#electoral reforms

[jenothee]

THE GREAT INFODUMP FOR AUSTRALIA'S UPCOMING 2025 ELECTION - WE NEED TO ACT TO PROTECT OUR OWN DEMOCRACY!

Hey all, I usually try to keep the horrors of irl off this blog, but I just can't this time. So to any fellow Aussies following me who are eligible to vote this year: Please watch this video, spread the word, and consider your votes carefully for our upcoming 2025 election.

Juice Media has summed up what's at stake pretty well, but a summary of the video is as follows:

Federal Labor (ALP) & Liberal (LNP) - Australia's 2 major political parties - are big mad that Australian's just aren't voting for them anymore!

Over the last decade, voters have been increasingly voting for minor parties and community independents for many reasons, but one of the main ones is simply: Everyday people, who are struggling with cost of living, are sick to death of seeing fossil fuel billionaires make record profits off Australian resources while paying minimal to zero taxes!

Now the ALP and LNP could rectify this by NOT capitulating to their fossil fuel billionaire donors and actually, gasp, listening to their voters and TAXING them ...but that would mean giving up all the perks and meal tickets those fossil fuel billionaires give them for doing exactly what they want!

No, instead ALP and LNP decided: nah, we'll just rig the electoral process so those annoying minor parties and independents can't compete with us anymore!

So Labor and Liberals teamed up and rammed through brand new "electoral reforms" (SKIPPING due process I might I add) which basically cap political parties election campaign spending, under the guise it will 'keep those pesky billionaires out of politics' ... It sounds good on the surface, but here's the catch: the minor parties + independents spending has been capped at a significantly lower amount than the ALP or LNP.

And just to add insult to injury, ALP and LNP added a few little loopholes so their fossil fuel donors can keep funneling them money! They'll just do it by donating a capped amount to EACH Labor/Liberal seat across both federal and state! Minor parties and independents can't benefit from this at all, as they hold only one to a handful of seats between them!

It's a rort, simply put. One that undermines Australian democracy to benefit the billionaires. Sound familiar? It's really grim and infuriating I know...but there's a silver lining - these 'electoral reforms' don't take effect until AFTER this years federal election.

So, what do we do to fix this? It's really simple actually!

Make sure, if you're eligible to vote this year, that you're enrolled and ready to go. And then vote for a minor party or community independent! Yes, it's true they can't form a major government. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO. Because if enough minor party/ independents are voted in, they will prevent either Labor or Liberal from forming a majority... which means that neither gets free reign to do what they want. And they'll most likely be forced to drop those dodgy reforms... and actually LISTEN to what everyday Australian's want!

Now I hear some folks saying "voting for minor / independents is a waste / 'donkey vote' " but to that I say, you just need to remember:

AUSTRALIA IS NOT AMERICA. WE HAVE PREFERENTIAL VOTING, ALSO KNOWN AS 'YOU CAN'T WASTE YOUR VOTE':

I'm not saying it'll be easy, or that things will go 100% right. But we can only but try - try and remind the major parties that they work for the people and NOT BILLIONAIRES.

RESOURCES / EXTERNAL LINKS:

What is a Community Independent and why should I support them?

A community independent is an individual who represents the communities they live in and genuinely reflects the values and views of their electorates. They are guided by collaborative partnerships with community members, while simultaneously empowering members and encouraging them to take active participation within politics. They are not part of any major parties, do not represent any sector interests or politics, are not single issues politicians and are not self appointed.

As of 2025 there are 8 Community Independent MPs and 1 senator elected to government. These include David Pocock (ACT), Kate Chaney (WA) and Zali Steggall (NSW).

There are also many more in standing for this years election, 35 out of 150 electorates nationwide now have a community independent candidate!

Want to see if you have a Community Independent up for election in your area?

Visit Community Independents Project. org

I also want to share some handy dandy tools that will help you for the Australia 2025 election!

Open Australia Foundation: a non-profit charity with a number of tools to help inform voters on how to effect the change they want to see. Some of their tools include:

openaustralia.org - assists you in finding your local representative and keeping up with senate and house debates!

theyvoteforyou.org - lets you check which politicians are voting for the issues that are important to you!

righttoknow.org - assist you in making requests for information from Australian public authorities including various Government Departments.

planningalerts.org - lets you find out what projects are being built/ knocked down both locally and nationally.

And finally if you'd like some independent news sources / journalists:

Denise Shrivell on Bsky (political campaigner and commentator)

David Milner on Bsky (journalist and writer)

TrueNorthNews's substack (free independent Australian news source)

The Sunday Shot on utube: (a brand new program launched only a few weeks ago!)

Punter's Politics on utube (commentary and satire)

[evilelitest2]

The gridlock and partisan in politics makes me worried this will be our new normal going forward. Even after Republicans and trump are gone how do we know future political parties won't do this again and future generations continue to become bitter and spiteful to each other?

Well there are basically two separate interlocked problems and you can’t really solve one without solving the other.  The first is the problem of how the United States is super valuable to corruption due to the issue of paid lobbying.  So as long as there is still money in politics, that makes it very hard to pass anything.   So to fix this you need to 

1) Ban paid campaign donations.  

2) Elected Officials cannot take jobs with companies who they passed laws on 

3)  Strict Term Limits 

4) Much more open finances for elected officials 

5) Elected Officials need to be subjected to much higher legal standards

6) Replace First Past the Post 

7) Put in some sort of qualifications for elected office 

However before you can address the first issue, you have to address the second issue, which is...the Republican party.  Like as a concept.  Because they actively don’t believe in democracy or reform, they want to run an undemocratic state to to promote a corrupt white nationalist theocracy, so as long as they can control the levels of goverment.    So before you can address the first set of problems, you need to address the issues of 

1) Massive electoral reform (make election day a holiday, automatic voter registration, more ballot boxes/ballots, mail in ballots) 

2) Expand the Supreme Court, add term limits, add like 9 new circets and pack them with pro democracy judges.  

3) Destroy the Republican Party, or specifically there right wing media bubble

4) Abolish the EC

5) Replace the Senate 

6) Change the way we do amendments

7) Give voting rights to the territories and DC.  

[lmsintmedia]

Atiku Abubakar Holds Talks With EU Envoy Ahead of Nigeria's 2027 Election Cycle

As political activities gradually build toward Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has disclosed that he held discussions with Gautier Mignot, focusing on the country’s democratic process and broader Nigeria-European Union relations. The meeting, which took place at Atiku’s residence in Abuja, brought together the former presidential candidate and the Head of…

Atiku Abubakar Holds Talks With EU Envoy Ahead of Nigeria's 2027 Election Cycle

[truthwaveindia]

For two decades, India’s election system has relied on court interventions to fix gaps legislation left open. TruthWave Block 12 examines how judicial oversight became a last guardrail for the Election Commission—and why that dependence reflects structural delay, not institutional collapse.

[themadindian]

Democracy on Sale: One Nation, One Vote?

The circus is in full swing, and the clowns want to limit your right to choose. Welcome to the grand illusion of One Nation One Election – a proposal that sounds efficient on paper but reeks of authoritarian tendencies beneath the surface.

Let's cut through the noise. When simultaneous elections happened from 1951-1967, one party dominated everything. The moment staggered elections began, regional voices emerged, political competition increased, and ironically, parties like BJP's predecessor Janasangh got their chance. Now the same beneficiaries want to kill the system that gave them life.

The argument? Elections are expensive and disruptive. Really? The party that spends crores on electoral campaigns and has the PM attending 70+ foreign trips in 8 years is worried about election costs? This is the same government that writes off corporate loans worth lakhs of crores but calls welfare schemes "revdi culture."

Here's what ONOE really means: No accountability for five years, President's Rule whenever convenient, regional parties reduced to footnotes, and local issues buried under national narratives of Pakistan, Ram Mandir, and religious polarisation. When was the last time you heard real debate on unemployment, inflation, or farmer distress during elections?

The Model Code of Conduct they complain about? They violate it regularly with impunity. The Election Commission that should be independent? Increasingly compromised. The federal structure guaranteed by our Constitution? Under threat.

India's strength lies in its diversity. Tamil Nadu's problems differ from Haryana's. Punjab's priorities aren't Kashmir's. But simultaneous elections would force everyone to vote on one manufactured narrative – exactly what benefits those who've mastered the art of communal polarisation.

Democracy isn't convenient. It's messy, expensive, and disruptive – and that's precisely what makes it beautiful. Regular elections keep governments alert and accountable. The real question isn't about saving money; it's about saving democracy itself.

[firstoccupier]

A Risky Move

The Call for a New Constitutional Convention The U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times since its creation. Each amendment reflects changes that society needed at the time. Now, some groups are urging a new constitutional convention. This idea has gained momentum in recent years. However, many experts warn of the dangers involved. Supporters believe a new convention could improve…

A Risky Move

[zenstudy01]

🇮🇳 One Nation, One Election: Game-Changer or Gamble? 🗳️

Imagine voting just once every five years—for Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and local bodies. That’s the vision behind One Nation, One Election—but is India ready?

✨ Why It’s Being Considered: 🔹 Save Big: Cut down on the ₹60,000+ crore spent per election 🔹 Govern Better: Fewer disruptions from the Model Code of Conduct 🔹 Voter-Friendly: Reduce election fatigue, improve turnout 🔹 Less Politics, More Policy: More time for actual governance

⚠️ But There Are Challenges: 🔸 Constitutional Tweaks: Terms must be aligned—legally tricky 🔸 Federal Concerns: States could lose political autonomy 🔸 Mixed Messages: National issues may overshadow local ones 🔸 Mega Logistics: Managing a single-day election for 900M+ voters is colossal

💡 Middle Ground? Experts suggest a phased rollout or two-phase cycle to ease into it.

👉 A bold step forward—but only if democracy, diversity, and dialogue remain at the core.

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[theatre-gay-they]

I've been thinking about the "longest ballot" thing. I think it's disrespectful to the time of the elections Canada workers and party scrutineers