Spoiling one's ballot paper is functionally pretty similar to not voting at all, just with more legwork involved. And possible extra lulz for the returning officers.
I'd argue that "your" vote isn't your property; it's a public trust
I violently disagree. There's a reason ballots are secret, and I'm rather glad of it. Voting is up to the conscience - well, not even that! - of each individual. There is no reason to suggest that any voter *must* vote with the interests of the rest of "the public" (as if they could ever be so homogenous) in mind, it's just a nice bonus if they do, but the system was never designed for that to be the case.
I just don't agree that people willingly getting themselves killed for a cause automatically makes it really important, and that seems an odd position for a pacifist, if you don't mind me saying so. Does this mean the Heaven's Gate members were onto something?
I guess your final point is influenced by how much you like spinach. But more generally, it's not true; we get to vote in local council elections and European elections, for starters, and there's a whole swathe of other non-voting political activism available for people to engage with if they want. That doesn't mean I disagree that we have very little input, as individuals, into the voting system, but I do think that insisting it all comes down to one day and one chance to vote is a little simplistic and ignores everything else which gets us to that point.
Honestly, I don't wish to appear to be having a go at you, because I'm not, but every single time there's any election, we're all bombarded with "now make sure you vote!"messages everywhere, so I don't think people really need to be blogging about that particular aspect as well. I'm pretty sure your readers are either going to vote already, or not going to vote for their own reasons. Why the need for finger-wagging?
no subject
I'd argue that "your" vote isn't your property; it's a public trust
I violently disagree. There's a reason ballots are secret, and I'm rather glad of it. Voting is up to the conscience - well, not even that! - of each individual. There is no reason to suggest that any voter *must* vote with the interests of the rest of "the public" (as if they could ever be so homogenous) in mind, it's just a nice bonus if they do, but the system was never designed for that to be the case.
I just don't agree that people willingly getting themselves killed for a cause automatically makes it really important, and that seems an odd position for a pacifist, if you don't mind me saying so. Does this mean the Heaven's Gate members were onto something?
I guess your final point is influenced by how much you like spinach. But more generally, it's not true; we get to vote in local council elections and European elections, for starters, and there's a whole swathe of other non-voting political activism available for people to engage with if they want. That doesn't mean I disagree that we have very little input, as individuals, into the voting system, but I do think that insisting it all comes down to one day and one chance to vote is a little simplistic and ignores everything else which gets us to that point.
Honestly, I don't wish to appear to be having a go at you, because I'm not, but every single time there's any election, we're all bombarded with "now make sure you vote!"messages everywhere, so I don't think people really need to be blogging about that particular aspect as well. I'm pretty sure your readers are either going to vote already, or not going to vote for their own reasons. Why the need for finger-wagging?