALL the property transferred to themselves. Democratic nonsense"
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your world is absurd sense!

Quote:

Face it, if some person you consider to be less educated than you chooses to vote differently to you based on less informed views than you, then suck sh!t, that is our system. Do you propose we go back to an elitist system where only the well educated and rich can participate in the political process?

Well said zoso - but I think that's exactly what sense means.

What I want to know is this: what about the group of people who are not 18 when the election is called, but turn 18 before the election is held?

You are allowed to enrol before you turn 18. See the link I posted.

Labor has a clear majority among those who have to be coerced into voting - Liberals have a majority amongst those who would vote anyway.

Interesting. Do you have any stats to back this up?

I don't think there is anything more or less democratic about compulsory or optional voting.

Why otherwise would the Liberal party be against compulsory voting and the Labor party for it?

Ideology perhaps? How do you know the Liberals are against it?

Threads on electoral reform:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/electoral-reform/current-debates.html

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Now this is interesting - a debate about our constitution!

Prisoner challenges jail vote ban

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Prisoner-challenges-jail-vote-ban/2007/04/25/1177459768161.html

A Victorian prisoner will challenge in the High Court laws that ban jail inmates from voting.

The case, brought by Vickie Lee Roach, 48, will be heard in June and could eventually win back the right to vote for Australia's prisoners, Fairfax newspapers report on Wednesday.

Roach is being held in the Dame Phyllis Frost Women's Prison at Deer Park.

She was jailed for at least four years in 2004 for negligently causing serious injury in a car accident, the report said.

Roach would argue that Commonwealth Electoral Act provisions which barred prisoners from voting in federal elections were unconstitutional, Fairfax said.

The ban was introduced last year in legislative changes that shortened the period people can enrol to vote after an election is called from seven days to three days, and required them to provide proof of identity when enrolling or updating their enrolment.

Previously, only prisoners serving sentences of more than five years were barred from voting.

Barristers Ron Merkel QC and Michael Pearce SC, leading corporate law firm Allens Arthur Robinson and the non-profit Human Rights Law Resource Centre were acting free of charge for Roach, Fairfax said.

Roach's High Court application said the laws breached sections of the constitution that said parliament should be "directly chosen by the people", and unlawfully breached implied constitutional freedoms of political participation and political communication.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/voters-ignorant-of-enrolment-rules/2007/08/18/1186857848609.html

Despite costly publicity about new enrolment rules, more than 80 per cent of voters don't know the electoral rolls close the day an election is called.

Before the law was changed in April, people were allowed to enroll to vote in the seven days after an election was called.

"The AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) has been put in a very difficult position," Taren Stinebrickner, electoral director of the independent action group Getup!, told The Sun-Herald.

"These changes have made it difficult to for them to fill their mission and keep up-to-date enrolment records."

Up to 80,000 people who are eligible to vote, mostly those who turned 18 since the last election, could be left off the roll because of the changes.

Voting and enrolment is compulsory, and failure to comply carries a $110 fine.

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Up to 80,000 people who are eligible to vote,

This is unbelieveable..what can be done..?

If dumb people weren't allowed to vote there would be a revolution because dumb people outnumber smart people, are usually fitter and more prone to violence. No one likes dictators.

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Up to 80,000 people who are eligible to vote

Yes this is a worry - the figures could actually be more.  I hope the electoral roll has been revised and updated since the last State election.  My son was on the roll for 4 years, but just disappeared off it at the last election - along with hundreds, possibly thousands of others.