I voted early, as is my habit, but resisted voting often.As usual, however, I did take issue with the polling station staff. While standing at my cardboard box voting booth I picked up a letter size piece of paper, a four colour flyer for incumbent Mark Vaile.
Never mind truth in advertising - ‘trusted locally, respected nationally’ – the law is clear that candidate advertising material is barred from the vicinity of voting. I intend to lodge an official complaint, and expect Vaile to simply argue that this is an acceptable ‘how to vote’ leaflet, which are handed out as voters enter.
My concern, having found one in my box, is that I then waited as those around me emptied and found more of them. I took mine to the guy in charge and demanded they be removed. He refused to take the one I was handing him, but finally gave in.
“We remove them all and bin them,” he told me. Blood hell they do! I complained again on the way out, and was assured of the same. Robin went to vote about an hour later, aware of the possibilities. Sure enough these offensive flyers were lying in the voting booths.
It wouldn’t be an election if I couldn’t get up the polling station staff. The issues vary, and this is one of the worst I’ve seen. It makes a special day even more entertaining.
7 comments:
There's joy on Grub Street! Howard's history. Congratulations...
I had to run over here to dance. Our poor, poor Bushie....his isolation continues to grow and grow. Here, here, congratulations indeed!
Have to say, however, as repulsive as your discovery at the voting place--those four colour incumbent's fliers littering the place up--that is sooo behind the times!
Here in the states we long ago eliminated the need for such daring brashness with the advent of those neo-conservative produced voting machines that simply change our votes electronically to whomever they want to win without the messy evidence of such blatant voting booth advertisements lying around!)
Buh-bye, Mr. Howard!
Howard is toast! So much for the magic Bush rubbed on his head. From perspective across the P.O., I think it was the visibly harsh crackdown in Sydney that was the proverbial straw doing him in.
Dada is soooo right, always and unfortunately so. We've been part of a hugly expensive electronic voting experiment here. The experiment is to see how many times pre-ordained results can be plausibly sold as "will of the people".
But I don't want to spoil YOUR day, Cartledge ... so will Rudd be the new PM? ps, I am totally jealous of your voter turnout rate, enforced or otherwise.
Thank you all. I woke, the worst for wear I'm afraid, to your wonderful comments and a swag of congrats emails.
I often wonder why I take elections so personally, then people go and underline the personal.
I guess it is about putting yourself out there, thankfully without the bottle most times :)
It does get personal when you spend as much time and effort working to defeat the screwheads as you do, cartledge!
It's good to see another Bush ally go down.
RBE, you make me sound like the political Lone Ranger LOL
Post a Comment