Comment by pmontra | Hacker News Reader

Comment by pmontra | Hacker News Reader

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This system doesn't feel good especially because they are allowed to "just take the one they want". It feels like an easy system to game with the goal to make sure that people vote what they are told to vote. Maybe nobody even thinks about doing such things in France, lucky you.

This has reminded me what happened on the other side of the Alps in the elections of 1929. People received two envelopes. One with the national flag on the inside and a white one. They left inside the booth the one they didn't like and gave the other one back to the scrutineers. The outside was almost the same but the color inside was visible from the outside [1] Guess the result. Hint: almost 99% to 1%.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Italian_general_election

[2] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elezioni_politiche_in_Italia_d... for more details and pictures of the cards inside out.

> This system doesn't feel good especially because they are allowed to "just take the one they want".

You actually have the obligation to take at least two of them. I'm not sure how strongly this is enforced, but most people take a few of them.

I have an old memory of my grandmother being scolded because she only wanted to take the paper of the guy she wanted to vote for. And the assessors at my local voting place usually complain when people pick only one paper and want to bypass the voting booth (but it is not like they will come to blows over this).

Is it difficult or utterly impossible to fold the other card and put in a pocket and show it to somebody else outside the polling station?

That would open hacks like "pick my card and my worst opponent one, vote for me and show me my opponent card. And pray that I get at least as many votes as the cards of my opponent that people bring to me."

in addition to the papers you can pick in the polling station, in the week before the election, French people should receive the papers for all available candidates, so you don't even have to take a paper at the same time as the envelop (or take a few papers and then use one from your pocket).

Hmm what if you are monitored, given a paper and then checked that you don't have any extra on body? Seems like entirely possible via violence or blackmail to gain some votes...

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