Australia voting system mandatory voting

Should voting be mandatory? Voting is compulsory at federal elections, by-elections and referendums for those on the electoral roll, as well as for State and Territory elections. People in this situation are asked to explain their failure to vote. Australia enforces compulsory voting.

The continent is part of a small minority of just countries with mandatory voting laws.

Only of those enforce them. All citizens over the age of are required to enrol. It is the only English-speaking country that compels its. People who fail to vote may receive a notice in the mail seeking an explanation of their failure to vote. If the explanation is not accepte then first-time offenders are fined $20.

The idea of something being enforced by law can seem constrictive, but I believe making voting compulsory is the opposite. If they do not, then they must prove they were ill or incapable of making it to the polling place or face an extensive fine.

House of Representatives. In some countries, the electoral system requires that all the eligible citizens must register and vote in the national election failure for which there is a penalty. There are about countries worldwide that have a compulsory voting but only enforce it.

Countries With Compulsory Voting. If the voter chooses not to vote, then penalties can be imposed if a sufficient reason for not voting cannot be provided. Topics: government-and-politics , federal- election , elections. This theory manifested in the seat of Burdekin – the LNP won the seat with a 2PP of 50. Labor’s candidate beating the LNP candidate by 4. One Nation votes carried to the LNP.

If the remaining voters are more engaged as a result of compulsory voting then it should be regarded as a successful policy. Despite seeming attractive at first glance, compulsory voting is a political mirage. In Brazil, the largest country with a compulsory voting system , voting is mandatory for all literate adults between the ages of and 70.

Mandatory voting age: - Population: 211. Altogether, an estimated 7million people live in nations with compulsory voting laws. That means that, for federal, state and local government elections, if you are eligible to vote, you must have your name on the electoral roll, and must cast a vote at each election, unless you have a valid excuse.

While compulsory voting may mask the symptoms, it isn’t a cure for the disease. The penalty is a small fine. The real problem is members of the public not wanting to vote.

The AEC claims “the link between compulsory voting and informal voting is difficult to prove”, but admits that informal voting and “donkey voting ” are “particularly apparent under compulsory voting ”. In almost fifty years as a registered voter, I have failed to vote about half a dozen times and every time I was issued with a small fine. It is a long time since it happened so I don’t recall the exact amount, but it was negligible. If voting were made voluntary, it would shake up the political system.

Parties and candidates would have to do more to convince people of the merits of their policies in order to get voters to the polls. In Lebanon, gender and education disparities are a defining characteristic of the country’s compulsory voting system. Voting is mandatory for all men over the age of while voting is authorize but not require for women and older only if they have obtained at least an elementary. In election : Compulsory voting.

The concept of compulsory voting reflects a strain in democratic theory in which voting is considered not merely a right but a duty. There are also examples of countries such as Venezuela and the Netherlands which at one time in their history practiced compulsory voting but have since abolished it. For many years in several countries, voting is non- compulsory.

This means that the government does not force its citizens to show up at voting precincts to cast their votes. However, there are a number of nations that impose mandatory voting.