I've had that in Australia voting is not a choice. Every eligible voter MUST vote. Don't know how they punish those who don't vote but that's an entirely different matter. Rumors circulating around the net have it that Obama [recently] suggested that the U.S like Australia should make voting mandatory claiming that it [such voting] would be "potentially transformative." Your thoughts?
Well I'm not American so I have no real stake in this. In my opinion, if voting becomes mandatory, it has to become a national holiday, and not on the weekends either. I actually don't think it'll make that much of a difference. People who don't want to vote would just leave their ballot blank anyway.
We have that little document called the Constitution here that mandatory voting would violate. But since Obama doesn't have any respect for that little document, I'm sure he'll try to break that rule as well with his pen and phone. I don't know how everyone in the US isn't outraged by his conduct?
It would be unconstitutional to mandate it in this country. Not that that stops anyone in Washington these days, not the least of which Obama and crew. Some parts of that grand document in particular are routinely violated. Anyway, I'm all for voter participation, but not if it is forced.
Fine lets go the mandatory way, and am on the next flight off the country prior to voting d-day, i don't work well under pressure/force, in my case, rebellion might just take root.
It's an interesting idea but I think the whole idea of voting is to have the freedom and opportunity to try and change things in your country. Making it mandatory would just... well in my opinion that would be taking away the choice people have. If someone doesn't want to vote, they shouldn't be forced to. Why anyone would choose not to vote... that is the part that I do not understand. (especially if they criticize the current government at the same time)
I can't understand why someone would choose not to vote either. Maybe it's because I'm female and I know how hard women fought for the vote 100 years ago. It's fully though, it's always those who choose not to vote who are the first to complain about the government! For the record, I don't think voting should be mandatory at all. I might not understand why someone wouldn't want to vote but it is their choice not to do so.
Yeah there are always people who say "I don't vote because it won't make a difference" and then they are the ones who cry about the government doing everything wrong. It's just silly, if someone is not happy with the way things are then the least they could do is spend 15 minutes of their precious time to cast their vote against those who are currently in power.
Good luck getting that bill passed. No way Congress would get behind it. Americans LOVE their freedom (or what they perceive as freedom anyway) and part of that is their right not to vote. If all of a sudden that choice is TAKEN AWAY, they'll rebel for sure. As for people complaining, well, people love to complain. The people who whine about the government not doing X or Y will CONTINUE to whine anyway. I think Obama at this point should focus on something else and end his 2 term run on a high note.
It would be an expensive way to avoid voting unless you planned to travel somewhere around election time. I'm sure lots of those people who would rather not vote just might find some business to attend to overseas or across the border, for those who live near Canada.
