Last week we voted early in the Australian federal election.
I am a firm believer in below-the-line voting, as it enables the voter to explicitly state their personal preferences on issues that matter to them.
Unfortunately for me, two things conspired against my plan:
1. I had 6 min left on my parking, and
2. The 2013 Victorian senate voting form has ninety-seven candidates listed.
Now, my kids can count to 100 in less than six minutes, but I doubted I could evaluate whether the Motoring Enthusiasts party should be before the Internet Voting party or the Pirate party or the Stop CSG party. (I didn’t even know what CSG is! It’s Coal Seam Gas mining.)
So, for the first time in my life, I voted above the line.
I’m not proud of it, but hope you can forgive me when you see just how big the thing is!
[Update:] After writing this post, I was pointed to a brilliant online tool that lets you practice voting online. Then, when you’re happy with your ballot, you can print it out and bring it to the polling place.
