Should Voting Be Mandatory?

Compulsory voting is the idea that everyone eligible should be required by law to vote in elections. Twenty-one countries, including Australia, enforce this with penalties like fines or restrictions on accessing services. The goal is to ensure high voter turnout and make election results more representative of the entire population. Supporters argue that mandatory voting strengthens democracy by giving a voice to all groups, not just those who are highly motivated. It could also encourage governments to consider broader interests, knowing that more diverse voters will weigh in.

However, there are drawbacks. Critics claim it infringes on personal freedom, forcing people to vote even if they are uninformed or disinterested. They also argue that it might lead to a high number of random or protest votes, reducing the overall quality of electoral outcomes.

[NaudVanDalen]

No paycheck for 3 months is insane compared to losing $20.

[jaegrant]

Mandatory voting also ensures that people can't be discouraged from voting. It has to be easily accessible

[BenJR]

An important caveat to this is that in Australia, we also have the right to throw our vote. If we don’t like the candidates, or the idea of voting, we can just submit a blank/incomplete ballot. The actual “voting” isn’t compulsory, just having our name ticked off that we showed up

[jg-dy]

It’s 100% the democracy sausage that gets us Aussies to the polling booth to be fair

[williamhrivnak]

Funny enough, jury duty is a reason a lot of people choose not to vote. Many counties in the US base the jury duty pool on registered voters, so if you don’t register you’re guaranteed to never serve on jury duty. I’ve met numerous people who cited this exact reason for not voting

[ptowzapotato]

Technically you don't have to vote, you just have to submit a ballet, sometimes people draw pictures on theirs instead

[motorsr]

No, it shouldn't be illegal, but it should be a national day off to make sure as many people as possible have the opportunity. And make a federal law on absentee and early voting protection.

[sineadpurcell]

I don’t know about voting, but I feel like the draft shouldn’t be mandatory.

[jerrybob]

As an Australia I have to correct you and say it”s not the $20 fine but the democracy sausage that motivates us

[iestyn]

voting for the ironland party today (i live in wales)

[JerjerB]

In Schaffhausen, Switzerland, where I now live, voting is compulsory, meaning that eligible voters are required by law to participate in elections. This is the only canton in Switzerland where voting is mandatory. If a voter doesn’t participate, they may face a small fine.

In practice, even with this rule, not everyone participates, but the turnout rate in Schaffhausen tends to be higher than in other cantons.

[KillzoneMD]

If someone has the right to vote, you also should have the right to abstain from voting.

[AsteriskLia]

In Brazil you also pay a fine, it's five reais if I'm not mistaken. That is, less than 1 dollar — The problem is that to update your voter registration along with the fine you have to wait in lines and do a lot of work, mainly bureaucratic. So people vote compulsorily to avoid having to deal with something that is common in the country: Bureaucracy. I waited until I was 18 to vote and now I can't stop while I'm in college because if I don't comply with my electoral obligations I could lose my scholarship, public servants also have this risk.

[herbiecodbake]

Australian elections! We got:
Postal votes
Early voting (at least 1 week prior)
Pencil and paper
Preferential voting!
AND THE DEMOCRACY SAUSAGE

[YaBoiWilhelm]

As a Aussie and considering what's going on in America.... Yeah I'll take the mandatory voting.

[Mrs.Jekyll]

No, I dont think the United states should have an mandatory voting. Its part of the first amendment to criticize the government. Not voting for certain elections because of certain people running in the election counts as a vote

[jspafford]

Just make it a national holiday so people can vote. Only 31 states have laws that let people legally have time off to go vote. 80% of people work during the day. And a lot of those can’t go stand in line for hours to vote. And can’t vote my mail or don’t know about it. Or early voting.

[voilet-the-non-violet-vulpix]

We need to firstly make sure that voting is ACCESSIBLE to everyone!
If we impart penalties without making it reasonably achievable to vote, we’re just punishing the poor, the disabled, the otherwise disenfranchised.
There is too much vote suppression happening in the US, & beyond that, to many people can’t afford to take the day off to drive to a polling place!

[itsalsorowan]

argentino here, we also have mandatory voting for people 18 and over with a (really small) fine for mot voting. notoriously however, we only do elections on the weekends, when people don't work. the system is also so rigorous that we know the results the day of.

it's also culturally negative not to vote. people will think that you're lazy, irresponsible, or avoiding your civic duty.

[alexandertraeger]

There's not much more American than choosing to not vote. Especially when both major parties nominate terrible candidates. You have the liberty to devoice yourself from politics and the government shouldn't be able to force itself upon you.