In the last week, the Australian government announced that a US$96 million optional non-binding postal vote would be held to gather the opinion of Australians as to whether same sex marriage should be legalized.
This arose after the Australian senate blocked attempts by the Australian government to have a compulsory referendum election on the issue. Whilst many prefer a parliamentary vote (where law makers would directly decide whether or not to legalize same sex marriage), such attempts have also not prevailed.
Is such a non-binding postal vote a good reflection of one person, one vote democracy, or a waste of money given its non-binding nature?