wrote in message
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On Nov 5, 4:55 am, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"_" wrote in message

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On Tue, 4 Nov 2008 11:52:38 -0500, Ed Huntress wrote:

Voters in initiative states such as California may want to
consider a petition drive to force the state to adopt the
Brazilian system including mandatory voting.

Why mandatory voting?

Might cut down on the mandatory whingeing which follows...

If someone cares so little about it that they won't vote on their own
initiative, I'm happy to let them stay out of it.

--
Ed Huntress

The flaw there is a well organised pressure group can easily have
influence out of all proportion to its numbers, the Fundamentalist
Christians and your Republican Party spring to mind.

If the influence is achieved "easily" (in fact, it is not), then shame on
those who allow the influence to be aligned against them. They can "easily"
assert themselves as well as the pressure group can.

Forcing people to vote is just a petit form of tyrany. It may be
majoritarian but it certainly is not liberty.

Plus, voting in
the US is such a tedious businesses - its mid week so you drop a days
pay, and have to que for hours due to your silly state run systems,
each with its own bugs.

And if you don't want to vote, thats fine - get your name crossed off
the list, put an empty ballot paper in the box. Oh, and its usually on
a Saturday so no one is disadvantaged. Cant make it that particular
Saturday - easy as, just fill in an absentee voter form.

And what fine results your system has produced for you. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress