# VOTE OR BE FINED...Is this a good idea?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 17, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011 "2003-07-17T00:04:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/21 "2003-07-17T13:11:34Z")

</div>

Oh, one other thing: if the chance to choose the right candidate for PRESIDENT OF THE COUNTRY doesn’t motivate people to vote, why the hell would a $50 fine do the trick?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/22 "2003-07-17T13:20:50Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Eolbo \*  
> **When we turn 18 we are eligible for voting, and must register with the Australian Electoral Commision (AEC) the body that maintains the electoral roll. In practise we are identified via residential address ie John Doe of 6 Whatever Street and Australians who shift residence often are likely familiar with AEC letters requiring updating of address details or complaining that no one is any longer registered at this address. Voting itself is compulsory for federal, state, and local government elections, and not voting attracts a fine. The fine itself is fairly small, and IIRC is \< $100. The fine is collected by local government, although its not always enforced and can also be avoided by presentation of a statutory declaration with reasons why you couldnt vote on the day.**

Compulsory voting in _local_ government elections? That certainly isn’t the case in Western Australia at least.

There is, incidentally, a perfectly accessible null vote available to Australians. Just drop your unmarked ballot paper – or perhaps illustrate it with some witty bon mot – into the ballot box. The obligation is to turn up to a polling station; not to cast a valid vote.

–

I’m quite ambivalent on our compulsory voting laws. I will note, however, one effect they have. Compulsory voting help prevents organised special interest groups (certain religions spring to mind) from holding a disproportionately large sway over the ballot result.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/23 "2003-07-17T13:44:37Z")

</div>

Yes, good point, its really a record of attendance rather then voting. And yes local government as well over here in Victoria, and like Hawthorne above I too fell afoul of my local council through a non-vote :rolleyes: Bastards.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/24 "2003-07-17T13:50:23Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Narrad \*  
> \*\*  
> I’m quite ambivalent on our compulsory voting laws. I will note, however, one effect they have. Compulsory voting help prevents organised special interest groups (certain religions spring to mind) from holding a disproportionately large sway over the ballot result. \*\*

And now that I think about it, thats a very big plus.

_points at religious right in US_

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/25 "2003-07-17T13:55:49Z")

</div>

Well, I would hope that “they didnt let me vote because they ‘couldnt find my name’, even though I am registered and would not even let me take an oath or affirmation and then vote” would be an acceptable excuse for not voting, or else lots of people like myself and others here in Florida will be out $50 :mad:

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/26 "2003-07-17T14:22:14Z")

</div>

It seems like it would give a clear advantage to the candidate with more money. An “uninformed” voter will likely vote for the one name they recognize, and that might be the guy who sent a magnet to their house, or put up the big billboard, or whatever. Especially a factor in local elections.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/27 "2003-07-17T15:52:27Z")

</div>

Are there any countries with both proportional representation and mandatory voting?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/28 "2003-07-17T16:18:34Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Eolbo \*  
> \*\*And now that I think about it, thats a very big plus.
> 
> _points at religious right in US_ \*\*

I’m no fan of the R.R., and disagree with them on most issues, but why sneer at their organizational ability? Hey, I give them a lot of credit of keeping a coherent stance on most things and getting their folks out to vote. Contrast with the anti-war left we saw a few months ago. They had such a muddled message that it turned a lof of people off, as was seen even by some anti-war posters on this board.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/29 "2003-07-17T16:20:44Z")

</div>

Regarding the “none of the above” choice the Russians get, it reminds me a political cartoon I saw after the first post-communist Russian elction. It showed the ballot with the “none of the above” choice with the caption: “Eat your hearts out, Americanskis”.

I thought that was pretty funny.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011/30 "2003-07-17T16:51:11Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by John Mace \*  
> \*\*I’m no fan of the R.R., and disagree with them on most issues, but why sneer at their organizational ability? Hey, I give them a lot of credit of keeping a coherent stance on most things and getting their folks out to vote. Contrast with the anti-war left we saw a few months ago. They had such a muddled message that it turned a lof of people off, as was seen even by some anti-war posters on this board. \*\*

I didn’t sneer at the RR’s organisational ability and I agree with your assessment they are good at getting their folks out to vote, which was my point actually. Narrad wrote that one advantage of compulsory voting was it prevented particular interest groups from wielding a disproportionate influence. I thought it was a good point and pointed to the RR as an example. If every American was forced to vote the ability to mobilise your ‘type’ of voter whatever your type might be is less important.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vote-or-be-fined-is-this-a-good-idea/189011.md?page=1)