... and my civic duty is done for another few years! As always, I try to do an early vote for the elections... mostly because I tend to be working on the weekend when Australian elections are being held, and it means that I'm not trying to cast a vote at the same time as the rest of the country!

However, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is going to be quicker! There are incredibly limited early voting centres open... compared to the actual election day, when pretty much every community centre and school becomes a voting place! And the biggest downside to voting early is the lack of a democracy sausage afterwards... poop!

This time, it was about a half hour or so in line before I reached the ballot box. I hadn't realised, but there is actually a list of "conditions" that you are supposed to be affected by that make you eligible to be casting an early vote... these include the inability to attend a voting centre on the day of the election. Which, in my case, is actually true... I'm in rehearsals and concert for the whole of this coming Saturday.

... but the application of these "conditions" is pretty damn lax. They just ask... are you eligible to vote early... to which I mumbled that I was working on Saturday. And there were no other questions asked.

This year, the ballot papers have been whittled down significantly! Sometimes the senate and reps lists are stupendously huge... and maybe in some of the more populous states, they might still be. But we are a quiet backwater... so, short lists. And short lists are good... and for the senate, I voted independent as always... and I WAS going to cast a dud vote for the lower house...

... but at the last minute, I changed my mind and cast my vote to oppose something that I didn't like. I don't usually do this... if I don't like either side, I will cast a null vote... and I HATE voting AGAINST something by casted a vote in the opposite camp... but in this case, I was pretty annoyed by it... and so, cast in opposition.

I did do a quick research... and neither camp had any notable crypto policies... and so, that wasn't an issue. Although, if the American election has anything to learn from... perhaps that isn't a good enough single issue topic to vote upon.

But done and dusted for a few more years... apart from local elections. My wife still has to reclaim her Australian citizenship... and that is still a work in progress... not because of any legal complications, but more of procrastination ones.

Feels good to take part in this democratic event... it is important.

Handy Crypto Tools

Ledger Nano S/X: Keep your crypto safe and offline with the leading hardware wallet provider. Not your keys, not your crypto!
Coinbase Wallet: Multi chain wallet with lots of opportunities to Learn and Earn!
Binance: My first choice of centralised exchange, featuring a wide variety of crypto and savings products.
WooX: The centralised version of WooFi. Stake WOO for fee-free trades and free withdrawals! This link also gives you back 25% of the commission.
GMX.io: Decentralised perpetual futures trading on Arbitrum!
Coinbase: If you need a regulated and safe environment to trade, this is the first exchange for most newcomers!
Crypto.com: Mixed feelings, but they have the BEST looking VISA debit card in existence! Seriously, it is beautiful!
CoinList: Access to early investor and crowdsale of vetted and reserached projects.
Cointracking: Automated or manual tracking of crypto for accounting and taxation reports.
KuCoin: I still use this exchange to take part in the Spotlight and Burning Drop launches.
MEXC: Accepts HIVE, and trades in most poopcoins! Join the casino!
ByBit: Leverage and spot trading, next Binance?
OkX: Again, another Binance contender?