I have no right to tell Americans how to vote. I am not an American, much less an American voter.

However, I urge America's potential voters to register to vote and then actually turn out and vote in November 2004.

And, I can say...

I have recently:

- seen the Michael Moore movie Fahrenheit 9/11 and

- read his 'Notes + Sources' for that movie and
- notably the paper on the Florida election process of 2001, by Dan Keating, a Washington Post journalist, "prepared for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, August 2002", and

- read Moore's book Stupid White Men.

I had previously seen his movie Bowling For Columbine.

I find his arguments compelling.

I guess that makes me a "fellow traveller" with Michael Moore's way of thinking about the American voting system and its recent outcomes.

Meanwhile, I will be voting in Australia's two elections for October 2004:

National Election - Saturday 9 October 2004

for the House of Representatives and half of the Senators; and

and

Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly - Saturday 16 October 2004.

Why am I voting? Because, in Australia, we take voting seriously:

- we have both a right under our Constitution and
- a duty to vote (i.e. requirement or compulsion) under Section 245 of Australia's

COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL ACT 1918

- SECT 245

Compulsory voting

(1) It shall be the duty of every elector to vote at each election.

(2) The Electoral Commissioner must, after polling day at each election, prepare for each Division a list of the names and addresses of the electors who appear to have failed to vote at the election.

(3) Subject to subsection (4), within the period of 3 months after the polling day at each election, each DRO must:

(a) send a penalty notice by post; or

(b) arrange for a penalty notice to be delivered by other means;

to the latest known address of each elector whose name appears on the list prepared under subsection (2).

That's the law! and I find it extremely curious that other nations
do not require people to vote. Some would argue that there may be a right NOT to vote but, surely, every peopson who is entitled to vote SHOULD vote. And, that's how Australians do it!

So, I URGE Americans to vote.

_____
Peter