The Right To Vote

[UKHeather]

I am unsure about how the election system works in Ireland. I have stopped voting in the UK. I'd really like to see an 'actively abstained' option on ballot forms. I'd turn up to put my X in the box!

[carlos marvado]

What did giving the vote to every Tom, Dick and Harry..........and Mary of 18 years plus ever do for us? That system got Charlie Haughey, Albert Reynolds and Bertie Aherne elected Taoiseach and look how that has ended up.........giving a bunch of teenagers, plebs and women the vote has cost us our fiscal independence.

Bring back the old requirement of being a freeman or a 40 shilling freeholder to have the franchise and let's put those who were born to govern back in parliament.

God Save the Queen.

[Banjaxed]

I've voted in every election and referendum since I turned 18. I don't think you've any right to complain if you haven't exercised your vote, in fact, my experiences in political parties and canvassing since I was 15 confirm that you don't have a right to complain, because every candidate sees you as useless to them and simply not worth wasting their time upon.

I would actually go as far to propose a system of mandatory voting with loss of social welfare benefits or something else if you do not vote. Oddly, I was not the only one to favour this system at the time when all the waffle about Seanad reforms was flying around the place.

[BDogg]

The Internet will eventually rid us of the need for politicians.

Local councils will manage service provision. A European central fiscal governance body will manage our finances.

All policy will be decided by online referenda .

No more TDs or MPs

[Banjaxed]

The Internet will eventually rid us of the need for politicians.

Local councils will manage service provision. A European central fiscal governance body will manage our finances.

All policy will be decided by online referenda .

No more TDs or MPs

Bunreacht na hEireann stands in the way of that, it would take about 30 referendums by the time that whole mess would be cleared up. Irish people hate electronic voting as we found out during the previous government, much to our cost. However, from an engagement and policy forming perspective, the internet is an excellent tool in terms of people actually communicating what they want to see done, unfortunately, it's not wholly representative but it's a start.

[BDogg]

The failure of electronic voting was due to technical implementation failures surely.

It will happen. Maybe in 10 years time and then I'll post a told you so

[El Gordo]

I am unsure about how the election system works in Ireland. I have stopped voting in the UK. I'd really like to see an 'actively abstained' option on ballot forms. I'd turn up to put my X in the box!

There are places with a long tradition of active abstention. One of the US states has "none of the above" on every ballot. France even has two ways to abstain actively, the vote blanc and the vote nul.

To answer the original question, there are places where democracy is probably a bad idea. Rwanda comes to mind. Where the majority ethnic group tries to wipe out the minority, and largely succeeds, it's simply a matter of self-preservation for the minority to keep them out of power.

[BACMAN36]

If you fail this exam, you don't get a vote. If you pass this exam, then you get a vote.

Your collective outraged rebuttal?

Interesting point. Can't say I really disagree. Mind you the shower we have in power at the moment would charge you to sit the exam!

Maybe as part of the Leaving Cert.

Any other country do something like this?