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The “compulsory” part applies to both the voter and the Government. People in the remotest of remote communities, troops on deployment, researchers in Antartica
by foobar1962 8y ago
The “compulsory” part applies to both the voter and the Government. People in the remotest of remote communities, troops on deployment, researchers in Antartica, the Government is obliged that they all have a reasonable chance to lodge a vote.
Also of note is how EASY it is to vote here. Postal votes can be lodged. There are “early voting” places open a couple of weeks before the Election Day, and the elections are held on Saturdays.
- ams6110 8y agoI think the point is, what is the purpose of voting if the voter knows nothing about the candidates or issues on the ballot? You can pass a law making voting compulsory; it's a much bigger challenge to be sure the voter is informed about what he's voting on.
- jakelazaroff 8y ago> what is the purpose of voting if the voter knows nothing about the candidates or issues on the ballot? Basically eliminating voter suppression, for one.
- nicoburns 8y agoIt's always possible to explicitly vote for none of the candidates. You just have to turn up. I reckon this probably results in a better representation og the true will of the people overall.
- mynameisvlad 8y agoThere's a (slightly) higher chance of the voter getting themselves informed if voting is compulsory. You won't get everyone, but it's certainly more than it being optional where you can choose to be lazy and have no repercussions.