Will you be voting above or below the line on the senate ballot on Saturday? And will you be voting for a major or minor party in the house of representatives?

I think I'm going to have a crack at voting below the line this year because I really don't want either of the major parties to even come close to having a majority in the senate. I'd also really like to see a minor party hold the balance of power again.

And I'm sufficiently disillusioned enough with the major parties to want to vote for a minor party in the house of reps. While my first thought is "there isn't much point because it won't make a difference", I realise that if everyone thinks like that nothing will ever change, so I might as well give it a go.

What does everyone else think?

I always vote below the line, I think that a healthy degree of mistrust in politicians is always useful when voting!

Did anyone else notice that if you want to vote for an independent in the Senate you have to vote below the line? And that independents are squashed to the right hand side of the ballot paper? Does this not severly disadvantage them?

In South Australia's state elections, not only have provisions been made for Independents to have above-the-line boxes, but there is also a provision allowing independents to add up to five words to their description on the balot paper. In the 2006 state election above the line voters could choose between Independent candidates such as 'Cheap Smokes Beer and Spirits' and 'No Nuke Dumps No Peadophiles'!

Lets hope in Rudd's attempt to clean up Australian politics he makes some changes to the ballot cards.