Mandatory voting. Good or bad?

Thanks for agreeing.
Would be lovely to see more people respecting peaceful Muslim in our country and acknowledging that our problems in Australia are minor.
That despite our ill alliance with the US, which cost so many Muslim people their lives, in Iraq and else....
Reg.

 

Don't mention it - they're gonna be victims the same as the rest of us. It's just that they're already signed up to it, and live by Sharia law, so they'll find it easier by not having to adapt to a whole new way of living.

 

They could impose a $500 fine on those who refuse to vote.

 

Can you elaborate on what you by "our problems are minor"

 

The United States, I think the terms voter suppression and voter fraud are catch phrases for when your candidate loses. Sure, you’ll always find an example of two of each, but usually nothing more. We don’t have high voter participation here. Since 1970 voter participation in the presidential elections averaged 54%, in the midterms 37% then in state and local elections when they aren’t on the same day as either the presidential or midterm, 20%.


I think those percentages show those who actually care, take the time to get out and vote. The rest don’t. But even among those who do vote, our elections are more or less beauty contests. Few researches where candidates stand on issues or what their policies will be. The hard-core base of each party naturally votes for their candidates regardless, just the R and the D are important, nothing else which includes candidates’ qualifications, experience, etc.


Another group of voters, the independents which Gallup puts at 43% of the U.S. electorate. They don’t pay much if any attention to the workings and going on of government. When asked why you voted for so and so, you get back answers like he looked more presidential, I liked his slogan, my parents voted for him or my friend or my favorite actor liked him, he’s cute, etc. Very few weigh the issues or the candidates when it comes to independents. You’d be surprised at the amount of folks that couldn’t tell you both major party candidates for president in 2016. You want these folks to vote?


Then you have those who never voted, my son is a prime example of that. He’s close to 50 now. He says what difference does it make who wins, Washington is going to do what Washington wants to do regardless of who wins. They never listen to the people anyway, just those who give them money.


Personally, I think we have quite enough of voters who vote without knowing what they’re voting for without mandatory voting.

 

Forcing people to vote is a bad idea.. Does Iran do that kind of thing?

 

Did you take the red pill, or the blue?

 

Regardless of color, the reductors....
Reg.

 

Look around,
please have a close look around, and if you don't like it, travel to war torn countries like Iraq !!!!
Then, latest then, you can see and watch the real problems of our relationship with the US and the dire consequences.....
Just stop pretending that Muslim are at the core of our problems.
Reg.

 

The good outweights the bad concerning the OP.

 

They are required to pay (small) fine - unless they have a valid reason (e.g ill health) for which proof is usually required.

 

As for only having 'bad' choices in candidates to choose from there is an old axiom which I think answers this question. It goes something like 'There might not be anyone or a something (e.g. a policy) you wish to vote for but there will always be someone or something you want to vote against! So you end up choosing the least bad candidate.

 

I've lived in a country where you didn't have to vote but it was vital that you do...
and now in a country where I am forced to vote and nothing really changes whether you do or not

Believe me the latter is by far the better (safer) option... I think these rules/regulations are in a way dictated by the situation on the ground.

 

sw,
excellent reply!!!!
Reg.

 

Just a note for those ignorant of how Australia's voting laws work (which appear to include some Australians). No Australian is compelled to vote for anyone. I will just repeat that. No Australian is compelled to vote for anyone.

Australians are compelled to have their name crossed off the electoral roll at election time. This can be done by attending a polling place or submitting a postal ballot. There is no compulsion to fill out the ballot. There is no compulsion to vote for any candidate on the ballot. Pretty easy really. You don't have to vote for anyone.

Fortunately the side effect of compelling people to participate in the electoral process in some way is that most people choose to lodge a valid vote. While there is no evidence that our system produces consistently better quality candidates than other systems, it does seem to limit the power of small but highly motivated extremists. That is limit, not remove.

Compulsory voting works for us, though I don't think it could be applied in the US. Different political culture. That isn't to say it wouldn't have a positive impact, just that it wouldn't be practical.

 

And supposing there's a mass refusal - either a refusal to vote or to pay the fine? What then?

 

Gets complicated...
A notification of the fine imposed goes to the state debt recovery office, of course costs are added, and a
property seizure order is issued, with more costs added, and a collection officer comes knocking on your door with authority to collect the total amount or seize and sell assets to the value of...
In Australia, court fines if unpaid are added to your vehicle registration or drivers license, whichever first falls due for renewal...if not renewed, the offender is then either unlicensed, or is then driving an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle....not sure if fail to vote fines are added to your license or registration.....
Very draconian...all brought about by state governments not wanting offenders to serve default gaol sentences for traffic fines if they didnt pay up..also an attempt to keep the costs of running gaols down
by having less inmates...
Millions of dollars of unpaid fines currently exist in all Australian states...

 

However it's dressed up, it's an interference, even an obstruction, of freedom of choice, and is therefore undemocratic. Don't be manipulated or intimidated by public servants to whom you are a paymaster; insist upon your rights as a citizen or stop paying your taxes.

 

I havent voted for over 30 years...

 

The right to vote is a privilege to be exercised or not, and isn't mandated. The next logical step to forcing someone to vote with menaces is forcing that someone which effing party to vote for with menaces. Politicians are your servants, not your masters. Does anyone seriously believe they'd prosecute and imprison defaulters? There would be rioting in the streets if they did that, and they know it, so there's nothing they can do.

 

They dont imprison defaulters.

 

About 20 years for me - not since The Blessed Margaret was chucked out. Come the revolution, bruvver?

 

Well there's no sanction for refusing to pay a fine then, is there? So what's all the fuss about! What's the point of threatening to fine someone knowing full well that they'll simply refuse to pay it??

 

Are you trying to communicate with me? You'll have to do better than that if you are!