Australians vote today
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (353233)
Rockingham, Australia
May 2, 2025 8:01pm CST
Australians go to the polls today. Voting is compulsory for us. As we are house-sitting out of our electorate, we were able to do an ‘early vote’ which saves queueing for ages on the scheduled day. (Look at queueing – five vowels in a row!)
Outside the polling booths, people hand out ‘how to vote’ cards and might try to persuade to vote for their preferred person. Sometimes they’d push in front of each other trying to get you to take their card. I would always find this very stressful.
But one polling day we came across a polling booth in a small country church. There were only a couple of cars there so we pulled in to vote. The various parties – Liberal, Labour, etc – had their tables and chairs set up under some shady trees but most had settled down to have lunch in the church hall. The one still manning his post handed us his how-to-vote card and said ‘You’d better have one of each of the others too’ and grabbed one off each table for us. So much more laid-back than being harangued while you’re standing in line.
Do you enjoy having to vote? The image shows the little church where we voted.
22 people like this
21 responses
@AmbiePam (98125)
• United States
3 May
I like that little church!
Since 2016, I vote absentee, through the mail. It is so much easier on my health than to stand in line, with my back killing me. I have to have two witnesses that are citizens to sign my envelope that I put my ballot in, and I can send it back to be counted (that’s how disabled people vote absentee, not all absentee). It’s weird how many envelopes are involved.
6 people like this
@allknowing (145518)
• India
3 May
Here seniors get to vote without having to stand in a queue
6 people like this
@FourWalls (74570)
• United States
3 May
Campaigning isn’t allowed at voting places in the U.S. Voting is also not compulsory, which is a good thing. If you had our choices last year you would have been inclined to write in “none of the above.” (Oh, can you do that [a write-in candidate], or do you HAVE to vote for one of the named candidates?)
4 people like this
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 May
I'm in two minds about compulsory voting. I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing. Australians being like they are maybe very few would bother if it wasn't compulsory. 
I don't think there was a blank box to tick but it would be easy to have your vote discounted for any number of reasons. Not ticking enough boxes, putting rude remarks, leaving the form blank, blah, blah.
I don't think there was a blank box to tick but it would be easy to have your vote discounted for any number of reasons. Not ticking enough boxes, putting rude remarks, leaving the form blank, blah, blah.3 people like this
@xFiacre (13589)
• Ireland
3 May
@judyev Country ways are usually to be preferred. I love voting and take pride in knowing that no candidate I have ever voted for has won. As for those rudely promoting a candidate as I arrive to vote, I usually laugh in derision and declare loudly for all to hear that they haven’t a chance of winning. They don’t like that.
3 people like this
@kareng (73828)
• United States
3 May
I don't mind voting here at our new location. We vote at the volunteer fire station down the road. Never a line and no harassment. Louisiana long lines always, but they have a state law that campaigning cannot be done in a 100 or 200 yard radius of polling stations.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (49584)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
3 May
I saw today that Dutton lost his seat...
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (49584)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
5 May
@JudyEv Polly Virus (wanna be Rump) here lost his seat but instead of doing the honorable thing and resigning as party leader, he parachuted into the "safest" Conservative riding. There will have to be a by-election to sanction it, but I wouldn't be surprised if he lost that one, too. One reason a riding is "safe" is because the voters really like the person holding it.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 May
@BarBaraPrz There is a lot goes behind the scenes when people are put into particular seats. Our Liberal party did really badly in the last two elections. Some are saying it's because there are virtually no women holding any of the seats. By contrast, a lot of Independent candidates are women and have got the numbers to be elected.
1 person likes this
@abhi_bangal (5676)
• Ahmednagar, India
3 May
Voting is something I personally love You can imagine how elections are in a vastly populated country like India. And I like going up and exploring the atmosphere around the polling booth. That is something worth experiencing.
There are queues and people keep talking about the candidates, who has done what kind of arrangements for the general public in the last five years, what the trend is etc.
But seeing the picture you posted here, it looks quite serene and calm. It's understandable after all. Australia doesn't have that population as India.
You can imagine how elections are in a vastly populated country like India. And I like going up and exploring the atmosphere around the polling booth. That is something worth experiencing.
There are queues and people keep talking about the candidates, who has done what kind of arrangements for the general public in the last five years, what the trend is etc.
But seeing the picture you posted here, it looks quite serene and calm. It's understandable after all. Australia doesn't have that population as India.@abhi_bangal (5676)
• Ahmednagar, India
6 May
@JudyEv Yes it happens here also. After a particular amount of time is gone the latest results on the election start to come out. The results are like who is ahead at particular stage of counting. And if there is a setback to a major candidate etc.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (53309)
• Canada
3 May
What a pretty little church.
We do not have anyone at our voting locations handing out such materials, I think that is in very poor taste, although so much that has to do with politics falls into that category.
I feel quite encouraged when I watch our news since our federal election recently.
Our new Prime Minister has announced that King Charles will be here later this month to read the speech to open Parliament, that his quite historic.
2 people like this
@SIDIKIMPOLE (2266)
• Eldoret, Kenya
4 May
@JudyEv Sure some international media houses gave reports about the King not being that well...
2 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (109605)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
4 May
I like to vote in my nation since it is important.
2 people like this
@SIDIKIMPOLE (2266)
• Eldoret, Kenya
4 May
That is very patriotic of you, kuddos!
2 people like this
@SIDIKIMPOLE (2266)
• Eldoret, Kenya
4 May
Great of you, I hope the electoral process goes on well.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (188515)
• United States
3 May
I am honored to live in a country in which our vote is allowed and counts. I vote in all elections with an Absentee Ballot since I can't do the walking and standing.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 May
@LindaOHio With Australians being so easy-going, I can imagine they might stay away in droves if voting wasn't compulsory. They can always deface the paper in some way if they feel strongly enough about not voting. If everyone has to vote, you'd hope for a better idea of what people want.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (188515)
• United States
5 May
@JudyEv How do you feel about mandatory voting?
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (189308)
• United States
3 May
I don't mind it as long as the polls are not too busy. It's something different .Here when you vote, you get little I voted stickers to show your patriotism.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 May
We try to vote early now although you have to have a reason. Otherwise we try to go at a tiime when we think there won't be a lot of people around. The queues can be horrendous sometimes.
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 May
We have done that before too. It's much to be preferred I think.
@SIDIKIMPOLE (2266)
• Eldoret, Kenya
4 May
Voting by mail seems simpler and less time consuming!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (147943)
• United States
3 May
In the last two campaigns, Pretty and I have voted absentee or mailed in our ballots. No standing in line... I like it a lot better than going to a small, local church where they watch you like you're going to steal the silver. I always hated that! (We received a letter after voting was over that said we weren't registered so our votes didn't count. We took our voter registration cards and proved we were registered.... Our votes still didn't count, the counting had already closed days beforehand.
)
In the US, nobody is allowed to campaign at the voting site...
)
In the US, nobody is allowed to campaign at the voting site...1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (147943)
• United States
3 May
@JudyEv I understand.
Before prohibition here, there was an open bar at the polls and people could get you drunk to "buy" your vote...
2 people like this
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 May
@DaddyEvil Some are just so 'in your face'. If they were a bit discreet and polite, it would be one thing but rushing up shoving pamphlets at you gets really annoying.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (115937)
• Marion, Ohio
3 May
They have to stay so far back here and can't harass people in line. Where we vote has always been very laid back
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (27191)
• Singapore
3 May
Voting is supposed to be a birthright in democratic countries.
In a few, the process is simple as there is only one party and the process is murky.
I don't enjoy voting as I wonder whether my vote makes a difference.
Nowadays, other countries influence voters in subtle ways to pull the rug from under deserving candidates.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (353233)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 May
Your last sentence is very true. Parties will try to dig up unsavoury facts about the opposition. I prefer them to tell us what they're going to do to improve things, not just run down those in other parties.
I wonder about my vote making a difference too but together I guess we make a difference.
1 person likes this
@thedevilinme (4317)
• Northampton, England
8 May
Take 10c tax of Swan lager and WA will vote for that party.lol
1 person likes this
