The Election - How much does it cost us?

[ManDownUnder]

what are the costs?

Endless (mindless) meetings/rallies.
Feigning interest by visiting schools, old folks homes, sports games etc
Bill boards and whordings
Airtime
Pamphlets + postage
Travel costs (planes, taxis)
Accommodation costs
Logistics on the day (staff, polling booth hire, stationery etc)

What else is there

We spend ALL this money - OUR money - so those with big egos can compete to see who likes them the most, and then carry on as they were.

WTF?

What do you reckon it all costs us (or does someone actually know?)
MDU

[Wolf]

Feigning interest by visiting schools, old folks homes, sports games etc

What do you reckon it all costs us (or does someone actually know?)
MDU

And in human terms, too - the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon those poor kids and old folk. Seeing/hearing the buggers in the media is bad enough wthout them actually turning up and stealing the oxygen in your immediate vicinity.

[sAsLEX]

i thik its layed out somewhere how much each party gets to campaign, the big popular ones get more and it dwindles down. I think even if you stand as an independant the Govt forks out some money to help you get your point across.

[ManDownUnder]

i thik its layed out somewhere how much each party gets to campaign, the big popular ones get more and it dwindles down. I think even if you stand as an independant the Govt forks out some money to help you get your point across.

Yeah I know that - but I'm willing to bet a number of other expenses (travel accommodation etc) come out of the "general fund" not the "party fund"

Don't like spending money on arseholes... especially those that are so full of it!

[crashe]

MDU - Each candidate is allowed to spend "X" amount on their area that they have raised themselves. Depending on which party they belong to.

Labour and National get the most.
Greens and other minor parties get a lot less.

At the end of each election each candidate must account for every last cent spent on his/her campaign.

Hoardings - if they even use wood from the last election they have to have a costing of that. So that includes the timber, nails, boxes of staples and the coreflutes that are up. Even if the timber is donated, they must cost that up as well. All flyers/newsletters/postcards etc etc put in the letterboxes are to be included in the cost. Newspaper adverts also included.

So they have to keep a running record at all times so that they do not go over the amount that they are allowed to use.

Now the cost that each candidate uses comes out of their own money... that they have either raised themselves or folks have donated to the candidate or fundraised for the campaign.

If they go over that cost then they are in shit big time.
They also have to get this accountability in by a certain time as well...
or they get fined.

Now the Party itself is allowed to spend a lot more on advertising, again depending on the number of seats they hold. IE: on TV adverts, radio adverts and full page newspaper advertising.

A lot of big businesses donate a lot of money to the party that they like.
That money is used on the campaign trail.

Logistics on the day (staff, polling booth hire, stationery etc) - The people sitting all day at the booths get paid a small amount of money.... sometimes they are there till the early hours the next day due to the counting is not not going well.

[Waylander]

Just watching the news on tv1 right now. All this talk about the new policy for student debt and such and how they didn't have the money before but now suddenly they have millions in surplus. All I can say is GOOD GODS!!!! I thought the elections in the states were circuses. Florida's debacle has nothing on you peaple.

[skidMark]

some of the money in previous elections went to things like helens hair cut i guess??? at some point a sex change was going to be started to make ...her more feminine but they decided to leave it and go full term

[What?]

The only thing that pisses me off about the election process is the date - why can't it be set by statute that election day is the nth Saturday of x month? How many events organisers have to change dates at short notice because the pollies suddenly decided to have an election on that day? Fuggineaps I should imagine

[James Deuce]

Just watching the news on tv1 right now. All this talk about the new policy for student debt and such and how they didn't have the money before but now suddenly they have millions in surplus. All I can say is GOOD GODS!!!! I thought the elections in the states were circuses. Florida's debacle has nothing on you peaple.

I don't think you can equate electioneering with actual corruption, hanging chads, and turning people with a similar name to a criminal into a "paper" criminal.

You;re an odd little man, but then you are from the South.

[Lou Girardin]

Isn't it funny how the impossible becomes possible when a govt is facing trough withdrawal.
I'm pleased for the students, but this little escapade just deepens my loathing of both Labour and National.

[SPman]

Waddaya mean "cost US", kemo sabe!

Dont watch TV, dont read hoardings or newspapers with political headlines on them, try not to pay any tax, by not working, normally. - that way I can have an unsullied mind when I go into the election booth and toss my coin in peace and quiet!