in australia, we have a system of compulsory voting. if you are on the electoral role, you are legally required to attend on polling day and vote. this has been the law since 1901 when australia began as a federated nation.

i am interested in how others feel about this arrangement. how would you feel if voting was compulsory? do you think it makes any difference?

I think that is really umm, scarry. I don't think any government should make anyone vote, because many people aren't informed enough to vote and that also elliminates the opinion to choose to not vote and protest the politicians or anything else you may want. That is the type of policy where even if it made people more engaged in politics it would still be giving too much power to the government. I can't imagine anyone in America supporting that.

I would be curious what the effects on people's political involvement and political views would be.

It's accepted in Australia on the basis of the duty of a citizen to vote. Anyway that's one of the arguments used when it comes up for discussion.

One of the other arguments is that since everyone is required to vote (there are varying interpretations as to whether you have to just attend and get your name noted on the list or whether you actually have to lodge a vote which can of course be despoiled) then the parliament is representative of the public mood.

In Australia we have different electoral systems at federal and state level.

Electoral Council of Australia - Electoral Systems- Voting System

Electoral Council of Australia - Electoral Systems- Enrolment and Voting Eligibility

Are the aborigines also required to vote?

I think that's great and have always wanted compulsory voting in Britain, nice one aussies. To Nerv, when you said that you would not vote to register protest at the politicians well that's not a great idea. Because so many people don't vote the politicians don't take it as a registration of protest, but if you spoil your ballot paper then that'd have to be taken as a registration of protest, becuase you've made the conscious effort to do it.

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Trust me, I'm a socialist!

There's power in a factory,power in the land, power in the hand of the worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand, there is power in a union.
The union forever defending our rights, down with the blackleg, workers unite. To our brothers and our sisters in many far off lands, there is power in a union.
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own. - Billy Bragg

Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment when in America you may typically have a choice between the lesser of two weevils.

Then is it mandatory that you like who you voted for? (^:

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Yes, but you can always spoil your ballot paper.

__________________
Trust me, I'm a socialist!

There's power in a factory,power in the land, power in the hand of the worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand, there is power in a union.
The union forever defending our rights, down with the blackleg, workers unite. To our brothers and our sisters in many far off lands, there is power in a union.
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own. - Billy Bragg

Yes. All citizens are required to vote in accordance with the electoral laws of the commonwealth and any given state or territory.

Not if you vote Labor It's a tradition to start whining about how they aren't doing what you thought they would do, although the whining is pretty subdued with the current government which appears to be doing exactly what it said it would do

Wow, I wonder what it would be like to have a labour government that a) stuck to its manifesto and b) stuck to its constitution.

__________________
Trust me, I'm a socialist!

There's power in a factory,power in the land, power in the hand of the worker. But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand, there is power in a union.
The union forever defending our rights, down with the blackleg, workers unite. To our brothers and our sisters in many far off lands, there is power in a union.
Money speaks for money, the devil for his own. - Billy Bragg