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As expected, Facebook called for its users to vote on a series of proposed site governance changes on Monday afternoon.

In short, it’s asking you to vote … on whether you want to vote.

Example: Every time Facebook proposes any major changes to its privacy policies, the company’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (or terms of service agreement) requires that those changes be put to a vote. So Facebook will float changes out to the masses, and it takes 30 percent of the user base to weigh in and have a say in the matter. Otherwise, Facebook’s changes become law.

Problem is, 30 percent of Facebook’s user base is 300 million people, or just under the entire population of the United States. Mobilizing that many people throughout the world to vote at all is pretty much a fool’s errand at this point — especially considering we have a hard enough time with voter turnout in real world elections for people like, oh, the President of the United States. I doubt a little-publicized Facebook vote will make it anywhere near the required amount.

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