Thanks to "Atomica" I could just about follow that. Sadly the "Source For Official Jesse Ventura Merchandise" was closed for remodelling so I wasn't able to purchase a souvenir. What's all this about independence for Minnesota? Perhaps we should get the twinning committees out and see if we can twin Minnesota with Scotland?
registered independent No matter what my political opinions might be at the moment, or who might be running for what party, I would never register as an independent. In this state, as in most states, an independent can not vote in a primary election. This is a real loss, since in many areas, most elections are decided in the primaries. When I was in college, my official residence (for voting purposes) was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a well-to-do area about 90 percent Republican. No Democrat ever got elected to anything there, and if you were not registered as a Republican you couldn't vote in the primary. Since I wanted to vote against Rep. Francis Walter, the chairman of the House Unamerican Activities Committee, I registered as a Republican, although I had every intention to vote for the Democrat candidate for president (JFK) in the general election.
The situation is reversed in Maryland, where I live. Republicans hardly every get elected to anything in Baltimore, but there are Republicans trying to, and it matters which Republicans win nomination in the primary election. Registered Republicans and Democrats get to pick their respective candidates in the primaries and can then vote for whichever they like in the general election, but independents have to choose from the candidates the others have picked.
an independent can not vote in a primary election. This is a real loss, since in many areas, most elections are decided in the primaries.
yes, true in NY too, I am registered as "democrat"-- but have gone to "fund raisers" for Republicans-- but generally think of my self as a liberal! NY does have the peculiar "rockerfelleer rebublicans" who are sometimes more liberal than democrates, or the liberals!
real decisions are often made in the primaries-- last year, i voted "late" after work at about 7PM, and was the 87th voter in my district (a large district!) to vote in the primary. 1 primary vote is equal to about 10 !
It very rare for me to vote "straight line" --that is all the candidate from one party.
Thanks for that, Bob and Helen - it makes several facets of USA politics clearer to me that I have always struggled to fully understand. I can't help thinking it is another old-fashioned and profoundly un-democratic principle to have to declare a nominal allegiance prior even to voting. But there again, I am a serf in a neo-feudal kingdom, so what do I know?!
>profoundly un-democratic principle to have to declare a nominal allegiance prior even to voting
in theory, these primary rules are supposed to limit the voting to a winnowing of candidates within [your] party; of course, nothing ever works extrapolated from theory.... [in this case, how can they limit your free choice of party declaration -- so, for instance, republicans may cross over in the attempt to derail the most formidable democrat opponent, if there is no real contest on the republican side]
Whom do you register with? The government? The party in question? Can you change your registration?
I get the feeling things are different in Canada. You just "become a member" of a party. Probably involves a fee paid to said party. Then you can attend conventions and vote on the leader. I'm not clear on what happens if two people from one party want to run in a particular riding. I think the members in that riding get to vote on who should run. That kind of sounds like what you're talking about.
But it may be that you can be a member of many parties, if you want, especially considering that some parties don't exist on both federal and provincial levels. This is something I'm not sure about. You might be a member of the Parti Quebecois provincially but the Bloc Qubecois federally (or is it the other way around - Bel?). Or Liberal in both, since it exists at both levels. All very confusing...
Yup, riding is the common word for "electoral district". Also "constituency" is used. One may be federal and one may be provincial. (Once again I curse the dictionary which is at home while I am at school.) Both seem to be used interchangeably. "Electoral district" is definitely a US term in our eyes.
That doesn't sound too bad. Is there a <none of the above> option?
That question brought to mind another one that I have never been able to nut out. How can a country call itself a democracy, and yet attempt to compel its citizens, under threat of sanction, to vote? Australia does this, and it bewilders me. Fortunately for me, the democracy I live in does allow its citizens to choose for themselves whether they wish to participate in the democratic process or not. The idea that someone could be liable to judicial penalty for choosing not to vote seems, to me, to be fundamentally at odds with the spirit and principle of democracy. How say you?
I have found my admiration for Thoreau limited by fact that he wanted the benefits of government (e.g. to keep Indians from lifting his scalp) without being willing to pay his dues.
Party registration The answer to the questions about registration is that the process and rules are different in the various states. Yes, I know that to outlanders it is incredible that the rules are not uniform nationally, but you have to remember that the United States of America is, as the name implies, first and foremost a union of states each and all of which have certain sovereign rights and privileges, among which are those pertaining to elections. I suppose by now everyone knows that there is no uniform ballot used nationally, or even for that matter within states -- each local jurisdiction is in charge and does its own thing.
Anyway, the way it goes in Maryland is approximately the way it goes in most places, in general, although there may be differences in the details. When you take up residence in a new election district, or when you attain the minimum voting age (18), you must register to be allowed to vote. This is generally done with the burocracy which runs elections; here it's called the Board of Election Supervisors, and there is an office in each county seat. You have to go there, show proof of age and citizenship (via a birth certificate, and a naturalization certificate if you are foreign born) and fill out some forms and you receive a voter's card which shows you are registered and tells you where to go to vote. You also declare a party, or independent. There is a deadline to be met. This may be as long as several months before the next election, or as short as the same day as the election, depending on local law. Last year, in order to increase voter registration, Maryland adopted a new policy that allows citizens to register at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles when they go there to renew their drivers license, on the excellent theory that since practically everybody goes to the DMV every few years, they can kill two birds with one stone. This has greatly increased the level of registration, as lots of people just didn't go to the trouble of going to the Elections Board. When you go to the polls to vote, the elections judges have a copy of the voter roll for that precinct and they check you off on the list when you report to them (so you don't vote twice). If you want to change parties or correct something else, you do it then and there, as they are empowered to make the change.
There is no compulsion to vote. Elections are nearly always on Tuesdays and the law requires that employers must allow employees 2 hours off to vote. The hours are usually 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Primary elections (those to choose the candidates of the various parties) are usually a month before the general election. I don't know what they do in other states, but in Maryland, the elections judges have a record of who voted in each election. If you fail to vote in a certain number of elections (I think 5 successive general elections) you are dropped from the election rolls (I believe on the presumption that you are dead) and would have to re-register if you wanted to vote.
>This is a wonderfully old word, with serious history...
Funny, it doesn't make it into "Atomica" and Canada is only next door: rid·ing1 (rî'dĭng) n. The act of riding. Horseback riding.
In Yorkshire (NE England), before re-orgnasation of boundaries there were three ridings "North", "West" "East" as any fan of the Bronte sister will know. Riding meant third, as far as I am aware which why the county described in Winnifred Holtby's book was an invention.
>yet attempt to compel its citizens, under threat of sanction, to vote? Australia does this, and it bewilders me
Maybe I've posted this before (or even worse, someone else), if so, excuse me.
I was told that the Northern Territories have never become a state, so do not have seats in parliament, yet those who live there are "obliged" to vote. What do they do with the votes?
I can't help thinking it is another old-fashioned and profoundly un-democratic principle to have to declare a nominal allegiance prior even to voting. But there again, I am a serf in a neo-feudal kingdom, so what do I know?!
Maverick, I'm not aware of anything that would stop anyone in the UK joining all the parties and then voting in a leadership contest. (Oh, I forgot, the Tories don't let their members join in the voting, only the MPs can vote - that's their idea of democracy!)
In this state, as in most states, an independent can not vote in a primary election. ---------------------------------------------------------- If you are an Independent you can vote in the Primary . A Primary is where and when candidates for election are selected from among those who declare they want the jobs. HOWEVER, as you enter the polls and are checked off the registered voters list and approach the place where ballots are handed out, you must state a party preference and you are given the Primary ballot for that party. Because I was in the news biz I always registered Independent. When I first voted in Primaries I would ask for the party's ballot that I wanted. Then, I would immediately write a letter to the Supervisors of the Checklist (as required by statute) and request my return to Independent status. So I was an Independent again when I voted in regular election where everyone gets the same ballots... federal and state and local. These days, in New Hampshire, you can ask to be returned to Independant status as you exit the polls. I found the same forms of those rules true in California and Hawaii.
Fortunately for me, the democracy I live in does allow its citizens to choose for themselves whether they wish to participate in the democratic process or not
But Max, we are legally compelled to register to vote. It's just never enforced. Not a great deal of difference, really.
Many years ago now, Blue Kennedy, longtime secretary of the Meat Workers Union, a very powerful union in Zild until the early 1980s, addressed a meeting at the Burnside Freezing Works (Meat Packers to Yanks) and said, "This is a democracy, and so we're all going to stay here and keep voting until we get a majority supporting strike action."
... and did his forebears coem from that same Emerald background that gave the other instruction favoured of democrats everywhere: "Vote early - vote often!"
The rules for elections are governed by the Federal Election Commission. www.fec.gov/ Ballot types may vary state-to-state, city-to-city, etc but not the rules. wow Would some kind soul send me a Private on how to put a clickable link in a post? Simple directions please?
But Max, we are legally compelled to register to vote. It's just never enforced. Not a great deal of difference, really.
Call me a selfish SOB, but I treasure my right not to vote, while registering as an elector causes me no grief at all. If the rules here ever follow the Ocker lead, I guess I'll get a chance to practice a little civil disobedience, what fun that would be!
http:// www.fec.gov For the United States Fedeal Elections Commission. Thank you Bridget96. Directions very clear and simply put.
Anna, I am a woman of Irish descent ... independence is genetic. I think we have a separate gene yet to be discovered ... however ask any Irish man and he will pale and tell you that only the Mad mess with Irish women when they're being independent! {nudge, nudge, nudge -- if we had one!} wow
An Irish nurse asked me if I had any Irish in me. I knew she had a real hair trigger,so I knew what was coming when I replied :"The only thing Irish about me is my disposition. POW! right in the kisser.
I was told that the Northern Territories have never become a state, so do not have seats in parliament, yet those who live there are "obliged" to vote. What do they do with the votes?
Jo,
It's true that the Northern Territory (note the singular) is not a state; it is one of two territories that together with the six states forms the Commonwealth of Australia. (The other territory is the ACT, Australian Capital Territory, an area of New South Wales that was excised to allow our "artificial" capital Canberra to sit on "neutral" ground).
However, the NT has its own Legislative Assembly (similar to a state government but with more control still vested with the Federal government). Voting in elections for the Assembly is compulsory for Territorians. Also, as Australian citizens they are obliged to vote at Federal elections, for their one (soon to be two) federal representative in the lower house and two senators.
Interestingly, a recent referendum in the NT rejected becoming a state.
Also, as Australian citizens they are obliged to vote at Federal elections, for their one (soon to be two) federal representative in the lower house and two senators.
Do you have any idea why a government that denied Aborigines the right to vote until 1967 should deny its citizens the right not to vote, if that is their wish?
>our "artificial" capital Canberra to sit on "neutral" ground). >Might you explain the quotes for the uninformed?
Sorry for the obscurity, Jazzo. I wondered at the time if I should have explained it, but I've been trying to keep my posts shorter. Now I get to bump my stats up with another post.
In 1901 the states were federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia, and it was deemed necessary to have a national capital city. The two most populous cities Sydney and Melbourne were intense rivals for the prestigious title. However, in order to settle the argument without alienating a large part of the fledgling country's population, the powers that be decided to build a brand new city called Canberra in the middle of nowhere (between Sydney and Melbourne, inland). As I said in my previous post, an area of land surrounding the new city was cut from the middle of New South Wales to form the "Australian Capital Territory". A Chicago architect called Walter Burley Griffin won an international competition for the rare opportunity of creating a design for a major city on what was essentially a "greenfield" site.
>Do you have any idea why a government that denied Aborigines the right to vote until 1967 should deny its citizens the right not to vote, if that is their wish?
You're asking me to explain what goes on in politicians' brains (as if that's not an oxymoron)? If I'd known it was going to be Australian political history week at AWADtalk, I would have exercised my right not to log in. Nah, just joshing.
Funny, but it's one of those things that I've just grown up with and accepted. I suppose I put it in the same basket as teachers decreeing that you have to study a particular subject "because it's good for you". I'd probably be too apathetic to vote if not required to, but curiously enough, when forced, I don't resent having a say in who governs the state or country.
a brand new city called Canberra Any special reason that they chose that as the name?
From "Yesterday's Canberra" link in my post above: KAMBERRA - this Aboriginal word, spoken by tribes on the Limestone Plains, meant 'a meeting place' either of rivers or of tribes joining together to feast on Bogong Moths in mountains to the south.
From what I can gather, white settlers had already applied the name to the village and surrounding agricultural district before the major city was developed there.
P.S. Bogong moths shot from obscurity to international stardom during the Sydney Olympics. Did you see them?
Thanks Marty, this is probably where the confusion lay:
"At the next general election for the House of Representatives there will be provision for 2 members of the House of Representatives to be elected for 2 Northern Territory electorates. For some years prior to an amendment of the Act in 1959 the member had no vote in the House, although the member could take part in debates in the House. Amendments passed in 1959 gave the member limited voting rights in respect of matters which related to the Northern Territory. The Act was further amended in 1968 and the member representing the Northern Territory now has the same voting rights as other members of the House of Representatives."
>How can a country call itself a democracy, and yet attempt to compel its citizens, under threat of sanction, to vote?
And how can the same country come together for one shining moment and enact a country-wide vey strict ban on guns? Perhaps because everyone voted.
My fondest dream is to have a national referendum here in the US on the question of whether we should amend the Constitution to clarify whether Americans do or do not have the right to own more than one gun per capita.
We could do this by having Congress propose a Constitutional amendment which would require that each state hold a referendum on the matter and if 3/4ths of the states voted to change the Constitution, perhaps we could stop being a country where murder is a way of death.
For some reason known only to Australians, there was a list put forth and the wife of the Australian head of state (not the monarch head of state, but I cannot remember whether it was then called prime minister) somehow was granted the right to choose. She chose Canberra, which I think derives from an aboriginal word for convocation or meeting place, something like that.
I will probably be corrected by about 11 antipodeans, but I learned that many years ago while in Canberra. If memory serves me correctly that story came from the docent who was taking us through the exhibit for the new Parliament House, which was then under construction in Canberra. I'd certainly like to go back and see how it turned out, the plans and mockups were awesome.
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