Petition Tag - voting

VOTE RECOUNT ON VENEZUELA´S ELECTIONS THAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY, APRIL 14th 2013.

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As citizens of the United States of America, we have been given the right to vote for the President and other offices that are supposed to protect our best interest and us as citizens. Unfortunately, the popular vote does not elect our officials, the Electoral College does. Below is a link explaining the job of the Electoral College.
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html

I believe the popular vote should be what decides the election. Each vote should matter and should be what decides who becomes our President and Vice President. The main reason citizens decide not to vote is because they feel their vote doesn’t matter; and it doesn’t if the Electoral College is what decides it. If the majority of one state votes for Candidate A and the other part vote for Candidate B, no matter what the numbers are, the Electoral College vote goes to Candidate A. Each state has a different set number of E.C. votes.

Please sign my petition for getting rid of the Electoral College and support the popular vote for deciding who the President is in future elections. EVERY VOTE SHOULD COUNT!

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Hong Kong permanent residents living abroad currently have no voting rights. This situation is becoming somewhat unusual in an international context.

Currently, there are more than 100 countries and territories – including nearly all developed nations – that have systems in place to allow their citizens abroad to vote. And the number is growing. Some of the countries that allow their citizens abroad to vote include Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Britain, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Singapore.

Most Hong Kong permanent residents living abroad still have strong family and emotional links to Hong Kong, care about Hong Kong’s future and continue making contributions to Hong Kong in one way or another. They should therefore be provided with an avenue to have a say through their votes.

As Hong Kong is moving towards full democracy, it is time for the Hong Kong SAR Government to change its policy of only allowing Hong Kong permanent residents who ordinarily reside in Hong Kong to sign up as electors.

Please join me and take a stand.

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With the Electoral College, someone who has a very low amount of popular votes can still be elected as President of our country.

No matter how many people may have been in favor of a specific candidate, the Electoral College can still decide whether or not he/she should be elected in the end. Does that sound fair to you?

I believe each individual can have ONE vote, and the popular vote of the many individuals should in the end add up and decide who is to become President.

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As a group, young people have the lowest turnout in elections and we believe this means that they are underrepresented in politics.

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I am 14 years old and I am very interested in politics, more than most kids my age. I would love to get involved in the political process and many other teenagers, younger and older than myself, want to also, but there is something stopping us, the age requirement.

Teens can make wise decisions despite the stereotype that we magically become mature at the age of 18. Teens can make a big difference and our opinions aren't random. I would much like to see the voting age requirement decreased to the age of 17, this does not mean that we are legal adults.

Teens could be required to take a class when they reach this age of 17 in order to educate themselves on the voting process and how to determine who they want to vote for, not what pop culture is endorsing.

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The public are unhappy with the current voting system and the proposed AV system is too complicated and of little interest to the majority of the public as will be shown by today's low turn out. The public have become disenfranchised with politics and our patriotism has been shaken.

Many other countries with excellent governments and economies use Proportional Representation voting systems such as Party List Voting, e.g. Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Portugal and South Africa. It can be implemented simply with little if no additional costs. Other PR systems are still in use in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Germany on of the strongest economies in Europe. Voting turn out is getting lower and lower every election, the public are not happy with the current situation and revolts will become more common.

The public need to know and SEE their votes and opinions count, AV is not enough and people think you are not listening to them. They need honest politics where a coalition works together and is honest when they dislike or like the others policies. Please give us a referendum on PR so we can show you how we feel and listen to the results so we know you have our interests at heart.

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The Invisible Voters are a campaign group aiming to educate the youth in politics and to make aware the importance of voting. We believe it is the perfect time to try to get through to the younger generation considering the recent developments in cuts from our government that have directly affected students, most of them being 18-24.

Our main aim is to get students of middlesex to understand the Alternative voting system coming up in May.

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With the NSW election on in just a couple of weeks, there's a real possibility that on March 26 right wing conservatives will gain power in the Upper House.

What does this mean for NSW? It means that religious zealots, against, same-sex relationships and euthanasia will be making the decisions that count; that the Shooters Party, who will move restrictions on gun controls, may hold the balance of power; or, worse still, Pauline Hanson just might gain a seat. Let us not forget some of her statements that have shocked us in the past:

"...we are in danger of being swamped by Asians"

And

“Immigration must be halted in the short-term so that our dole queues are not added to...”

This election there's only one way to Save our Upper House - if you're voting Greens, preference Labor. Or if you're voting Labor, make sure you preference the Greens.

Here’s one last taste of what NSW could look like with a right wing lead Upper House:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KedTNaSnDA8&feature=related

Help Save our Upper House on March 26!

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PETITION

To: The United States Congress

And to: The State Legislatures of all 50 States

This petition proposes to restore democratic principles and freedoms via a constitutional amendment.

If more than half of the registered voters in the USA sign this online petition, a precedent will be established that demands the Federal and State Governments to acknowledge popular amendment by the people and to take appropriate action on the items mentioned is this 28th Amendment.

The peoples’ rights to popular amendment can not be denied, although this has not been attempted or tested nationwide.

The technology now exists (such as this online petition) to exercise this fundamental right of all US citizens. If more than 84.5 million registered voters sign this petition, history will be made.

We invite each of you who feel strongly about the provisions of this amendment to:

1. Sign this petition.
2. Enter "yes" in the “registered voter” field if you are a registered voter in the USA.
3. Help friends and family members who do not have Internet access to add their vote by sharing the use of your laptop, PC or other Internet device to obtain as many “registered voter” votes as possible.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you.

We the People Folk Group, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

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South Sudanese Needs Your Help!

South Sudan has been attacked time and time again with the South losing nearly 2.5 million people in genocidal acts by the Northern government. In Darfur another 400,000 have also been targeted and killed by militia regimes of the North. South Sudan finally has a chance of electing its independence in January of 2011. Now a worldwide team of college students led by Samuel Chol and Ryan Gilbert will work to ensure South Sudan has a fair election by being in South Sudan for the election and uploading live video footage on the youtube account.

Sudan, Africa’s largest and perhaps most dangerous country, has been at war with itself since gaining independence from Britain in 1956. The first Civil War started in 1955 which lasted until 1972 with the peace agreement that was signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by the Sudanese People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA). This peace agreement was dishonored again by the Khartoum government which resulted in another round of war that began in 1983 when the government of Sudan imposed Islamic Sharia law to all Sudanese.

These two wars were fought in Southern Sudan and were two of the longest and deadliest wars fought in 20th and 21st century. Roughly 2 million civilians were killed in Southern Sudan, and more than 5 million Southerners have been forced to flee their homes and are now living in a refugee camps around the world.

The civilian death toll is one of the highest of any war since World War II. The war ended when the SPLA/SPLM signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with the Khartoum government in January 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya. This agreement gives the Southern Sudanese an opportunity to vote for separation to be a separate country or remain united.

The North is predominantly Arab Muslims and the South is indigenous African Christians. The North has carried out massive genocides towards the South for decades and in recent years has also attacked Darfur in the West. The National Congress Party, an Islamist group controlling and manipulating the South and Darfur states, attacked the Southerners for their religion of Christianity and oil, and the Darfur people for their Non-Arab heritage.

Sudan’s corrupt President, Omar al-Bashir, was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2009 for war crimes against humanity, which led to him to expelling all major humanitarian groups working to help the victims of the Darfur genocide, especially women and children. Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, called Darfur genocide in 2004 and insisted the United Nations militarily intervene, which they did not.
The people of South have been oppressed by the Khartoum government in the North in many ways: No access to education, no freedom of religion, and most importantly no equal share of its own resources.

This coming referendum on January 9, 2011, gives the Southerners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get their lives back. However, the Khartoum government is divisive with the voting process because there are high possibilities that Southerners will vote for separation and the North is willing to do anything to postpone the referendum. If this happens, there is a chance that the war might resume.

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It’s time to put the power in the hands of the voters, not the political parties. We, independent voters of Ohio, call for the enactment of a Nonpartisan Open Primary system.

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I have not seen anything to make me believe that the american flag has any reason to be banned. What i have seen is a lot of news reports and articles talking about banning the flag from school and about how the ballet is being stuffed to go in their favor.

The true PATRIOTS need to come together and show themselves. If you don't want to see the flag banned anywhere please join in to help this country get back to the real issues. Thank you.

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Apathy among voters today is a major problem in American democracy. In the 1998 elections, only 36.1% of the voting age population turned out to vote, the lowest percentage since 1942, when America was at war. Even in a presidential election year, 1996, turnout was only 49%. This level of turnout makes building a thriving democracy difficult.

Lowering the voting age to sixteen can be a small but meaningful step in raising voter turnout in the District. A lower voting age, combined with a curriculum designed to teach young people about the political process can increase their interest in voting.

A lower voting age would provide:

• More enthusiasm about politics by the youth which would bring more awareness to nonvoting adults

• Active participation in the political process leading to a lifetime of voting

• A forum to encourage government to deal with the concerns of youth that are inadequately addressed

• Protection for the interests of the youth

• Partnerships between young people and adults which will allow both groups to be better represented by allowing a more accurate number of supporters

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In 2008 Nova Scotia celebrated 250 years of democracy, making it the oldest democracy in Canada. However this venerable democracy is threatened by a lack of transparency and accountability.

In the past 6 years, spanning the 59th and 60th General Assemblies, 853 bills have been introduced, debated and voted upon in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Only 12 of those votes were recorded in the official record so 98.5% of the bills were voted on anonymously, with no indication of which MLAs were present, who voted in support and against.

Without a voting record Nova Scotia citizens cannot hold their Representative and the House accountable for voting done in citizenry's name on crucial issues affecting their families and communities.

Visit us and take further action:
http://www.knowhowtheyvotens.com
http://www.atlanticaparty.ca

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The Voting Members of the PBCA, pursuant to FS 720-3.03 have chosen to use the Petition Process to have items placed on the agenda for the June 29, 2009 Board of Directors Meeting.

The petition is necessitated by the lack of acceptance by the President, of several items requested to be added by The Secretary and Board Member of the PBCA.

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In the past, undue influence and duress has been exerted upon the Coach(es) of PHS Soccer in naming certain players as "Captains" to the PHS Soccer Team at the deprivation of more worthy student-athletes and to the detriment of the team.

This environment whereby cronyism and political patronage is promoted and where an autocratic method of naming "Captains" has, in the past, led to the collapse of team morale and reflects poorly not only upon the soccer coaches and team but rather, by a proxy representation, reflects poorly upon the athletic department and the school.

To remedy this problem and for the assistance to, insulation of, and benefit of the coaching staff; for the morale of the team; for the prestigious reputation of our beloved school the players, the team, the athletic department and the school:

We honor our American heritage and ideals of democracy by petitioning the following:

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Students are learning new material everyday and are fully capable of making their own decisions. There are various reasons as to why the voting age should be lowered:

**If 16-year-olds are allowed to drive a vehicle on the road, then they should be able to vote. There is no clear and present danger if a 16-year-old votes. It only gives a greater population the chance to voice their opinion and create a more democratic government.

**Teenagers are given adult responsibilities but are unable to vote like an adult.

**Some teenagers have jobs, which takes taxes out of their paychecks but they have no say as to where that money goes.

**Some teenagers are more intelligent than some of the adults that vote.

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The state of politics in India is going steadily from bad to worse. During elections, citizens face the prospect of voting for candidates who are unworthy, corrupt or criminal. In fact, the number of such unwholesome characters in the state legislatures and Parliament is growing, simply because voters do not have cleaner candidates to choose from.

In this scenario, what are the choices for the voter? He/ she can vote for a candidate who is slightly less corrupt or criminal, which is not an option. Or the voter can abstain from voting altogether-a poor form of registering protest; after all silence could mean consent.

There is, however, another option for the voter sick of the unprincipled, corrupt and criminal candidates who stand for elections-that is, to register a protest vote.

This option was has always been there in the form of Rule 49-0 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, which allows a voter to vote for 'none'. This vote is called `None of the Above'(NOTA) vote.

However, when India made the transition from paper ballots to electronic voting machines (EVMs), the EVMs did not incorporate the NOTA choice for voters. While Rule 49-0 does offer a voter the right to make a NOTA choice, it does not ensure secrecy of the ballot. If a voter wants to exercise his NOTA choice, he has to sign for it in the Voters' Register in front of polling officials. This violates the secrecy of the ballot and infringes on the voter's fundamental right of free expression.

NOTA gives voters the right to withhold consent to unworthy or criminal candidates. If a sufficient number of voters feel that the choices are unacceptable, they can exercise the NOTA option and offer a means to start over again with cleaner candidates. It would force party leaders to consider merit while issuing tickets. Even when NOTA voters are not in a majority, a large number of such votes would force political candidates to rethink what they were doing wrong.

The political parties and the government have been lukewarm to the idea of the NOTA option. The argument here is that a repoll would involve additional costs. However, no cost is too small to ensure an honest and responsive political system.

There are no major impediments to implementing the NOTA option in EVMs. It does not even require the intervention of politicians and Parliament. According to the Representation of People (RP) Act, the Election Commission of India has full powers to make modifications to EVMs and the Conduct of Election Rules, 1960.

There have, however, been some voices of support for NOTA among politicians and bureaucrats. Former Vice-President of India Krishna Kant was in favour of such a move. In 2004, the then Central Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy suggested to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that a NOTA option be included.

Many countries offer the NOTA option to its citizens, including France, Columbia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and Bangladesh. It's time India too offered this option to ensure a political system free of rampant corruption and inefficiency.

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The Executive Board of the Villas at Five Ponds Community Association has enacted several rules that have been divisive in our community. For example: "Outdoor Holiday Lighting and Decorations" and "Facilities Rental" rules.

The Executive Board is inconsistent in calling for a vote on rules they plan to enact. For example, the Board called for a vote whether to drop plans for a security gate/"arm" at the entrance; and, whether to allow awnings (and what type). When a petition was duly signed requesting that bird feeders be responsibly allowed, the Board unilaterally overruled the petition that was signed by many VFP members. And when there was an outcry over the restrictions placed on outdoor holiday decorations, Board president Rick Rodgers first implied that the rule was repealed, and then the next week said that the rule was back in force and would be reconsidered "next year."

While we believe that it is among the power and the duties of the Executive Board to recommend to the members of the Association reasonable Rules and Regulations, we believe that these Rules and Regulations proposed must be put to a vote by secret ballot and that the decision to make operating Rules and Regulations should be adopted via a Resolution that reflects the true majority of the responses received by secret ballot.

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It is more and more imperative now to enfranchise the youth of today.

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Election reform and voting rights advocates are working hard to bring instant runoff voting (IRV) to communities across the U.S., including here in North Carolina

In 2006, North Carolina's General Assembly approved a pilot program that allowed communities to use instant runoff voting. Cary and Hendersonville became the first places in the south to use IRV ballots. By using IRV, the Town of Cary avoided a traditional runoff and saved $28,000.

However, the legislation that enabled the pilots has expired. In order to make IRV an option in the future, the NC General Assembly must chose to extend and expand the IRV pilot program.

To make IRV a sustainable option for NC, we must ask the state to invest in the appropriate software upgrades and implement the highest standards in election integrity to maintain public confidence in our elections.

In 2006, North Carolina spent $3.4 million on one statewide run-off election for one primary race, resulting in a 3% voter turnout. This year the runoff for the Democratic nominee for Labor Commissioner is likely to see similar results - while 90% of the nearly $4 million price tag borne by the counties.

Run-off elections almost always see a drop in turnout, and those who do vote in run-offs tend to be older, whiter, and more affluent. IRV helps to ensure greater voter voice in one election, and a majority winner. It also prevents "spoiler" elections - where two candidates with similar platforms split the vote and allow another candidate representing a minority platform to win.

IRV has been used in:
San Fransisco, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Santa Fe, NM
Takoma Park, MD
Vermont
Scotland
Australia
Ireland
Military voters overseas from SC and LA

It has been endorsed by USA Today, Senator John McCain, Senator Barack Obama, DNC Chair Howard Dean, VT and CA League of Women Voters, Center for Consitutional Rights, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the National Association of State PIRGs.

It has been endorsed in North Carolina by the Winston Salem Journal, Wilmington Star News, Fayetteville News and Observer, Blue Ridge Now, Democracy NC, North Carolina Fair Share, Common Cause NC and John Hood (of the John Locke Foundation).

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The United States Electoral College, is an out of date system we use to select the President of the United States. The candidate to reach 270 electoral votes wins.

The number of electoral votes for each state, is the sum of its U.S. Senators (two) and number of U.S. Representatives (the District of Columbia has the same number of votes it would if it was a state -three).

State ballots, however, suggest that voters are voting for President. This is not true. Every state (except Maine and Nebraska) uses the short ballot, in which a vote for one party is a vote for a slate of Presidential Electors. 41 days after the Popular vote, the Electors make their choice for President. Around one month following the casting of electoral votes, U.S. Congress meets to declare the winner of the election.

This makes no sense.

-A candidate can lose the popular vote, and still become President. This has happened four times (1824, 1876, 1888, 2000).

-It is possible to win the election by winning just eleven states (California (55), Texas (34), New York (31), Florida (27) Illinois (21), Pennsylvania (21), Ohio (20), Michigan (17), Georgia (15), New Jersey (15), North Carolina (15))=271 electoral votes.

-The United States of America is the shining beacon of democracy. A place where every vote counts; well it counts in picking the people who choose the President. For the leading Country of the free world, it seems strange to put so much responsibility in such few hands.

Let's simplify the process while enhancing the efficiency and fairness of it. Let us go into the future unified as a country- The most votes by the PEOPLE, chooses who leads.

Let us use the Popular Vote to choose our President.

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Less and less People vote in the UK now than ever before. Is this because they can't be bothered or is it they don't believe in the politician's?

Should there be a "no" vote on our ballot papers, so we can say no to them?

If there was a no vote on the ballot paper and we voted no! they would have to stop and listen to us.

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Allowing the general public into our children's school while they are in attendance is putting their safety at risk.

There is no security in place to make sure that each person that enters is monitored and noted exiting. The children are to go the washroom in pairs during this day but they are children and are naive in understanding the potential for danger.

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Past Elections and Present Tests!

A petition to the United States Government that the Diebold Electronic Voting Machines, Software, System NOT be used in ANY Election!

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May 01, 2006

Please allow teens to vote at a lower age.

The united states should lower the voting age to 16. By that time people have a good political stand point.

It is a proven statistic that 18 is the worst time to vote.By that time teens are to stressed out about moving away to college, graduating highschool, and getting out in the world on their own.

Remember when just 100 years ago we gave the women the right to vote? We thought only white men should vote. Our country runs on a system one person one vote. People do not have to show their maturity.

So whos to say a person going in to vote that is 22 has the maturity level of a 14 year old! In some states people can get married at the age of 13, with a parents permission of course. But whos to say that if a child is givin permission by their parents they could vote.

Wouldn't that be a good idea?

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March 13, 2006

This petition is an attempt to convince the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to change their rules, making the viewing of all nominees in any given category mandatory and verifiable, before allowing Academy members to vote in that category.

On the heels of the controversial Best Picture selection of Crash at the recent Academy Awards ceremony, it was disturbing to hear Academy voters like Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine admit publicly that they refused to view all of the Best Picture nominees.

The Academy Award has in the past been considered the pinnacle of achievement in the motion picture industry. Now imagine a panel of judges at the Olympics awarding the gold medal, which is viewed as the pinnacle of achievement in sport, to a specific competitor, despite refusing to view the routines of all participating competitors. The uproar would be quick, relentless and perfectly justified.

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February 28, 2006

For the last 200 years this country has elected presidents via the electoral college.

This system made sense in a nation not yet fully populated and, for the most part, unregulated.

The time has come to eliminate the distinction between Blue and Red states and move to a system of popular vote. A system where every vote actually counts.

contact: mim@gomimco.com

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