A final word before the election

Julie Cowdroy writes

It’s nearly here! Some have posted their votes already, some are still deciding, some have known for a while. But election day is upon us. Thank God it’s nearly over. Here are a few final words before we head to the polls.

Is a vote for the Greens a vote for Labor? Or a vote for Family First a vote for the Coalition?

Preference deals are where parties meet with other parties and decide where their preferences go, should their candidate not get enough votes. (Read my cheat sheet on preferences for a quick refresher). Most people agree that preference deals suck. But I strongly believe the excuse that it is totally out of our hands makes us sound like a victim to the two major parties. Yes, it is true that preferential voting limits some of the control, but there is an opportunity to use the tiny amount of power we have to make our vote count.

House of Representatives

You will receive a small green ballot paper for your HOR vote. Many political parties will hand out how to vote cards and tell you how to list your preferences. See how in my electorate Tony Abbott has listed how he wants me to rank each candidate? But you can choose to list your preferences the way you want.

Voting below the line in the Senate

You all know by now that you have the opportunity to choose your own preferences in the Senate. It is called below the line voting and I highly recommend that all of us choose to vote this way. Yes sorting through some 80 candidates is a daunting task, and it would be easier to select your first choice, fold it up and head for the sausage sizzle. But I recommend a quick trip to www.belowtheline.org.au or www.belowtheline.cc. These sites allow you to choose your state, arrange all your preferences, print a copy and take it with you to your polling booth. Then simply copy what you have chosen and you won’t make any mistakes when filling in the Senate ballot paper on Saturday.

 

Does it all come down to Abbott versus Gillard?

We should never reduce our democracy to two personalities or even two major parties. Creating such a dichotomy creates lowest common denominator politics, which we are seeing plenty of in this year’s election. Of course it is true that one of the major parties will form government. However, analysts look at where every vote goes. One Nation provide the perfect example. Pauline Hanson was publically condemned by the major parties. Yet a strong support for One Nation in Queensland led to tougher asylum seeker policies that we will still see in place today. Why? Because the analysis of the vote showed that people in certain locations wanted a stronger policy on people arriving here by boat.

Further to this, anyone who gets into the Senate or HOR who is not from the major parties will be able to scrutinise each piece of legislation more than what occurs with just two parties. Concessions and negotiations are made when passing legislation when there is greater diversity within the Senate. Our legislation rarely becomes an exact copy of a party’s policy. There was a time during the Howard years when the HOR and the Senate were Coalition controlled. Many argue that damaging legislation passed through. I think most would agree that a more diverse and robust parliament is better for everyone.

So, can you see how the election is about so much more than the two party preferred vote? Read the policies. Check out the cheat sheets. And vote below the line.

A huge thanks to Julie for all the work she has done in getting us ready for the elections.  We would be lost without her brilliant cheat sheets and exceptional explanations.

And don’t forget to come past here on Saturday night. We will have a dedicated post that will be updated through the night – just for us to chat about the election. Julie will also be there to help us make sense of all the information coming from our radios, TV and twitter.  See you then
Any last thoughts before you cast your vote tomorrow.