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The Upcoming Election....
The Upcoming Election....
#1
So, we've the popular President elected by Fake News, the Businessman scuppered by Fake News the last time, the blood-slick candidate from the Party that did the scuppering, a quiet, reserved candidate who runs a mental health charity with links to the love-boaters, another businessman who just sort of in it for the craic, and a fellow who congratulated the jews on living in the White House while suggesting Ireland needed it's own navy seals.


It's pretty much a foregone conclusion unless it turns out Micheal D secretely ran a teenage brothel out of the Aras Anyway, the engine of the State's Democracy has kicked into gear. And it's something we do really fucking well.


The register of electors is the exact same as the register of jurors.  You may vote - but you're also required to be available to serve on a Jury for the court as a consequence.


There's a campaign in the runup to check you're on the register of electors. Doing so is as easy  as going to a website. Or going to a council office or library. 


Registering is easy. It's one line on a form asking you where you live and what your citizenship is. It doesn't really give a bollocks about proving it - it just warns you it's a crime to lie.That's the form there 


A few weeks before the vote, the polling cards are sent out to the addresses on the register. They tell you where your polling station is, what desk to vote at and what you're allowed to vote for.


If there's a referendum to change the constitution (Or permit the State to sign a treaty) then a booklet detailing the issues and consqequences of either vote will be issued - showing exactly what's being voted for.


The theatre of democracy plays itself across television, on posters and on the internet. Most of it gets ignored until the big  day arrives.


Polling stations themselves are set up in schools. Most of them are relatively easy to get to for just about anyone. Primary schools are the most common. It's almost impossible not to be in walking distance of a polling station.


There's never any queuing involved because there's so many of them. The polls also run from around 7am to 10pm - giving just about anyone in the State a chance to cast their vote.


When you go to the station, you will find one police officer to keep an eye on things - possibly monitors from different campaigns - a big sign on the wall in official print detailing the regulations for elections, and a couple of dozen desks with numbers taped to them - and with address ranges on them.


Go to the desk that matches the number on your polling card or home address - they cross your name off the register - and give you a paper ballot that is perforated to validate it.


Voter ID is a requirement - but it's basically impossible not to have on of the near dozen forms of ID unless you're a complete hermit. And even then.....


You go to the booth, and make your various marks according to your preference. Either Yes, or No for a referendum, or ranking the candidates according to your preference. 1, 2, 3, 4 - or blank if you never want that person in an office.


You may post a blank ballot with no mark. So long as it's perforated - it still counts as a valid ballot. It's a None of The Above. It counts to the quota of votes that must be reached, but doesn't assist anyone in reaching that quota. If you make any mark that doesn't indicate a preference - your vote is spoiled and is tallied separately.


There;s no fucking around with defective voting machines half-stamping ballots and the like.


The ballot is folded, then added to a locked box with the rest. That's what the cop is there for - to make sure nobody tampers with them. They used to be a solid black box. Now plastic ones are used.


Counting happens by human beings in full view of the media and whatever campaigns are ongoing. Every single vote exists on paper so there's no worrying about hacking or the machines getting corrupted. There's the physical vote right there.


There are multiple different counts. Often because there're multiple different seats in the constituency. So all the numbered preferences need to be accounted for. If you can't have the person you wanted as a candidate, who would you accept as next in line?


It's a system that makes gerrymandering or otherwise fucking with the process really fucking hard. Not to mention that a separate apolotical board draws up constituency lines.


All this means is that, when the final result is called out - the only disputing ever occurs in really tight places where the margins come down to single digits on the final count for the last few seats and it's generally considered a good idea to make sure nobody counted wrong.


There is a reason the Love Both campaign was laughed at for screaming about voter suppression, 'registered' people being turned away and other election fackery that might fly within the States but is almost impossible here.


The challenge to the referendum was laughed out of the Supreme Court. To the point where one is forced to wonder if the whole point of the challenge wasn't just to trick some more money out of conservative yanks who funded the whole Love Both clusterfuck in the first place by providing them familiar fodder.


So whatever the result is on the 26th - it won't be in any sort of doubt.

I love the smell of rotaries in the morning. You know one time, I got to work early, before the rush hour. I walked through the empty carpark, I didn't see one bloody Prius or Golf. And that smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole carpark, smelled like.... ....speed.

One day they're going to ban them.
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RE: The Upcoming Election....
#2
Bloody wish we could get a sane, reformed system like that through here in the US, but between the existential threat to existing political power structures and sheer force of tradition it would never happen without another civil war, and thing's aren't that bad that killing and dying over them is worse than putting up with them. Yet. I hope to never see the day, good though the intent might be.
--
‎noli esse culus
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RE: The Upcoming Election....
#3
I'd trade in exchange for more Krispy Kremes.

Anyway, barring the revelation that The D has done terrible things to his puppies this is basically a sewn up thing. It looks like the others are just sort of there to legitimise the re-election of the President - Russian style. Although I'm sure Putin would've needed a whole case of perfume to achieve the sort of winning margin The D is getting with just some tea cosies

Otherwise, the campaign has been an utter sledgehammer. The D is fucking everywhere while the others are just sort of..... there. I haven't seen a mickey's dribble from their campaigns.

Peter Casey made a comment about travellers and it's caused him to have to suspend his campaign - but if it hadn't he'd probably have gotten a percent or two bump from it.

Ireland loved The D it seems.

I love the smell of rotaries in the morning. You know one time, I got to work early, before the rush hour. I walked through the empty carpark, I didn't see one bloody Prius or Golf. And that smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole carpark, smelled like.... ....speed.

One day they're going to ban them.
Reply
RE: The Upcoming Election....
#4
Are those Stadtler and Waldorf tea cozies?
"Kitto daijoubu da yo." - Sakura Kinomoto
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RE: The Upcoming Election....
#5
No Our President actually looks like that

Which led to the American intern we had over the summer commenting that Ireland elected a Leprechaun.

....of course, people in glass houses...

I love the smell of rotaries in the morning. You know one time, I got to work early, before the rush hour. I walked through the empty carpark, I didn't see one bloody Prius or Golf. And that smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole carpark, smelled like.... ....speed.

One day they're going to ban them.
Reply
RE: The Upcoming Election....
#6
Anyway, The D has been assailed by a new scandle.

Apparently, on the advice of 'security' he flew to Belfast on the Government Jet, while the State car drove up to meet him. The PSNI gotr a little pissed at the implication that the 'security' concern came from their side of the border but that's never otherwise been stated by anyone


That's about as controversial as this election's getting.

Aside from Peter Casey who'se going full fucking /pol/ - launching a tiorade at the Travellers and everyone on the dole. He also lookslike he's using a butt-plug made by NGK. Or taking aim at the President's Dogs

And then there's this...
[Image: DqGAlwpX0AEcAeG.jpg]

I love the smell of rotaries in the morning. You know one time, I got to work early, before the rush hour. I walked through the empty carpark, I didn't see one bloody Prius or Golf. And that smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole carpark, smelled like.... ....speed.

One day they're going to ban them.
Reply


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