[Drowningnotwavin...]

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-ne...0103-2c6hr.html

So this is just a idea flying around qld state elections but do you think voting should be compulsory?

Should a democracy give you a choice to vote or not?

[Jemstar]

I think it's important that everyone votes, otherwise you end up with a situation who only a small number of people are choosing government and it is not repsentative of the entire population. Unfortunately, you have to make it compulsory to achieve that situation.

[Lucretia Borgia]

I think you get a more democratic outcome if voting is compulsory, even though the concept of "compulsory voting" seems, on its face, undemocratic ...

Oh ETA, it's not really the voting that's compulsory, it's the turning up to vote...ie getting your name marked off...if you are truly disgusted with politics you can cast an informal vote and no one will be any the wiser...as its anonymous .....but I think turning up to vote is the least a civilised society can ask of its citizens .....

This post has been edited by Lucretia Borgia: 03/01/2013, 06:31 PM

[CupOfCoffee]

I think it's important that everyone votes, otherwise you end up with a situation who only a small number of people are choosing government and it is not repsentative of the entire population. Unfortunately, you have to make it compulsory to achieve that situation.

I agree with this.

To maintain democracy, we all have a responsibility (and I think think should continue to be mandated) to vote.

(I am going to be cynical, I am assuming the LNP believe it will be in their best interest to remove compulsory voting (not necessarily democracy's best interest).

[Drowningnotwavin...]

(I am going to be cynical, I am assuming the LNP believe it will be in their best interest to remove compulsory voting (not necessarily democracy's best interest).

Yeah I saw this in the comments section mentioned a few times, that basically the ALP benefits for comp voting. Not sure if that's true.

To be honest I'm not sure what I think about this.

[AvadaKedavra]

I guess it comes down to whether you want an 'opt-in' system or an 'opt-out' system.

We currently have an opt-out system. You can choose to not participate in the voting process by casting a vote that you know will not be counted, so it's not like anyone is being forced to cast a legitimate vote against their will.

The problem I see with an opt in system is that it further disenfranchises people who might already find it hard to engage with the political process - the poor, the single parents who have to drag young kids to the booths on voting day, shift workers (who are often also poor), young people, the elderly, people of NESB etc because when you have a zillion other immediate problems (how will I put food on the table, how will I pay rent etc) the political process suddenly seems distant and unimportant. Which is how you end up with the wealthy dominating the process of representation, like you see in the US.

One of the great failings of democracy, in my opinion, is that while it represents the interests of the majority really well, it marginalizes the minority. Even if the majority are making decisions on behalf of the minority that the minority disagree with (eg think of the abortion debate in the US). I don't think a voting process that makes it even harder for the underrepresented minority to cast their vote is a good way forward.

[CupOfCoffee]

Yeah I saw this in the comments section mentioned a few times, that basically the ALP benefits for comp voting. Not sure if that's true.

To be honest I'm not sure what I think about this.

I am not sure who would benefit really, from memory it was a seed planted by Alfred Deakin and in Queensland was introduced I thought by the Liberal party at the time. But that was based on different voter demographics.

Now lets hope they don't mention a gerrymander.

[Drowningnotwavin...]

This comment stood out for me and I have no idea if this is true or not but :

......The original motive of compulsory suffrage was to prevent electoral fraud. Tactics such as voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, and box dropping (trying to get the electoral booth as close to your supporters as possible) only work if voters can be prevented or dissuaded from voting. If its compulsory, then electoral fraud is made much more difficult......

I can see the logic behind this argument but not sure if this reasoning still applies today in this country.

[AntiBourgeoisie]

I think you get a more democratic outcome if voting is compulsory, even though the concept of "compulsory voting" seems, on its face, undemocratic ...

Democracy is a government of the people, formed by consensus of the people. I don't think there's anything to suggest that compulsory voting is undemocratic, in fact I think it's the only way to form a completely democratic government. Democracy is not about people having a right to choose to participate in the political process, it's about actually participating in the political process.
I don't think Australia has the population to support optional voting. In the US, just over 1/3 of the population voted in the recent election - and that was an election that people generally cared about. If something similar happened here, that would make it, what, just over 7 million people in Australia deciding our government?

[MrsLexiK]

I don't think it should be compulsory. I am married to a person who only a started doing a real vote last election. He along with plenty of others going around only mark there name off.