# Australians, what's the fine for not voting in your country?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-whats-the-fine-for-not-voting-in-your-country/207140>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-whats-the-fine-for-not-voting-in-your-country/207140 "2003-10-13T07:18:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-whats-the-fine-for-not-voting-in-your-country/207140/21 "2003-10-13T20:33:41Z")

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> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by Monty \*  
> \*\*Just because not everyone here’s Australian, I feel the need to ask: Is “ACT” the abbreviation for “Australian Capitol Territory”? \*\*

I’m not an Aussie but I think it’s Australian **Capital** Territory.

V

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**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-whats-the-fine-for-not-voting-in-your-country/207140/22 "2003-10-13T20:33:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Monty \*  
> \*\*Just because not everyone here’s Australian, I feel the need to ask: Is “ACT” the abbreviation for “Australian Capitol Territory”? \*\*

Apologies, **Monty** and others.

Yes, that’s what ACT stands for. The capital of Australia, Canberra, is located in the ACT.

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**Author:** ![Rodrigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Rodrigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodrigo)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-whats-the-fine-for-not-voting-in-your-country/207140/23 "2003-10-13T20:57:56Z")

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Just to drop a line. In Peru, where I’m from, registration and voting are compulsory. Not voting makes you unable to sign contract or cash checks (at least in theory) among other things, you can get an exemption if you were at the hospital or abroad.

The fine is (aprox.) $6. You may think it isn’t a lot, but here the minimum wage is $130 a month and a state school teacher makes $200, so those $6 really hurt for most of my fellow countrymen.

Every year some politician moves that voting be made voluntary, but in the end it never goes on for two main reasons:  
a) None of the political parties really know if it’ll benefit them or hurt them, so they won’t risk it.  
b) We risk having, at least at the beginning (just to see how it feels), dismal showings which would de.legitimise the elected in a region where democracy is always out on a limb

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**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-whats-the-fine-for-not-voting-in-your-country/207140/24 "2003-10-14T00:31:51Z")

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Thanks, Vetch & Goo; and also my apologies for misspelling “Capital.”

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