Upon reading various letters to this paper, the underlying theme seems to be that no government has a real majority. This stems from the fact that not a lot of us bother to vote. Since the government spends buckets of money informing us when and where to vote, why not provide an incentive to get us to the polls.
This could be accomplished by making voting a financially mandatory exercise. This could be done with a receipt for voting. By inserting your receipt in your tax return, you could get a $10 credit against your tax payable (bottom line calculation).
If you choose not to vote (no receipts), add $100 to your tax payable.
I know this may seem rather draconian, but I'm tired of voting and seeing my effort wasted due to lack of interest in what's going on. You have a right to abstain, but not a right for a free ride on the decisions of others. Considering the fact that if one in 10 decided not to vote, it would be revenue neutral for the government. There is no excuse not to vote. If you can't or don't make it to the advance polls, most employers will grant you the time to get there. Most polls are open for 12 hours, so either before or after work.
Your notice to vote could be marked as your receipt of voting or one could be obtained at the polling station. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about what any government does. In our free society, the lineups should be blocks long to get in. No one has any right to know how you voted or cares, but it's a shame not to participate in one of the few things that nobody can stop you from doing. As the old saying goes "The more there is, the merrier."
George Getty,
Prince George
