AUSTRALIAN 'PRESIDENT': I don't want the position of Governor General to become like your Presidential elections. I'd rather avoid the toxic clown circus that shreds eye-watering cargo-ship piles of money. In the Westminster System of Parliamentary Democracy, the Governor General is appointed, not elected. The only reason we would have a "President" is to perform the GG's role in a constitutional crisis. We would not have any less democracy than we have now - but we could continue to have a less toxic and frenzied election culture.
GERRYMANDERING: In some ways we have more democracy than you do. For instance, our Election Commission has a responsibility to draw up election maps that include suburban blocks according to statistical methods - not the outrageous gerrymandering that your politicians get away with. The result is our Parliamentary "Seats" look more like big squares or polygons or blobs than the outrageous Salamander monsters we see so frequently in your system. It only took 25 years for your system to be corrupted like this by Elbridge Gerry and his Salamander seat - where the name Gerrymander comes from. Australia is a younger Federation. Maybe we saw what was going on in your country and though "Eeeww, no way - better stop that!" as we drew up our nationally consistent voting rules at the Federal level.
Electoral system of Australia - Wikipedia
COMPULSORY VOTING = SANER CAMPAIGNS: We also have compulsory voting. I had to vote on a by-election on the weekend. It would have cost me $55 if I had neglected it. I know that's just a slap-on-the-wrist, but the legal requirement to vote creates a culture where everyone votes. This makes an enormous difference in campaigning. It means the politicians have to appeal not just to the frenzied extremes - but stay 'sane enough' to appeal to the the bored middle.
PARTIES CHOOSE THEIR LEADERS BASED ON COMPULSORY VOTING: As I have said, the Parties choose their leaders. We vote for our representatives based on our Seats (Parliament) and State Proportional Representation (for the Senate - where we vote for any representative we want from candidates across our whole State to represent us in the Federal Senate.) We then trust our local Rep to vote for their Leader in the interests of the nation. They conduct frequent polling to see who is popular - and would dump someone with Trump's qualities pretty much straight away. (The Federal Senate sometimes elects Trump-like minority party representatives - who represent certain racist and poorly educated areas of Australia. EG: Our Pauline Hanson is a female version of Trump - except she came from a fish and chips shop and genuinely believes her racist shtick. She's not an entitled billionaire like you-know-who.)
FAIRER VOTING PROCESS WITH ABUNDANT POLES ON SATURDAYS: AND PLENTY OF PRE-POLLING BOOTHS AND MAIL IN VOTING AS WELL
Our Electoral Commission also ensures there are abundant voting booths in pleasant surroundings like town halls or public schools. Not only that - but there is a tradition of the local school or Scouts group or some other charity putting on a sausage sandwich stall called a "Democracy Sausage". It's such a strong tradition that my favourite political podcast coming out of the Australian National University bears the same name.
Mark Kenny takes a weekly look at politics and public affairs with experts from The Australian National University and beyond.
reporter.anu.edu.au
NOT KIDDING - RUSSIAN INFLUENCE ON YOUTUBE HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED:
The DOJ said it!
"U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the Russian state broadcaster RT orchestrated a massive scheme to influence the American public by secretly planting and financing a content creation company on U.S. soil. The instruments of the scheme were RT employees Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva, who managed the operation from Moscow using fake personas and shell companies, and the victims of the scheme were the American people, who received Russian messaging without knowing it. As the charges unsealed today demonstrate, this Office will work with our law enforcement partners to unmask and hold accountable all those who conduct malign influence campaigns in the United States, no matter how hard they try to hide their tracks.”"
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States; Lisa Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States; Matthew G. Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Christopher A...
www.justice.gov
KAMALA FUNDING?
Sorry - you've linked to various articles but what is your concern - other than the fact that she is more popular than Trump and bringing in the crowds that love her, and the money?
Do you have an example of a specific issue?
Check your sources. If you want to be taken seriously - please don't refer to right-wing activist groups as a source. EG: Your "Influence Watch" is funded by these guys.
en.wikipedia.org
Also - did you ever investigate the "10 Million" Trump was meant to have injected into his own 2016 run? Erhem - Egypt much? The FBI was investigating - but then it was all shut down by a Trump loyalist. That's not only overseas influence, but corruption much?
i
