| Revision as of 01:11, 6 May 2005 editStephen Bain (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users12,147 editsm →Australian history← Previous edit | Revision as of 04:37, 12 August 2005 edit undo60.234.141.76 (talk) →Australian historyNext edit → | ||
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| The origional bit said that it was pioneered in Australia in the early 1850s Pioneered is certainly the wrong word because Chartism is earlier and indeed radicals had demanded the ballot even earlier in Britain. But it could be that there Australian's were independently demanding the secret ballot. Eureka pretty much adopted Chartisms six points word for word but the miners could have been ready for that because it was already in the air. Further Eureka's "success" could hav been due to the fact that they were pushing at an open door. But I'm speculating. Do any of you Australian folk know.] 13:48, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC) | The origional bit said that it was pioneered in Australia in the early 1850s Pioneered is certainly the wrong word because Chartism is earlier and indeed radicals had demanded the ballot even earlier in Britain. But it could be that there Australian's were independently demanding the secret ballot. Eureka pretty much adopted Chartisms six points word for word but the miners could have been ready for that because it was already in the air. Further Eureka's "success" could hav been due to the fact that they were pushing at an open door. But I'm speculating. Do any of you Australian folk know.] 13:48, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC) | ||
| :It had indeed been demanded in Britain by the Chartists (and the Australians copied the same idea), but ] was the first ] to actually put the secret ballot into official use (it was actually incorporated into the Electoral Act). --] 01:11, 6 May 2005 (UTC) | :It had indeed been demanded in Britain by the Chartists (and the Australians copied the same idea), but ] was the first ] to actually put the secret ballot into official use (it was actually incorporated into the Electoral Act). --] 01:11, 6 May 2005 (UTC) | ||
| ==Cleanup needed== | |||
| This article is a bit messy and needs cleanup | |||
Revision as of 04:37, 12 August 2005
Ah, I figured it out. Removed my previous extraneous comment. Sim 16:55, Aug 2, 2004 (UTC)
I would have thought the secret ballot would have been around long before 1850. How about the process of Ostracism in Ancient Greece? This seems to qualify as a secret ballot, but I have no idea if it is the first such example.
Ostracism was done by popular vote, with pottery fragments used as ballots. When an ostracism was called, the citizens of Athens would gather in the marketplace and write the name of the man they wanted to ostracise on their ballot, then toss it into a pen. If less than six thousand ballots were cast, there was no ostracism, but if there were enough ballots, then the man whose name appeared most often on the pottery fragments was exiled for a period of ten years (from http://www.e-classics.com/ARISTIDES.htm)
Ostracism is as follows: The Demos takes a vote before the 8th Prytany, as to whether it seemed best to hold an ostracism. When the response is positive, the Agora is fenced off with barricades; ten entrances were left open, through which they entered according to Phyle and deposited their potsherds, keeping face-down what they had written. (from http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/ostracis.html)
This is a useful article-just-beyond-a-stub, but misses out on much.
- Ostracism was intended to avoid civil war so it figures that they would want a defence against Ostracism.Dejvid 13:48, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)
OOps! I meant a defence against intimidation.~~
Issues that could use covering
- The impact of technology - The E-voting controversy in the United States is a great example, and one that cuts both ways, becuase of...
- Disability and the secret ballot - Speaking from personal experience, this can make very technical issues incredibly emotive. Additionally, this isn't touched on much. (See E-voting. An angle never mentioned is that electronic voting methods allow the blind (for example) their first-ever chance at a truly secret ballot. (Presents methods result in what can best be described as a clown car in the voting booth.) This makes seemingly technical minutiae somewhat life-or-death issues to disabled voters.)
- Absentee ballots - Just how secret are they?
- I'm sure i'm missing a lot. Those who come by later should feel free to add stuff or comment. -- Penta 12:02, 20 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Australian history
The origional bit said that it was pioneered in Australia in the early 1850s Pioneered is certainly the wrong word because Chartism is earlier and indeed radicals had demanded the ballot even earlier in Britain. But it could be that there Australian's were independently demanding the secret ballot. Eureka pretty much adopted Chartisms six points word for word but the miners could have been ready for that because it was already in the air. Further Eureka's "success" could hav been due to the fact that they were pushing at an open door. But I'm speculating. Do any of you Australian folk know.Dejvid 13:48, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)
- It had indeed been demanded in Britain by the Chartists (and the Australians copied the same idea), but Victoria was the first state to actually put the secret ballot into official use (it was actually incorporated into the Electoral Act). --bainer 01:11, 6 May 2005 (UTC)
Cleanup needed
This article is a bit messy and needs cleanup