Member-only story
Compulsory Voting Doesn’t Have to Be Compulsory
In Australia, voting in municipal, state and federal elections has been mandatory since 1924. Over 90% of eligible voters consistently get to the ballot box, and serious opposition to compulsory voting is practically nonexistent.
The punishment for refusing to vote without a valid excuse? A mere $20 fine.
Moreover, it technically isn’t mandatory to actually select a candidate. All one needs to do is get their name marked off on the register and drop a ballot into the box. Whether anything is written on that ballot is irrelevant.
Still, genuine expressions of political preference are commonplace. The Australian Electoral Commission designates illegible, blank or spoiled ballots as informal votes. This category only comprised about 5% of ballots in the 2019 General Election. In other words, the vast majority of Australians show up and vote correctly, surpassing their legal obligations.
