We just had a Federal Election in Canada. We used paper ballots and the results were in by midnight. I had only one choice to make.
This isn't possible in the USA because American vote for many different candidates when they have an election. The ballots can be very complicated but you can always vote "straight Republican" or "straight Democrat" to simplify the process. Here's how voting machines work .... or not.
[Hat Tip: Mike the Mad Biologist]
Larry, Just for your information -- many American states do not allow straight party voting. In these states you must cast a vote for each office.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow Canadian, I think that much of his point was that there was only one office being voted on in our recent election ... your local member of parliament. One checkmark and you're done.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot of people are having some trouble voting straight.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/10/update-from-black-box-voting-trouble-with-straight-party-voting-and-how-you-can-help-on-election-day/
A link.
But please go check it out. Make your vote count! <3
We schedule elections on a regular basis, not just when the party in power thinks it has the best chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteOr am I mistaken in thinking you opposed Harper?
fusilier
James 2:24
That nice man's accent brought immediately to my mind him saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
ReplyDeleteStrange how those words popped into my head.
Are there other democracies besides the USA that predominantly use methods other than paper ballots during elections?
Anonymous says,
ReplyDeleteWe schedule elections on a regular basis, not just when the party in power thinks it has the best chance of winning.
This is a complex problem. Many places in Canada are switching to fixed election dates but I don't think it's a good idea.
I like the current Federal system in Canada in spite of the fact the the party in power can take advantage of it. As it turns out, the "advantage" isn't advantageous as most people think.
The good thing is that campaigning is restricted to just a few weeks.
I also like the idea that the government has to maintain the confidence of the House in order to stay in power. When they lose that confidence, they have to call an election. The American system with fixed election dates has led to a situation where there really is no governing party and nobody is responsible for legislation.
The bad thing about fixed elections dates is that everyone anticipates the date and campaigning goes on forever. I'll be so glad on November 5th not to have to put up with US Presidential hopefuls. It's been almost two years. That's way too long.