Democracy implies freedom, yet in some countries you do not have the freedom not to vote.
One example is Australia, one of the countries that enforce compulsory voting. Aussies go to the polls this Saturday in the 2013 Federal Election which will definitely see the election of a new candidate, if not a new party.
Citizens have been legally required to cast a ballot since 1925 after a particularly low turnout earlier in the decade.
However voters Down Under are not required to vote for a particular party and are entitled to spoil their vote.
They are simply required to make sure that their ballot makes it into the box. The Australian government makes it easier for citizens by staging elections on Saturdays and Sundays, enabling working people to have the time to cast their vote. A similar practice is used in other countries where voting is compulsory.
In terms of punishments, if you fail to vote as an Australian citizen, you are asked why you failed to participate. If authorities are not satisfied by the reason or excuse, then a $20 - 50 fine is imposed. Failure to pay the fine can lead to a court hearing.
Of course Australia is not the only country where voting is compulsory. In the map below, red dotes denote countries where compulsory voting is informed, whereas the blue dots are states where voting is compulsory, but not enforced by the authorities.
In certain countries if you refuse to vote, it becomes harder to find a job in the public sector. Belgium would be a case in point, a land where you can be barred from voting for 10 years if you miss one election. Meanwhile you cannot get a new passport or a driving licence if records show you are a vote dodger in Greece and Peru.
And in Bolivia you can have your salary withdrawn for a number of months.
In one sense it does get people to the ballot box with 93 per cent of registered voters in Austrlia, casting a ballot.
But the one thing, compulsory voting cannot cure in any country is the choice between the current shower and the other shower on opposition benches.
