Ultimate How to Vote Guide

Nowadays people are increasingly disillusioned with major parties and look out for small parties that better represent their individual views. There are many single-issue parties that cater for that as well as few catch all discontent parties that attract votes from anyone who is fed up with something. 

Despite that however these small parties fail to get enough votes. Because of that, to avoid your vote being wasted, you have to decide who of the major parties you will prioritize ahead of the others. After all voting for purple to prevent beige from winning is valid and important consideration if all prime ministers and cabinet members ever came from either of these two parties.

If values and principles of either of the major parties do no ring anything in you, then you should vote based on one thing everyone agrees on: money. Each party has extensive plans for a budget money on how they intend to spend or not spend it. Depending on your own financial situation you will benefit from one or another approach to spending.

I will use Australian parties and incomes as an example. Here is the simple breakdown:

If you earn less than $40,000 annually you should vote Greens

If you earn between $40,000 and $130,000 annually, you should vote Labour

If you earn between $130,000 and $500,000 you should vote Liberals

If you earn more than $500,000 you should vote Nationals

 As simple as that.

It a rule of thumb thing and in certain cases individual circumstances might make it more beneficial to vote LIbs if you only make $119,000, or Labour if you make $139,000, but overall, these rules work.

Now I will explain why:

Below $40,000

If you make this much then you either unemployed or doing some casual pay next to nothing work. If you have rental, you struggle to pay rent. If not, you live in a basement, in a car coach surf or homeless. Money you make cannot pay for good things other people have such as cars, mortgage, vacation, private health or school. All you can afford is food, cloth, public transport and some basic stuff.

Because you cannot afford a car, a home or expensive things, a party that is willing to spend most on various free stuff is the best for you. A party that will spend most on free public housing, free public transport, free health care, schools. 

It does not matter if such party has reckless policies that can endanger the economy. Your poverty is a proof that economy does not work for you personally, so it does not matter if it also broken to those who are more well off than you. Neither it matters if they tax cars, fuel, homes, high income and so on. With this kind of money, you will not be able to afford a driving license, much less a car. All these only apply to people who are more well off than you. Some of these might even give you notices to leave and other such nasty things. You might as well want to screw them off.

Tax does not matter either. On amounts less than $40,000 its either nonexistent or just a token amount. Free stuff that taxes of those who are richer than you will help afford things you can benefit from.

Because of that you can bravely vote for a party that promises to spend billions on free housing, free buses, bikes and so on. If you cannot have a car, at least get a free bike from Greens rather than highbrow lecture about respecting private property on cars of those fancy car owners.

In Australia the Greens is the most pro poor populist party out there. I do not know their inner working, but their policies are the most generous of all major parties. Greens are the party for those at the bottom of income gap.

Between $40,000 and $130,00

Now we are in a frugal comfort territory. You are not as bad as the group above but not as good as those who prat about taxes. Unlike the actual poor, you likely have a real full-time job with super benefits and other important attributes of labor voting working class. With the better money you make, you can afford a car and a basic home in mortgage or a good rental that you can comfortably pay.

All that makes you not as desperate to vote for reckless and untried Greens. After all you have good job and do not want to lose it to some screw up.

However, you are not so well off to splurge on things like private health or school. If you do, you likely struggle to afford such things. Because of that, services provided by the government are still important for you and you want government to spend on hospitals, nurses and schools.

Taxable amount becomes more substantial, but still not that large. With income like that you will likely spend more on private school and health insurance than pay in tax to maintain public services.

All in all, a moderate and responsible pro-spend party is your best choice. In Australia its Labour.

Finally, if you work in the unionized industry or in general an employee rather than a manager, you best option could be voting Labour regardless of income. Better labor law is something your workplace can benefit from.

Between $130,000 and $500,000

No finally we are with the income bracket that can afford a good home in a posh suburb such as Vaucluse, private school, private super premium all included health insurance with indefinite dentist visits, Bora Bora vacation several times a year, expensive car, possibly a small recreational watercraft that some might call yacht or another such expensive hobby item.

It's a live those above could envy and wish to have. However, since you live in a posh suburb where everyone else is just as well off as you are, you do not see yourself as rich. Instead, you think that you struggle with high taxes and wasteful government spending. Of course, for you a new yacht is sure more important than some poor people not dying from starvation or being able to afford healthcare. If I had the same money you have, I would be the same.

Because of the above your best bet is to vote Liberals. Tax cuts will allow your watercraft to be 5meters longer and you will never even see people who will be homeless or die from these cuts as they live in suburbs like Inala or Redbank.

But there is more. You likely also own an investment property or a stock market portfolio. Because of that you need economy to prosper so that value of these things keeps increasing. So, voting for a party that prioritize Moodys rating to everything else if equally important. Libs get you covered here as well.

Finally, if you a manager or business owner, then a Liberal rather than Labour style labor law. Labour law that gives more power over employees to managers will benefit you as well. You can achieve your objectives without having to consider wellbeing of your subordinates. Not to mention you will feel like a boss and not an administrator constrained by rules.

So confidently read Murdoch press and vote Libs. It's a party for your income bracket. Just wander clear of Inala or Redbank as people there might want to stab your rich ass to death for doing this to them.

More than $500,000

I do not think there are salaries above $500,000 but 1% true upper class clearly makes more than this per year from large businesses they own, investments and so on. Some of them are public figures such as Gina Reinhard or Rupert Murdoch but there are many more people who own just as much and are as wealthy as these two.

With their numbers are so few yet their wealth is so high, it matters most whom they give money for campaign than who they vote for.

As for the manager of the medium size business who is not as rich and influential as Rupert Murdoch, yet far richer and more important than those in Vaucluse category above, then they might as well vote Nationals. A real true tories, unlike their watered-down version in Liberals.