Are we turning the school into a communist country? Voting is a right, not a duty. MSU really doesn't impact our daily lives in a significant way, at least nowhere near as significantly as the federal or provincial governments. They don't force us to vote, why should the MSU....if the MSU forced me to vote, I would leave the MSU

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

If this was ever implemented I would stop voting on principle.

Or you could always abstain.

Originally Posted by lmasud

Are we turning the school into a communist country? Voting is a right, not a duty. MSU really doesn't impact our daily lives in a significant way, at least nowhere near as significantly as the federal or provincial governments. They don't force us to vote, why should the MSU....if the MSU forced me to vote, I would leave the MSU

Leaving the MSU would mean either leaving the university or being a part time student. Unless you meant either of those, there is really no other way of leaving the MSU...At least none that I can think of.

But that's still voting!

Kinda defeats the purpose of democracy, doesn't it?

I didn't vote this election. If I was FOFCED to, believe me that I would have picked the lease qualified person.

Just because you force people to do something, doesn't mean they'll "do it right."

Originally Posted by lawleypop

Kinda defeats the purpose of democracy, doesn't it?

Not really. It doesn't keep people from choosing their leader(s), nor does it remove your ability to choose nobody (by abstaining or spoiling your ballot). If everyone didn't want to choose one of the people on their ballot, nobody is keeping them from choosing to abstain or spoil.

As to the point of a referendum being "biased". Of course a vote for "yes, I want mandatory voting" is biased (and vice-versa). A vote is inherently biased. Maybe I don't understand the point of that comment. Regardless, countries can't follow the wishes of ever single citizen, and unfortunately some people do miss out. A referendum would be the most fair way to determine if the nation in question wanted mandatory voting.

We don't ever hear about Australia being undemocratic or evil or anything like that, quite the contrary. Perhaps I'm not as libertarian as some people, but mandatory voting (not at Mac, but in municipal, provincial, etc) is a great idea in my opinion. This reminds me a lot of the American health care debate - people avoid doing the beneficial thing for society by hanging on to abstract concepts that aren't actually being threatened.

I have thought about his issue a lot. I am in favour of mandatory voting in federal, provincial and city elections, but not at the MSU level. The reason is that I feel that people will become informed when voting for the national government, but they will not for the MSU. People like Lawleypop are a great example (no offence, you said you "would have picked the lease qualified person").

If people want to vote and care to vote, they will.

Personally, I would rather have 25% of informed people voting than 75% of people voting for the sake of voting.

I also believe that living in a democratic nation, becoming informed and voting is in fact a right and a duty. We have the duty to uphold democratic parctices and voting is the most important. If people want to forego their basic rights, then let them, its their loss. As far as I am concern, if you do not vote, then you cannot complain.

Originally Posted by finklej

I have thought about his issue a lot. I am in favour of mandatory voting in federal, provincial and city elections, but not at the MSU level. The reason is that I feel that people will become informed when voting for the national government, but they will not for the MSU. People like Lawleypop are a great example (no offence, you said you "would have picked the lease qualified person").

If people want to vote and care to vote, they will.

Personally, I would rather have 25% of informed people voting than 75% of people voting for the sake of voting.

I also believe that living in a democratic nation, becoming informed and voting is in fact a right and a duty. We have the duty to uphold democratic parctices and voting is the most important. If people want to forego their basic rights, then let them, its their loss. As far as I am concern, if you do not vote, then you cannot complain.

No offence taken, everything you said is exactly what I meant by my post. I don't care about the MSU, I think it's a joke, and forcing me to vote and maybe even imposing a penalty on me if I don't would certainly not make me any less apathetic.

Naw... I don't think compulsory voting won't fix the problems in our democracy.

Forcing people who don't see a government as legit/relevant/inclusive to select representatives who legislate in the name of these people isn't going to make citizens automatically see that government as legit/relevant/inclusive.

If our government is broken, throwing more votes at it will not fix it.

What will really fix things is a complete overhaul of the way our democracy works. We need to replace representative democracy with direct democracy. That way, we all become the legislators. Who can say that a government where we all make the laws directly isn't legit or relevant or inclusive?

Just my two cents...

Originally Posted by c.erl

Who can say that a government where we all make the laws directly isn't legit or relevant or inclusive?

As the late George Carlin said many times over:

"Some people are f*cking stupid."

Originally Posted by Taunton

As to the point of a referendum being "biased". Of course a vote for "yes, I want mandatory voting" is biased (and vice-versa). A vote is inherently biased. Maybe I don't understand the point of that comment. Regardless, countries can't follow the wishes of ever single citizen, and unfortunately some people do miss out. A referendum would be the most fair way to determine if the nation in question wanted mandatory voting.

It would be biased because the only people who would show up to vote are people who vote. The only people the bill would target is people who don't vote. Anyone who would actually be affected by it wouldn't get a say.

That'd be like holding a referendum about gay marriage, and only allowing straight people to vote in it.

Originally Posted by c.erl

Naw... I don't think compulsory voting won't fix the problems in our democracy.

Forcing people who don't see a government as legit/relevant/inclusive to select representatives who legislate in the name of these people isn't going to make citizens automatically see that government as legit/relevant/inclusive.

If our government is broken, throwing more votes at it will not fix it.

What will really fix things is a complete overhaul of the way our democracy works. We need to replace representative democracy with direct democracy. That way, we all become the legislators. Who can say that a government where we all make the laws directly isn't legit or relevant or inclusive?

Just my two cents...

I think this might be the first time I agree with an entire one of your posts.

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

I think this might be the first time I agree with an entire one of your posts.

*GASP!* really!?! I think I might be onto something then...epic win!

Well a few of us on the SRA were discussing putting in a policy for atleast Club Execs to vote on a compulsory basis. It would I guess make sense since the MSU is paying their budget, for them to vote and contribute to the organization's election of the next leader. How that will be regulated is beyond me though :S

Huzaifa- I think we should create and enable Emergency Powers and then rule together as co-dictators.

I very much like the sound of that! A revolution where we first create the emergency powers clause. After putting that in place "recall" the entire Assembly bar ourselves and then change the name to the glorious people's revolutionary union. Then I have you assassinated and rule as the supreme chancellor of the MSU for an indefinite assignment. Then eventually I turn it into something modeled after SOAS http://soasunion.org/