Scotland

[Targan]

Originally Posted by kato13

I knew about that, but I always wondered if you can not select anything, or pick "none of the above" if none of the candidates were acceptable to you.

I also would like to know if "None of the Above" as an option wold increase voting here.

Yes, really all you need to do to not get fined is have your name ticked off the list at a polling place and take a ballot paper. It's not illegal to cast a "donkey vote". It would be perfectly fine under Australian regulations to write "none of the above" on your ballot paper.

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Targan

Yes, really all you need to do to not get fined is have your name ticked off the list at a polling place and take a ballot paper. It's not illegal to cast a "donkey vote". It would be perfectly fine under Australian regulations to write "none of the above" on your ballot paper.

Interesting.

Donkey Vote (wiki link). I had to look it up so I figured I would help out anyone else who might need to.

[Askold]

If making an empty vote or voting Donald Duck or something was against the laws then wouldn't it be impossible to prove without actually violating voting confindentiality?

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Askold

If making an empty vote or voting Donald Duck or something was against the laws then wouldn't it be impossible to prove without actually violating voting confindentiality?

In Chicago after the "hanging chad" election (presidential of 2000) where there was much controversy over mis-punched voting cards in Florida, you had to put your ballot into an electronic reader which would check if there were any selections which were missing.

For one or two elections they would not accept the ballot if any votes were missing. After those elections you had to approve if votes were missing for a couple of elections.

In the historical tradition Chicago is famous for, the original motivating factor was to maximize votes from the region (ostensibly to prevent errors), but the courts decided both that forcing you to vote for someone and then the policy of declaring publicly you did not complete a ballot was a violation of both voting rights and privacy.

[unkated]

In local (town, county, and some less noted state positions), when bored or as a protest, I have a competent friend that I use as a write-in candidate. I'd suppose if I told enough other people (except my friend of course), he could get a surprise...

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Askold

If making an empty vote or voting Donald Duck or something was against the laws then wouldn't it be impossible to prove without actually violating voting confindentiality?

As far as I know (at least in this part of Texas) it's not illegal.

[Cdnwolf]

Originally Posted by Targan

Yes, really all you need to do to not get fined is have your name ticked off the list at a polling place and take a ballot paper. It's not illegal to cast a "donkey vote". It would be perfectly fine under Australian regulations to write "none of the above" on your ballot paper.

SOOOO that is how you were elected...