I can not for the life of me work out why you would have to be compelled to vote. One of the great strengths of a democracy is that you can vote without fear of favour. Yes, no matter who you vote for a politician always gets elected. Yes, in some ways they are all a bit the same. But in my opinion if you choose not to vote, you lose your right to complain when the government makes decisions you don't agree with.
Today I was voting in the South Brisbane electorate for the first time so I went on a walking tour to the six polling booths closest to my house just to see where the best sausage sizzles, cake stalls and coffee vans were.
Don't worry. I only actually voted once at Brisbane State High School. Here's what I saw.
For the record, my favourite booth was St Francis Church on Dornoch Terrace where there was a great little market happening and I picked up a $25 book of short stories for 50 cents. The prize for the best catering went to West End State School which had Haloumi, tomato and rocket rolls on the menu.
