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Old June 28th, 2004, 08:55 PM
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Default Re: OT: Mandatory Voting

I'm pretty sure that most (if not all) countries with mandatory voting also make Voting Day a major holiday-type event. In the US, a lot of people have to rush to go vote during their lunch hour, since laws requiring employers to allow their workers time to vote are a hassle to get enforced. But in the mandatory-voting countries, many people will get the day off, or at least a half day off, in order to cast their vote.

As long as voting in the US is seen as a burden instead of a vital right and duty, mandatory voting probably isn't the best idea. And if it is implemented, there should be an abstain/no-vote option for each item on the ballot, and voters should get brief (1 paragraph) summaries of each candidate's platform, ballot proposition/initiative, etc. Because a lot of Americans would just vote for a random politician without having any idea what that politician's views are.
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