Of All The Reasons To Say No To Internet Voting, Wouldn't Porn And Beer Be Near The End Of The List?

from the try-that-again dept

There are many, many reasons to be against the idea of allowing political voting via the internet, starting with questions about the security, accuracy and reliability of the technology. However, former Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who admits he wants to attract younger internet users to his conservative party, gave some bizarre reasons for not being a fan of internet voting. Apparently the problem isn't questions about the technology but the idea that voters may be multitasking with beer and porn: "I am not an enthusiast of a young person sitting in front of a computer, watching video clips and pornography while sipping a bottle of beer and voting when he feels like it." Does that mean he'd be okay with if it people agreed not to watch porn or sip beer while voting?

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  1. by Anonymous Coward - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 6:17am

    OK, how many polish jokes will this generate?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  2. The disillusioned youth...

    by SteveD - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 6:45am

    Somehow he doesn't strike me as a man that’s going to reconnect politics with the disillusioned youth.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  3. Re: The disillusioned youth...

    by ChurchHatesTucker - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:01am

    My first thought as well. Do they want to court the youth vote or not?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  4. by Anonymous Coward - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:05am

    it might make it easier for Florida to explain all those Pat Buchannan votes that way.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  5. What Does He Do on the Internet?

    by W4RM4N - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:05am

    Is he basing this from personal experience?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  6. Just wondering...

    by Lisa Westveld - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:07am

    If you're not old enough to vote then what are you doing online drinking and viewing porn? :-)

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  7. Vhere do you get ovv?

    by Stanislaus Polakiem - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:10am

    Vhy do you mock the great nation of Polska???
    Ve have many great cultures.

    Jaroslaw Kaczynski is great hero of state. Only fault I can find is that he doesn't drink enough beer or watch enough porn clips.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  8. Damn...

    by Duodave - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:24am

    Does this mean I can't sit in my pickup truck with a beer between my knees reading porn, park the truck then go into the voting place and vote? How many republicans have been doing that for years?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  9. by Andre - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:28am

    I a moments like this I feel embarrassed that I hold polish passport. Luckily I do not have to live there anymore. I think he confuses the role of a president with the role of a comedienne.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  10. by Anonnymouse - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:31am

    The real question is why anyone would sully their fantasy time by thinking about his politics.. ;)

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  11. Heck...

    by TheDock22 - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:32am

    I could see not wanting people to be drunk while voting. We may end up electing Curious George for President! Oh wait...we kind of did a couple times...

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  12. On the other hand...

    by jt - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:33am

    ...if they hand out porn & beer at the voting booths, do you think voter participation would increase? I think it might!

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  13. Re: The disillusioned youth...

    by moe - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 7:55am

    Haha, that's the understatement of the year.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  14. Best decisions

    by Brett - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 8:56am

    Some of the best decisions of my life have been made after beer and porn.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  15. Oh man...

    by Michael G - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 9:32am

    I hate to be thinking of myself thinking like this but I kind of agree with the principle of what he's saying, voting shouldn't be just an afterthought. I must be drunk watching too much porn.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  16. Re: Just wondering...

    by TriZz - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 9:37am

    ...are you joking? It's Europe. I don't think they have an age limit on beer, and most broadcast television contains nudity (including the commercials).

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  17. Beer & Porn, eh?

    by Rational Beaver - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 10:17am

    So I guess it's okay for women to vote online (unless he objects to playing Scrabulous on Facebook while voting).

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  18. Re: Re: Just wondering...

    by Nick - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 10:48am

    It's Europe. I don't think they have an age limit on beer, and most broadcast television contains nudity (including the commercials)


    I assume your joking?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  19. Re: Re: Just wondering...

    by R. H. - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 11:26am

    The legal drinking age in Poland is 18. Just thought you'd want to know ^_^

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  20. by Anonymous Coward - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 12:08pm

    realy this makes sense, lets assume that internet voting was avaliable. do you know what would happen?!?! i can see it now, im drinking my beer...watching my porn, and suddenly it the very cute blond chick getting it from behind AND talking about what she would do as president to change the country, id be so drunk that id believe her and go vote.

    yep...i see this is a BIG problem.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  21. Internet Voting

    by Robert - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 1:34pm

    I would love to be able to vote online, I think it would greatly increase Voter Turnout for the younger crowd whom is comfortable doing everything online these days.

    It could hardly be any worse than the damn e-voting machines we keep hearing about being hacked and malfunctioning.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  22. by Jake - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 2:02pm

    On some level, I can see his point; voting is the kind of thing that really ought to involve some serious thought, rather than being done as an afterthought.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  23. by BTR1701 - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 2:54pm

    Seems to me, voter turnout would dramatically increase with the addition of porn and beer. It sure would make voting for Hillary more palatable if a nice picture of Isabella Soprano was in the next browser window.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

  24. Re: Serious

    by BTR1701 - Mar 20th, 2008 @ 2:55pm

    > voting is the kind of thing that really ought to involve some
    > serious thought, rather than being done as an afterthought

    Yes, but it's not the government's place to be telling me or regulating me into thinking the way they've decided I ought to be thinking.

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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