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UndercoverElephant

Pachyderm of a Thousand Faces
UndercoverElephant
Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
9,058
I'm interested in the Bush/Kerry support split between Americans and non-Americans. Obviously non-Americans can't actually vote, but I am interested in who they would want to see elected. ;)
 
TillEulenspiegel said:
OK so I voted.........now where's my cool sticker that sez "I voted"?
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Will this do?

pfp.jpg
 
You left off the "Anyone but Bush" option. And Planet X too. Honestly, I'd have voted Planet X if it was the only alternative! :D
 
Semi-serious question for the US politico-wizards.

Let's assume, for some reason, a particular person was not a candidate for president but he was well respected nationally and was considered generally that he SHOULD have been a candidate. In fact, let's give this mythical guy a name: Michael Mouse.

Question: What would be the result if a majority of voters in each state were able to add Michael Mouse's (party's) name to their personal ballot and then vote for him as their preferred candidate? For example, I went into the polling booth, got my voting paper, wrote "Michael Mouse Party" on the bottom and indicated he was my preferred candidate?

Does such an informal vote register as the will of the people to elect the candidate/party of their choice EVEN THOUGH it was not an "official" candidate?

I expect this isn't really possible for punchcard or electronic voting but possible for paper-based ballots.
 
Zep, I can't even understand your question, but if this will help: we don't even count real votes anymore.
 
Zep said:
Does such an informal vote register as the will of the people to elect the candidate/party of their choice EVEN THOUGH it was not an "official" candidate?

I expect this isn't really possible for punchcard or electronic voting but possible for paper-based ballots.
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Write-ins typically aren't counted until after the election is done with, because they never win. If by some crazy chance your situation did happen...I suppose they'd be legally obligated to count the write-ins.
 
Nasarius said:


Write-ins typically aren't counted until after the election is done with, because they never win. If by some crazy chance your situation did happen...I suppose they'd be legally obligated to count the write-ins.
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And "regular" votes don't count either....sorry I can't get off it.

But Zep, tell us if you Aussies have had the kind of "problems" you may have read that we've had in counting votes people tried to cast.
 
OK, I have learned a new term: "write-ins" in reference to voting.

Subgenius, I suppose my questions stems from the fact that all Australian elections are paper-based, and are conducted in a consistent fashion across the nation under the administration of one federal body. So the possibility of writing in someone's name/party on any ballot paper exists all the time.

Yes, it's probably infinitesimally unlikely that a write-in candidate would garner enough support to be considered a "serious" candidate. But that particular voting glitch has always intrigued me, with this question: At what point does a write-in candidate cease to be a counted as a bunch of informal votes and become an genuine expression of the voters' will?

For example, take my mythical Michael Mouse. If 20% of the population really preferred him and wrote him in, and there is only a 45% to 50% voter turneout at that election, he becomes a serious candidate...or at least a serious blockage to "official" candidates. Not to mention a problem for the election process if not catered for.
 
For what it's worth, under the Australian voting system which is preferential and fairly strict in how to do it, votes not for listed candidates and not written properly or clearly will spoil the whole ballot paper (i.e. the vote is not counted). Write-ins will spoil your ballot.

It is done this way because party scrutineers are usually a very tetchy bunch, and won't baulk at protracted legal challenges to counting if it goes against their party.
 
fishbob said:
We have a winner in the Best Post of the Day contest.
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Shucks, every time I see you holding that big fish I salivate.
Got a piece of salmon I gotta broil soon.
 
Zep said:
For what it's worth, under the Australian voting system which is preferential and fairly strict in how to do it, votes not for listed candidates and not written properly or clearly will spoil the whole ballot paper (i.e. the vote is not counted). Write-ins will spoil your ballot.

It is done this way because party scrutineers are usually a very tetchy bunch, and won't baulk at protracted legal challenges to counting if it goes against their party.
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Well of course I'm just talking about problems with counting regular intended votes. You got any problems with figuring out who you voted for? Or "spoiled ballots" or whatever that Florida thing was?
Or can you guys walk and chew gum at the same time?
 
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