My table comparing how Americans and Australians vote. Can America learn something from Australian compulsory voting?

[eclipsenow]

Hi guys,
what do you make of the practical and political differences in how we vote?
Both about voting on the day, and how compulsory voting changes the nature of the campaigns leading up to the election?

 

[Hans Blaster]

Hi guys,
what do you make of the practical and political differences in how we vote?
Both about voting on the day, and how compulsory voting changes the nature of the campaigns leading up to the election?

View attachment 336170

Only the first of these items (a claim, rather than an observation) is tied to compulsory voting. The rest have nothing to do with compulsory voting versus free voting.

 

[dogs4thewin]

Hi guys,
what do you make of the practical and political differences in how we vote?
Both about voting on the day, and how compulsory voting changes the nature of the campaigns leading up to the election?

View attachment 336170

Today many states do offer early voting, Saturday voting as to poor workers employers are REQUIRED to give you time off to vote (particularly if you are in a state that does not allow early no-excuse voting.

 

[eclipsenow]

Today many states do offer early voting, Saturday voting as to poor workers employers are REQUIRED to give you time off to vote (particularly if you are in a state that does not allow early no-excuse voting.

Many states? Not all states??

 

[keith99]

Only once has it taken me 45 minutes to vote. And to get to that mark I have to include my time getting to the voting site. Not driving to the voting site, bicycling there!

Now, not counting transport time it takes under 45 seconds as voting means dropping off my filled out ballot into a drop box.

Also, districts are NOT changed frequently in the United States. Rather they are changed every 10 years based on the most recent census. Those changes are made to keep each district approximately the same population. If a state had minimal changes in population (including just where that population was) there would rarely be changes to the districts.

 

[dogs4thewin]

Many states? Not all states??

Yes, there are only three states that require an excuse to vote early. I just looked it up. The remaining states have at LEAST one day of early voting and 43 states ( so all but seven total) allow early voting for at LEAST a week (seven days) before hand. I live in GA and I know for a fact that counties are required to have at least one Saturday of voting. It may be two Saturdays required and if a county wishes they may have it all the Saturdays leading up to an election during the early voting time.

 

[JSRG]

No mention of the fact Australia uses Ranked Choice Voting whereas the US is stuck with Plurality voting? (plurality voting is possibly the worst possible voting systems in term of incentivizing a voter to vote for who they think is the best candidate) To me that's the biggest difference between the two countries when it comes to voting.

 

[Bob Crowley]

Australia has postal voting for those who can't or don't want to go to a local polling booth. I'd assume the USA has something similar.

Occasionally postal votes sway the final (electorate) vote one way or the other as they're the last to come in and be counted.

For some reason the last time I voted was the longest I've ever queued. I can't remember the reason, but they might have closed another booth.

Anyway it took ages. At other times I've been in and out in a few minutes.

 

[Yttrium]

Hi guys,
what do you make of the practical and political differences in how we vote?
Both about voting on the day, and how compulsory voting changes the nature of the campaigns leading up to the election?

View attachment 336170

My state does all voting by mail, which is very convenient. That throws out everything but the compulsory line on your list, but since people can vote at their convenience and just drop the ballot in the mail, there's more motivation to participate.

 

[SimplyMe]

Australia has postal voting for those who can't or don't want to go to a local polling booth. I'd assume the USA has something similar.

Occasionally postal votes sway the final (electorate) vote one way or the other as they're the last to come in and be counted.

For some reason the last time I voted was the longest I've ever queued. I can't remember the reason, but they might have closed another booth.

Anyway it took ages. At other times I've been in and out in a few minutes.

No, the "US" does not have something similar -- as votes in the US are handled by the state and not the federal government. Yes, some states allow anyone to vote by mail. Others states, such as Texas, only allow you to vote by mail if you are physically out of the state on the day of the election or a senior citizen that is unable to get to a polling place.

 

[Larniavc]

Hi guys,
what do you make of the practical and political differences in how we vote?
Both about voting on the day, and how compulsory voting changes the nature of the campaigns leading up to the election?

View attachment 336170

America’s population is simultaneously too exceptional/large/diverse/free for any of that Aussie nonsense.

 

[Paidiske]

I've long thought that compulsory voting cuts out a lot of the worst nonsense designed simply to get the apathetic moving on voting day. I suspect that the other big difference is that we don't vote for our head of state; we have no equivalent to presidential elections.

 

[Bob Crowley]

It seems compulsory voting was bought in to "improve the low rates of voter turnout". At heart we're probably just as disinterested as Americans except we have to vote.

Australian voting history in action

www.aec.gov.au

Compulsory voting​

In 1924, to improve the low rates of voter turnout, amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 were made. Compulsory voting was introduced and this resulted in a dramatic increase in voter turnout at the following election.

Larnievc - "America’s population is simultaneously too exceptional/large/diverse/free for any of that Aussie nonsense."

There's probably some truth in that as Australia's population in 1924 was about 5.8 million, and even now is only about 26.8 million.

The US population in 1924 was about 114 million and is now getting on for 340 million.

There is an article here which suggests that compulsory voting in the UK would give better representation in parliament. Younger people are less likely to vote than older people, and low income earners are significantly less likely to vote than the wealthy, which maintains the class divide.

UK Council elections only attract about a third of the enrolled voters, which means a determined bloc with a dedicated voter base can sway local elections towards their platform.

The case for compulsory voting in the UK - The Constitution Society

The evidence is clear: compulsory voting would be a simple, effective, and realistic means of producing a more representative electorate.

consoc.org.uk

... and turnout for the 2021 local elections in England was barely more than a third.

 

[Aaron112]

It seems compulsory voting was bought in to "improve the low rates of voter turnout". At heart we're probably just as disinterested as Americans except we have to vote.

It seems it helps keep track of everyone and keep them in line, and lets them think they have some say so even if they don't - an artificial moral booster that's widespread throughout the world where it is used.

 

[Bradskii]

It seems it helps keep track of everyone and keep them in line, and lets them think they have some say so even if they don't - an artificial moral booster that's widespread throughout the world where it is used.

Keep track? Well, they have my name and my address. Which is kinda handy if you need to vote. I'm not sure what is meant by 'keep them in line.' And the fact that we vote does mean we have a say so. We don't always get the person we vote for. But that's what democracy is all about.

And widespread wherever it is used? And not where it isn't, I guess.

 

[Fantine]

Today many states do offer early voting, Saturday voting as to poor workers employers are REQUIRED to give you time off to vote (particularly if you are in a state that does not allow early no-excuse voting.

In order to make compulsory voting viable it must be easily accessible.

 

[Pommer]

Has anything good happened in Australia that might not have happened a lot earlier if there was no voting involved ?

I read this four times and still cannot make sense of it.
….
Norman coordinate.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I read this four times and still cannot make sense of it.
….
Norman coordinate.

He's arguing for a dictatorship.