A better way to vote?

[zexpe]

It's election day here in Scotland and it's got me thinking again: Instead of just giving you a ballot paper with a bunch of names and parties on it, why aren't there computer terminals at polling stations that provide the conscientious voter with the opportunity to actually read about the policies of the person/party that they are voting for? We

Comments

[rmft]

I'm sorry Ross, but I tend to disagree with this idea that information should be hand-fed to people in this way. Not to mention the problems involved in having every voter read through manifestos for half an hour at the poll station, it's the voters _duty_ to become informed on whatever issues they see fit. If we have a right to vote, we are also obliged to do so in a responsible way

[zexpe]

The biggest problem I always find is that in the voting booth I'm always presented with a list of the names of several independent candidates that I'm seeing for the first time. These people never get a chance to advertise themselves to me before I arrive at the polling station, so ideally why not give these independents a chance to tell me what their policies are when I arrive at the polling station?

[zexpe]

You're also absolutely right on the complexity of making a well-informed decision, too. It's probably not easy for the parties either, to simplify things and turn a complex plan into a short manifesto. I find it quite similar to the problem of science communication - if we had to go on referendum about dark matter vs mond, we'd have to find a way to put things across in a way accessible to anywone without any knowledge of physics and cosmology. I'm guessing that the complexity of running a country is equality difficult to grasp for anyone without the basic knowledge of economics, politics, project management, etc. I'm not sure what the way around this is, especially since the prize goes to the one who makes a shinnier manifesto - not necessarily the most realistic one, and most people will find it very hard to accuratily estimate whether a political/economical plan is indeed achievable.

I partly agree with this... just as you can't make the entire public capable of making an informed decision on the debate between dark matter vs

[rmft]

I didn't give credit to the politicians, but to the entire machinery which runs the country. A member of parliament is not, however, simply a public voice to their electorate. A member of parliament can't say "you clever civil servant, my people want zero waiting lists on NHS, no tax, and gardens everyone. Go do it". Or better, they _can_, but they wouldn't be in the parliament for a lot longer. My point is, a politician's understanting of the underlying machinery goes beyond that of the common person (i.e., me), and their political views are a reflection of that understanding. If that understanding is poor, then no clever work force can save the situation