There are two main political parties here in Australia: Labor - which for some reason is not spelled with a "u" in it; and Liberal - which is anything but as they are the conservative party. It is odd how there always seem to be two major politicals in every country I can think of. Hm.But I digress.
What's fascinating about voting in Australia is that: a) voting is on a Saturday; b) all political ads have to stop two days before the election; and, c) you can get fined for not voting even if you're not in the country. Now while I wish the US would adopt "a" & "b", choice "c" can be binned, if you ask me.
The coolest thing is that they do preferential balloting. So when you vote, you don't just say "I pick you!" but, in schoolyard fashion when choosing sides at kickball, you get a first, second and third choice on down until there are either no candidates left or your pencil gets dull.
But the fun appears to really happen when it comes to counting the votes. Not only does it depend on what kind of election it is (state or federal) but also whether it's the House of Representatives or the Senate. How votes are counted given preferences is so complicated even Einstein would have scratched his head, involving "quotas", vote reallocation, proportional or transfer votes and a healthy dose of "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe".Still, much like during election time in the US, I most look forward to when it will all be over.
- Farmer Ted
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