What Czech Elections Do Better and Why I Haven't Voted in the US Since 2012 (Prague Castle Vlog)
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- čas přidán 3. 02. 2023
- Over the last few weeks, I have observed my wife navigate the recent election of Petr Pavel and was impressed with how fast and easy it is to vote if you are Czech and live in the Czech Republic. I havent voted in the US Presidential Election since 2012 because of the long wait times and bad scheduling. In this video I compare the 2.
7:00 I agree it's been always pretty convenient that we could vote both Friday and Saturday. I voted on a Saturday morning twice, took a walk there, a coffee, it was nice. However, the current government has submitted a bill that would reduce it to only one day - that day being Friday. Even as someone who voted for the current coalition, this is one of the… worse ideas, I guess? There is an ongoing public discussion about it with people pointing out that it would make it more difficult for people working long shifts. Also commissions at these polling stations would be there from 8 am to 10 pm and then when the vote ends start counting votes at midnight… Sounds like a terrible gig to me (now the voting rooms are open from 2 to 10 pm on Friday and 8 am to 2 pm on Saturday). Greetings from Strašnice!
Yes that sounds like a very relaxing voting routine 😃Thanks for informing me of this possible change. I wasn't aware they were considering a change to just Fridays. Agreed counting after such a long day sounds terrible. Thanks for the nice comment!
I love your shorts, I learn new things from them!
Haha thanks so much. Coming out with one tomorrow or Monday 😊
Since I've been of voting age, I've always lived in a small town so voting really has only ever taken me around 10 minutes. That is to say, that I look up the ballot and all the ballot issues prior to going to vote so that I know exactly what I'm doing when I get there. I even research some candidates that perhaps I haven't followed such as city commissioner or a particular Judge prior to going.
As for absentee voting, I was happy with the way it used to be. You had to apply for it ahead of time and provide a qualifying reason such as proof that you will be out of the the country or out of the area on that day. I felt it was the best way - still available for those who need it but not for those who don't need it. Because let's face it, statistically speaking, the margin of error or election fraud is much higher when there are more absentee votes. Great video :)
I didn't even know that they used to require qualifying reasons to get an absentee ballot. That is really interesting and I agree it's too bad they don't still have those requirements for absentee ballot votes. I will also say that when I went to bed last election I thought there was a good chance Trump would win and when I woke up well we all know how that turned out. If they really did rig that election its not even a democracy anymore and its just sad.
@@ThePragueExpat0 yeah, I also went to bed to before the infamous 3 am moment when the polls suddenly unprecedentedly shut down. 😞
I appreciate your open and thoughtful style of presentation. Nicely done.
Thanks for watching 😊😊
Got recommended this for no reason and i love it.
Thanks Man.
As a Brit, I enjoy your channel
Thanks!
👍👍👍!!!
Hi, Daniel,
Sir_Mac here, as always!
These presidential elections were very emotional and polarized the czech society, I am sure you have noticed that. Even the quote from Václav Havel was altered. The original one goes:
"Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred." (Pravda a láska musí zvítězit nad lží a nenávistí.),
the altered versoin goes:
"Prague and love must prevail over village and hatred." (Praha a láska musí zvítězit nad vsí a nenávistí.).
But let me ask one specific question / idea of mine: Why in the presidential elections, the old men over 70 years are elected to be a president? In my opinion, if the US wants to progress and go forwards, they need to generate a younger candidate, I would say 50 years of age. Like Barack Obama was...
Yeah it still boggles my mind that Joe Biden was the Democrat Party came up with. And his vice President was the least likable competitor in the Primary.
The degeneration of his mental health was obvious on the campaign trail and he still beat out people like Liz Warren and all the others. He campaigned like he was going to unite America but it has never been so divided.
Also one thing I like about living here is people overall seem way more united than people do in the US. Different people do hate each other like Iv seen in the US.
I have a question:
One of the things that I really like about the elections in Czech Republic is that on Friday you can vote till 10 pm. What is the time limit for Americans to vote?
The polls are open in America from 6 am to 9 pm at night but if there is a line after 9pm they stay open until everyone who wants to vote gets to the ballot box. The last election when I went to bed after 10pm I think there were many polling centers still open around my state.
@@ThePragueExpat0 So Basically that part is almost the same. In Czech Republic they have the same time, but devided in two days: Friday 2 pm to 10 pm, and Saturday 7 am to 2 pm.
@@zlatakelembet3680 yes almost the same open hours. Probably should have included that point in the comparison. For me the number of hours they were open didn’t matter. That’s fact it’s in the middle of the week when I was trying to get the most done is my problem with how it’s scheduled.
Just a remark: The Czech presidential election is not just more convenient for the voter, but much more fairer as well, as really ANYBODY can become a candidate - it can be a cleaning lady or a top manager..
To become a candidate you must fulfill one of these 3 options: Either you collect a signature of at least 50.000 citizens, or you'll get an endorsement from 20 deputies or from 10 senators... This election these conditions have 8 candidates fulfilled.
Then to correct you, the vote was not just between those 2 candidates, as we have a 2 rounds election system: In the first round, you can vote for any of the 8 candidates.. If one of them gets more than 50%, he immediately won..
But as it never ever happens, it comes to the 2nd round, where the 2 candidates with the highest percentage of votes from the first round compete.. The 2nd round happens 2 weeks after the 1st round, therefore you could see high tensions in the Czech rep. during this time....
And to the winner, Petr Pavel, he is a war hero, having saved 53 French soldiers in the Yugoslavian war (1993), then he was the general of the Czech armed forces and a NATO military commitee head between 2015-2018, the first and only from the former Warsaw pact countries.... He is calm, very trustworthy and highly respected man, you could see it from the reactions from the whole world...
And mainly, finally we have a man with principles as the head of state, after the long 20 years of 2 former presidents, meaning his first phone call was with Zelenskyi and the second with Tsai Ing-Wen, the president of Taiwan, for which he received many harsh comments from China..
But we are the closest friends of Taiwan in the EU for a very long time - many visits by our senats president, the Taiwan's heads in Prague, the only EU TSMC factory to be built in Czech republic + many research in the micro-chip industry done by our experts and so much more... In March 2023 there will be another state visit of parliament's chairwoman with many scientist, companies heads and so on and within this year there will also be the Pavel's visit and meeting with Tsai Ing-Wen in person...
Thanks. yeah US elections are limited to Ivy League Elite nowadays.
A side story... Someone I was acquainted with in high school ran for mayor in his town in Michigan and won when he was 18! Not really related as mayors have very little power but I always thought that was cool.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sessions
@@ThePragueExpat0 You see, in the Czech republic you can become a mayor when you'll get the most votes, you can be independent as well.. And mayors in CZ have a significant power in their regions/cities... Overall, the czech elections on every level of governance are 1000times more democratic than the US one..
@@viktornovomestsky3999 Sorry responding more to your previous comment. I just watched Občan Havel Documentary a few days ago and it was interesting to see how he interacted with Zeman back in the 90s. For the first time, there will be a president that was not in that movie
@@viktornovomestsky3999 And yeah Im definitely not knowledgeable of the power structure of local government here. Interesting to hear
iam czech and i agree that its bullshit to go to starbucks when u have tons of cafes around with sometimes even world class baristas for half the price but one thing i love there - caramel frapuccino thats so f*ing damn good hahhah
Haha
Oh, Ron Paul was a smart person! I remember I watched an interview with him. And the reporter asked him a question, Ron replied, and the reporter, all wrapped up in American easy-to-use political clap-trap catchword-slogan way of thinking just didn´t understand. It was tragic.
Yeah, I liked Ron Paul in 2008 and 2012 but he never made it to the general election. He was very anti-war in Iraq which I was also against. Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul are both medical Doctors that turned into politicians. I think Rand would have been an excellent President during the pandemic.
@@ThePragueExpat0 I don´t follow American politics much. So I know there´s Rand Paul and that´s about it. Ron Paul is, I believe, against US involvement in Ukraine. Well, we are happy US is backing us, Europe, up. He sort of implies that Ukraine might not have happened if US had kept out of enterprises all around the globe and in Ukraine. That´s a big IF, I sort of doubt it. That´s just historical experience with Russia as a neighbour.
I actually didnt know Ron Paul was against US involvement in Ukraine. I stopped following what he says after he retired from politics. I think I saw he has a podcast or youtube channel now. Since I left the US I dont follow American politics so much and I think its better for my health. 😃
@@ThePragueExpat0 :) It sure is. Good evening to you :).
One thing that I consider insidious and sneaky is the need to ´register´ to vote in the US as its an unnecessary step that could and probably even designed to eliminate many from their right to vote. As you might know, here in CZE you are eligible to vote once you reach your 18th birthday and you get a voting envelope with the candidates sheets before each election to ones permanent address. If you cannot vote (hospital, sick or elderly who have difficulty to head outside to vote as I manage dto arrange for my eledrly uncle and aunt who are in their late 80s and still wanted to vote), they bring the ballot to you home, covid drive though voting... and yes, I was not at my home during the elections but with the voting card I managed to vote anywhere in the CZE including any embassy abroad. No one loses their right to vote even if you are incarcerated nor anyone can deem you not eligible to vote, which I believe its the case in the US.
The only thing that we do not have and hopefully we will is mailing in votes or perhaps even better electronic online voting... Hopefully it will pass with further digitisation
Interesting point on registering to vote. I never felt like I personally was deprived to vote as anytime I went to get a driver's license (whenever I moved I would need to get a new driver's license and thus get registered to vote). But I can definitely see how a portion of the population might miss out. I think a bigger problem is the cost of living is so high now in many parts of the US.... many people have 2 or even 3 jobs to make ends meet. When election day is only on a Tuesday many of these low-income individuals are too busy working to vote. That is where the mail-in votes are handy. I myself always planned to go to the polling center and just found myself to busy when election day arrived. Thanks for the comment.
@@ThePragueExpat0 Nice Video and as polarising as politics might be as a topic, its always good to see how other countries do things. So looking at it from here in Prague, it is always healthy to compare so once can suggest possible improvements and adopt even better ways of going about it. I am half Czech myself so it is always fascinating to see those differences... You can have a unique perspective and seeing things from various and different angles of approaching the same topic...
Love Ireland by the way :)))))))
@@homobohemicus Thank you very much. People can get so angry if you don't share the same worldview as them these days, more so in America.
Yeah, my Mom lives in Ireland. Hoping to go back for a visit soon.
I was suprised that you do not vote. I checked voter turnout in US and was shocked that it is usually much lower than in Europe 😆 I rather always vote I think because I saw how communists won two elections and then they stayed here almost forever without any. So I am scared that it might happen very easily
Yeah, it is interesting how voter turnout is lower in the US. Part of it is the US has just two relevant political parties and a lot of people do not feel adequately represented by either the Republicans or Democrats... and for some like I said in this video its not really that convenient to vote. Thanks!