4 votes

Safe Schools scare campaign targets Chinese-Australian voters

2 comments

  1. [2]
    clerical_terrors
    Link
    A logical but still worrying development, targeting minority communities probably won't secure the vote alone for one party but if it depresses turnout for their opposition then it will be worth...

    A logical but still worrying development, targeting minority communities probably won't secure the vote alone for one party but if it depresses turnout for their opposition then it will be worth it for them.

    1. Algernon_Asimov
      Link Parent
      Voting is compulsory here in Australia. There is therefore no such tactic as "depressing turnout for the opposition". Voter turnout at the forthcoming federal election will probably be over 90%,...

      if it depresses turnout for their opposition

      Voting is compulsory here in Australia. There is therefore no such tactic as "depressing turnout for the opposition". Voter turnout at the forthcoming federal election will probably be over 90%, just as it has been for nearly a century since compulsory voting began.

      Instead, we have scare campaigns like this one: "Don't vote for Party B because they're bad and they're going to do bad things." The context is that you will have to vote for someone... so if you can't vote for Party B because you believe they're bad... then you'll probably end up voting for Party A as the only other major alternative (sure there are minor parties to vote for, but two-thirds of Australians still vote for either Party A or Party B).

      2 votes