Apparently There's This Thing On Today. With The People. And Some Counting.

How are my American friends coping tonight? Well, for me it’s already tomorrow, 11 am Wednesday - hey! Wanna know the result?

Okay, it’s an old joke, I’m sorry, LOL.

It has been kind of interesting, as an outsider, watching the hoopla surrounding the election. Probably more so because we take our politics far less seriously Down Under. Official election campaigns rarely last longer than 6 weeks, a Prime Minister can be in office indefinately, provided they have their party support (no ‘two terms and you’re out’ deal), and religion just doesn’t factor into it. I doubt most Australians would even know what denomination (if any) their Prime Minister actually is. When candidates get into debates down here, it rarely extends beyond official party policy. You almost never see attacks on a candidate’s personal life. Pregnant, unmarried teen daughter? Might make headlines on the gossip pages but it’s considered rather poor form to use something like that against someone politically.

I must admit, figuring out the American voting system took some getting used to. I still don’t fully understand it. Here, we vote mostly for a party, not a candidate AND a party. Whoever happens to be the leader of the party at the time, gets to be Prime Minister. We never have multiple candidates per party, so no Clinton/Obama-esque fisticuffs beforehand. The parties choose their leader with no direct input from the public and then come Election Day, it’s a case of Labor vs Liberal, and the deal is done, more or less. We have minor parties, of course, but none of them receive enough votes to govern on their own and then it comes down to a complicated (and ultimately unknown to me) system of assigning preferences and then they count toward the….hey! Look at the pretty birdie!…..

That’s about the point where I switch off. It makes no difference - it’s a two-horse race no matter which way you look at it.

Voting is also compulsory here. Everyone over the age of 18 has to vote on both state and federal level. New 18 year olds are encouraged to register to vote right after their birthdays although registration isn’t compulsory per se…you just have to make sure you do it in enough time for an election. In theory, you can be fined if you don’t turn up to the booths on the day, although I’ve personally never come across anyone who has had to cough up the cash.

But this election in the US is rather ground-breaking, and I’m watching with fascination, tuned into MSNBC’s election coverage. At this moment, with only the first results coming in, McCain has taken Kentucky and Obama has Vermont. Which you know. Because it’s your country, LOL. No matter who wins, history will be made - either the first African-American President, or the first female Vice President (and, I think, the oldest guy inaugurated for a first term?). Clearly as an Australian I have no right to an opinion here, but it’s a bit hard to miss the information that has twirled around Bloggityville these past few months. If I was American, I know who I’d be voting for :)

Good luck America :)