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Online vote swaps legal


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#1 mat

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Posted 17 September 2008 - 10:12 PM

Elections Canada has declared that online vote swaps are legal - with 'cautions', more to do with misleading programs than legality.

While this case was over the up coming Federal election the ruling covers provincial and municipal elections. I am not sure our local candidates have the tech savvy, or money, to play this kind of campaign - but certainly business, and maybe some interest groups might.

#2 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 18 September 2008 - 04:07 PM

Yesterday Macleans Magazine posted an article about how this is playing out on Facebook: Party leaders lose control of Facebook. Extract:

But that's nothing compared to what the 3,770-member "Anti-Harper Vote Swap Canada" FaceBook group has been up to. Established last week, its members have set up a sophisticated system to help users strategically prevent Conservative wins. It works by connecting users whose preferred candidate has little chance of winning with other members willing to vote for the party that has the best chance at stopping the local Tory candidate. The enterprise has alarmed Elections Canada to the point that they're investigating to see if it's legal.

Pretty interesting. I believe that stuff like this was first modeled in online games like CyberNations, but not entirely sure.
When you buy a game, you buy the rules. Play happens in the space between the rules.

#3 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 18 September 2008 - 04:24 PM

I'm sure these vote swaps will have the same effectiveness of gas station boycotts, that have never worked.

#4 D.L.

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Posted 18 September 2008 - 06:44 PM

this confirms the irrationality of non-conservative platforms

#5 mat

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Posted 18 September 2008 - 07:26 PM

Not sure that vote swapping schemes will do much in this Canadian Fed. election as most of our parties are so far behind on internet strategies compared to the US, or even Belgium, it makes us look like neanderthals.

However - for voters who do think strategically, the information available could make the difference between a majority or minority Government.

 



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