As I posted last week, we are currently in an election cycle which got me thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of our system.
- Compulsory voting: yep, we all have to vote in elections in Australia or we get fined. That applies all the way from federal elections to local council elections. This provides some kind of protection against the polarisation and extremism of somewhere like the US because politicians need to appeal to middle voters. Of course you get plenty of people who have no idea what or who they’re voting for but overall I’d prefer that to the alternative.
- Australian Electoral Commission: an independent and impartial body that maintains the electoral role and delivers secure elections. They also oversee the redistribution of boundaries when required according to set criteria and with multiple opportunities for the public to provide feedback on the proposed changes.
- Preferential voting: For the House of Representatives we have to put a number in every candidates box and for the Senate we have to do at least six boxes for parties above the line or twelve boxes below the line if we want to vote for individual candidates. This means that we get to vote both for who we want to win and who we don’t. Preferential votes are counted in a seat until one candidate receives over 50% of the vote.
- Saturday voting: means that most people can vote on the day and don’t need to take time off work. Polling is open from 8 am to 6 pm.
- Spending caps: just recently legislated and won’t be in operation until the next federal election but will limit spending to $800,000 per seat and $90M per party nationally. The limits are still too high, especially the national party limit which advantages the major parties against independents, but it’s better than no control. Foreign donors cannot give more than $1000.
A couple of changes I’d like to see:
- Truth in political advertising. Currently we have laws that prohibit material that is misleading or deceptive around the casting of a vote. For example if a candidate produced material that suggested that a valid vote required a number 1 in their box. I would like to see laws governing federal elections like in South Australia that prohibit electoral advertising that is materially inaccurate or misleading. I’d include posting on candidates (and their associates) sites and socials in this.
- Longer terms. We currently have maximum 3 year terms. I think four years would be better as it would allow the government to work on things that take a longer time.
How do you feel about your system of government? What changes would you like to see?
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