Communal Voting

Voting is a community event in Australia apparently.  Fines for those who don't vote (what a great idea!) pinch and prod those who can't be arsed to get out of bed and trot down to one of their local polling stations and as our nearest one is in the kids' school, there was a cake stall and bbq fundraiser we helped out with too.

Freshly baked cinnamon scrolls in hand and feeling like Suzy Homemaker, Pikalily and I headed over to do our bit on Saturday.

Voting is odd. These were local council elections and not having a clue who was standing for election, I did my homework on the 'net the night before.

12 candidates in three different groups.  The local council system says you can either vote for the group or the individual.  For me, as I don't personally know any of them, it's a process of elimination.

First to be scratched out were those who didn't put any information about themselves on their application. If you're going to be elected to a public office, surely you could tell people something about why they should vote for you.

Second off the list - anyone who doesn't live in the area they are standing for election in.  I want someone local, baby.

Third off, anyone who's experience didn't really relate well to leadership, organization or management.

After that, it was a case of best fit with my values, priorities and how well rounded their view of what's important in the local community.  Big ticks for people keen on listening and consulting the local community, strikes for people who are only interested in one aspect of life.

At the end of the day, it's all a bit of a lottery.  Unless you go and interview people personally to get a feel of their personal integrity and values, how can you really know what you'll end up getting?

 I'm always amazed at how loaded down the cake stalls at school fundraisers are.  There's barely enough room to squeeze another plate, box or bag.  The scrolls almost all sold out in the hour and a half I was there which was nice, but then, who doesn't like a scroll straight out of the oven?

 The Great Aussie BBQ Tradition.  Arrrrh!  Men. A BBQ.  Meat.  Buns. Sauce.
This time, there were bacon and egg rolls.  Delicious!

Mums and Dads donate an hour of their time to what is essentially a very social community event.  There's always a core of six or seven mums who volunteer for everything and turn up to everything but volunteering at these stands is actually a highly enjoyable way of building relationships with people you might not see every day.  I'm not quite sure why more people don't do it.  Time poverty perhaps?