Australia first implemented compulsory voting, requiring that all eligible citizens vote, in 1925. Turnout skyrocketed immediately, from 60 percent in 1922 to 91 percent in 1925—and it has since stayed at roughly that level. boltsmag.org/compuls... - ThreadSky

About ThreadSky

boltsmag.org • 3 days ago

Australia first implemented compulsory voting, requiring that all eligible citizens vote, in 1925. Turnout skyrocketed immediately, from 60 percent in 1922 to 91 percent in 1925—and it has since stayed at roughly that level. https://boltsmag.org/compulsory-voting-australia-election/

Comments

bluemeade7.bsky.social•3 days ago

The USA of MAGA is on it's way to pass a mandate that only white males get to vote.

ethelredbusybody.bsky.social•3 days ago

It is compulsory to show up to vote (or use postal voting), but one does not need to mark the ballots before posting them in the boxes. Is that actually voting? I guess it is. If we didn't have preferential voting, I might have done that in the past. Fortunately, we can vote strategically.

griesar.bsky.social•3 days ago

I remember being in Greece before the EU during an election and this was law there. Everyone had to vote. They had to end this practice to comport to EU rules. Seemed like a great loss for democracy in Greece.

ethelredbusybody.bsky.social•3 days ago

It is a bit of a paradox. If you want to maintain democracy and not be forced to do stuff by an authoritarian government, you are "forced" to go and get your name checked off the voters' roll. It was a little foreign to me at first, but I have zero objections.

positive20.bsky.social•3 days ago

go vote

strivingally.bsky.social•3 days ago

There’s quite a bit of broader cultural context missing here but this is a really good dive into Aussie election history. Thanks for posting this!

Posting Rules

Be respectful to others
No spam or self-promotion
Stay on topic
Follow Bluesky's terms of service

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply