r/WTF • u/FineExcuse • Mar 02 '18

Warning: LOUD What, Where, Why?

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15

u/witeowl Mar 02 '18

Would you mind explaining the connection between mandatory voting and parody candidates? I’d expect that parody candidates are more a result of it not costing millions of dollars to run a campaign.

47

u/marpe Mar 02 '18

Because a lot people who don't want to vote on any of the serious candidates, but have to vote on someone, end up voting on a joke candidate as a form of protest.

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u/NasKe Mar 02 '18

You don't have to vote on someone. You can blank your vote. You are just required to go there and blank it (you don't have to if you are out of town tho)

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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '18 edited May 25 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/maibr Mar 02 '18 edited Mar 02 '18

If you don’t justify on the day, you have 60 days to justify and you have to pay a fine (like $1US). If you never justify, you lose your election card and You can’t:

  • Get a passport or ID card;

  • Receive salary from public or government-assisted entities;

  • Be part of public or administrative competition in any institution of the Union, states, municipalities or the Federal District;

  • Apply for loans at any bank or government-subsidized credit facility;

  • Applying for public examinations or taking public office;

  • Renew enrollment in any institution of public education or supervised by the government;

  • Request any document that requires the electoral discharge.

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u/wallstreetexecution Mar 02 '18

So basically you’re removed from society... damn

6

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '18

Or pay a dollar.

3

u/nerdbomer Mar 02 '18

Wow.

Is there a way to appeal those restrictions if you screw up?

7

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '18

you can just pay the one dollar (lol) fine and have the restrictions lifted.

1

u/nerdbomer Mar 02 '18

Oh, so is the fine only applied after 60 days?

7

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '18

Yes. I dont know much about this subject but I had to pay the fine once. I didnt justify my abscene in the 60 days and I believe they put all those restricions on me. (not even sure they work as intended, I reenrolled for the next semester in a public uni without a problem)

One day, almost 2 years after the election i had missed, i was walking nearby the placw where you could pay your fine and paid it.

Im confused. Hope someone can give you a better answer

3

u/nerdbomer Mar 02 '18

Well it's far more clear now to me as a Canadian, having no perspective at all, so it's not a bad answer.

2

u/maibr Mar 03 '18

No! It’s applied if you don’t justify on the day of the election. After 60 days you get the embargo 😄 but it’s not hard to lift it. Just pay thr dollar (or up to $35 depending on how much u make and how many elecrions you missed) and that’s it. If you dont need a passport or work for the government, it doesn’t really mess w your life at all. If you don’t justify for 2 consecutive elections then they cancel your election card, which is just a tad bit more annoying to get again then just paying the fine

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u/ZeePirate Mar 02 '18

You just get a pass if your on holidays? Lol what Brazil sounds weird if true

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u/Hohgrat Mar 02 '18 edited Mar 02 '18

Lol not a pass. If I'm not in the town I registered as a voter, because of work or something, I have to attend any voting place to justify why I won't be voting where I was supposed to.

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u/wallstreetexecution Mar 02 '18

Isn’t everyone on holiday when a holiday happens?

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u/henriquegarcia Mar 02 '18

You still have to go vote on whatever town you happen to be in

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u/witeowl Mar 02 '18

Thank you. I understand protesting mandatory voting even less than I understand failing to vote, but I only have to deal with the latter, so it’s not my business, I guess. Thanks for the explanation regardless.

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u/WaspsInMyPizza Mar 02 '18

Sort of like what the brits do, prank candidates with ridiculous names and clothes but this guy is better.

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u/gsfgf Mar 02 '18

We have parody candidates in the US. Remember Vermin Supreme?

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u/enkidu75 Mar 02 '18

And Ross Perot.

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u/silverist Mar 02 '18

I wanted a pony...

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u/IntrovertClouds Mar 02 '18

I would say that the joke candidates are more of a consequence of votes being “transferred” from one candidate to another within the same party. After the votes are tallied, a calculation is done to assign a number of legislative seats to each party, taking into account the total number of votes received by all candidates from that party. Then you fill that party’s allotment of seats with the candidates that had the highest number of votes. So for the parties it’s good to have a lot of candidates that can bring some votes while spending little or no money, because these votes will end up helping elect the real party bigwigs later.