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Comment by cyphar | Hacker News Reader

> It feels like totalitarianism to me. What if I feel that a certain election is a sham, and prefer not to participate? Democratic regimes should be sane enough so that people want to vote. Too many people not wanting to vote should be taken as a signal that something is seriously wrong.

I disagree. Compulsory voting is incredibly important, because it ensures that everyone is represented. You can even enter a blank or invalid vote if you think the election is a sham. People who claim that "those who don't care about politics shouldn't vote" don't believe in a true democracy. In a true democracy you don't accept that 30-40% of your population is not represented because they didn't show up to vote.

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> Compulsory voting is incredibly important, because it ensures that everyone is represented.

So let's assume that voting in compulsory in the US this year, and everyone actually shows up to vote. After the election, results come up:

  XX% Clinton
  YY% Trump
  Z% Johnson

The results obviously would be different if voting haven't been compulsory. That would be:

  AA% Clinton
  BB% Trump
  C% Johnson

I fail to see how this ensured that everyone is represented.

Where XX% + YY% + Z% < 60%. Everyone's view has been represented! While you might not be able to vote for "random candidate X", that's a deeper issue in the American voting system. But it doesn't invalidate that compulsory voting does ensure that everyone's view of the candidates in question is represented.

Out of curiosity, how would you enforce compulsory voting, and what would you consider acceptable penalties for non-participation?

In Australia it's only a $20 fine (approx US$15) for not voting.

For a first time offender, there's a $20 fine. For multiple-time offenders it's a higher fine. In addition, we offer many alternative ways of voting. We have postal voting open for >2 months before the election and are due a week after election. In addition, voting booths are open for several weeks before the election to allow for early voters. Identity verification is pretty lax, so you don't need to carry your passport everywhere. And "donkey" or null voting are well-known techniques for abstaining from a vote. And if you're in another state and don't have a postal ballot, you can vote at another state's voting booth.

All of this results in a >95% voter turnout. Which I think is pretty damn good.

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