[LM_NET] TARGET: Voluntary Voting

[Barbara Braxton <barbara.288@BIGPOND.COM>]

While I do not want to introduce politics to this list, I do have some questions 
that some students
have asked me, as we get as much coverage of the US election as we do our own (it's 
on live on a
national TV station all day tomorrow our time).

In Australia it is compulsory to vote - or at least get your name crossed off the 
electoral roll at
a polling booth.  A certain % will always vote informal, and a certain % will not 
vote and possibly
be fined, but on the whole we get who we vote for.  Compulsory voting is a hot 
topic around election
time here and we were discussing it

What the students want to know is 
- the approximate % of US citizens who vote even though they don't have to

- whether younger people (under 30) are more likely to make the effort than others

- what is the age  for voting in the US federal election (18 or 21) and is that the 
same for all
states.  Some seem to think that some states are 18 and others are 21.

- why can a person only be president for two terms, and, does knowing that they are 
going, mean the
last few months of an administration are all but meaningless because they can 
either say and do
nothing, or say and do anything knowing it won't necessarily be acted upon?

-do you think it would be better to have unlimited tenure until the people decide 
they have had
enough?

I know our two systems of electing our leaders are very different and with the 
combination of our
own federal, state and local elections in the last year we are all but over 
politics, but I said I
would find their answers to the questions and then after tomorrow, they can 
concentrate on
Christmas!

Please respond offlist.
Barbara


Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
COOMA NSW 2630
AUSTRALIA

E. barbara.288@bigpond.com
Together we learn from each other 

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