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CNN reports that when asked how to offset the influence of big money in politics, President Barack Obama suggested it's time to make voting a requirement. "Other countries have mandatory voting," said Obama "It would be transformative if everybody voted -- that would counteract money more than anything," he said, adding it was the first time he had shared the idea publicly.
"The people who tend not to vote are young, they're lower income, they're skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups. There's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls."
At least 26 countries have compulsory voting, according to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Failure to vote is punishable by a fine in countries such as Australia and Belgium; if you fail to pay your fine in Belgium, you could go to prison. Less than 37% of eligible voters actually voted in the 2014 midterm elections, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. That means about 144 million Americans -- more than the population of Russia -- skipped out.
Critics of mandatory voting have questioned the practicality of passing and enforcing such a requirement; others say that freedom also means the freedom not to do something.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Sunday March 22 2015, @12:49PM
It would be better if you had to pass a basic knowledge test on major current events before you were allowed to vote, but I can't see that idea gaining any traction
Being from .au you probably are unfamiliar with our southern ancestors peculiar institutions and before various schemes of poll taxes and IQ tests were banned, they would have all kinds of ridiculous fees (like a median month's pay as a tax) and quiz questions ("Prove P=NP and put a proof of FLT in the small margin of the page") and surprisingly enough the tests and taxes were remarkably poorly enforced if not outright ignored for white voters and remarkably well enforced for pretty much all other race voters.
More or less like the modern law enforcement and judicial system, although oriented specifically toward voting.
So yeah after all the marches and riots half a century ago to get rid of that stuff, I suspect nothing like it is coming back anytime soon.
Even something tangential on a ballot like calling the likely next presidential candidates "has a spouse mostly famous for getting a BJ in the oral, er, oval, office" and "Has a bro who is a war criminal" would probably be forbidden.
(Score: 5, Informative) by RobotMonster on Sunday March 22 2015, @12:56PM
No I wasn't aware of that; did you know that Australia's Constitution still carries clauses specifically designed to *enable* racism?
Here's one, there are more:
25. Provisions as to races disqualified from voting
For the purposes of the last section, if by the law of any State all persons of any race are disqualified from voting at elections for the more numerous House of the Parliament of the State, then, in reckoning the number of the people of the State or of the Commonwealth, persons of that race resident in that State shall not be counted.