Engaging with the democratic process

[slowfox]

It's polling day for European elections (Hull doesn't seem to be doing local elections today), and so I set off to vote before heading to work.

Initially, it rather looked as though I was too early: 'POLLING STATION', proclaimed the sign, chained to the school gates, which were locked, because the yard was, in fact, a building site. This was a little surprising, since this is the usual entrance to the Polling Station (they take over one of the infant classrooms for the day), and there weren't any diversion arrows to deflect aspirant voters to the correct entrance.

Anyway, I was on the bike, so I flitted around to the other school entrance which, thankfully, was open, and yay, my voter card was exchanged for a ballot, and verily did I doth vote.

The ballot itself was dispiriting reading: a list, in alphabetical order, of mainly negative parties (BNP, UKIP, Anti-EU Democracy, etc etc), and there were only two parties there that I didn't immediately reject on principle.

Then came the conundrum: do I vote tactically, or do I vote on principle? The tactical vote would have been Lib-Dem, the principled would have been Green. Feeling that gaming the vote to ensure that the party you don't want can't possibly win isn't really how democracy is supposed to work (absenting myself from the reality-based community for a moment), I decided that I should vote with my convictions, and voted Green.

Comments

[yvi]

See, I would really like to vote for the German Green party. Except for the fact that they really seem opposed to letting me have a place to work at when I graduate, as I am an evil Biologist who might want to do something with *gasp* gene technology.

Voting here is on Sunday and I still haven't decided. Except for the decision that from now on, I will vote by letter. It's so much easier.

[slowfox]

There's no perfect party, but because the Greens represent the direction I'd most like the world to go in, that's who I've voted for.

[yvi]

*sighs* They do that in my case, too, which is why I'll probably end up either voting for them or making my vote invalid.

Why is there no 'me-Party'? ;)

[slowfox]

Why is there no 'me-Party'?

Because you haven't installed yourself as Benevolent Dictator of The World and Associated Colonies just yet. :-)

[yvi]

Don't enable me :P

[slowfox]

Vote yvi for Intergalactic Presidentess!

;-P

[schnurble]

Germany votes on Sunday, and I need yet to find out where my local voting station is (the first poll since we moved).
Also haven't dared opening the letter with the example ballot, I've been told it's really difficult to fill out, you have, like thirty+ votes, and there're a few rules how to distribute them (or not). Ah well, should probably have a look at it this evening...

[slowfox]

Eek! That sounds like an intimidating ballot :-/

Ours was deceptively simple - we have one vote, and mark the form accordingly. The arcane, complicated stuff happens once all those single votes are collated, whereas I suspect your system has you doing all the complicated stuff in the first instance.

[yvi]

Boyfriend voted by letter and it was thee easiest election to date - just one cross allowed. Do you have any additional elections that day?

[schnurble]

Checked the ballots yesterday and yep, we're doing 3 local elections as well.

[cynthia_black]

I keep forgetting it's polling day - must somehow remember to vote once I get home tonight.

[slowfox]

And did you?

[cynthia_black]

I did indeed, though it took me until 8pm to remember. Mine was the tactical vote.

[tikiberry]

I know quite a few people who voted Green... so who knows? :)

[slowfox]

Here's hoping :-)