LafariWhy is Australia the only "core anglosphere" country where voting is mandatory?
In order words, why is voting mandatory in Australia, but not UK, US, Canada or New Zealand?
The idea gets raised periodically here, especially since the huge drop in turnout in 1997.
There’s a Research Briefing on it in the Commons Library.
I haven’t read it but it’s a terrible idea. Just another way for the parties to avoid having to offer anything worth voting for.
⸻ Ban DHMO 🇦🇺 ⸻Not really. Plus we have alot more independents/minor parties due to our preferential voting system that people can vote for. What it does is forces people to are more about politics and policy
I think it forces a lot of idiots to just pick a box when they aren’t informed on politics at all. Probably skews the numbers a bit tbh.
Or they get fined if they can’t get to a polling booth due to disability and poor disability access, or circumstances.
There are allowances for that
Idiots are citizens too unfortunately, and their opinions matter. There are no fines for submitting an invalid vote (or if they exist they aren’t enforceable due to the anonymity of the ballot)