Great article. I disagree that countries like Argentina or Brazil or Singapore are less worthy of our comparison because of compulsory voting. However, yes, the donkey vote is a drag on democratic process. It is a legal obligation when it should be a right. Good on you for sharing this article

Compulsory voting is undemocratic, and cruel to the disinterested. The awful politicians we have is a sure sign that at least half the population is not interested in democracy. That half wouldn't vote if they were not forced to, and the rest of us, and the country, would be much better off.

Less than 40% of the dragooned-into-voting don't understand the equally undemocratic compulsory preferential system either.

The only way to put a stop to the authoritarianism of compulsory voting is to hold a non-compulsory referendum; but we will never get that without citizen initiated referenda - something else we are denied by our elected dictators.

Yeah disenfranchisement the only way the CONservatives can win.

If Australia goes back to a National Service, voting will reflect vastly different results, also voting is literally the tiniest responsibility for a citizen to uphold. Voluntary voting would be a far greater disaster in Australia than what is on place now !

DL has a vested interest in voting, he stood in at several elections. His best result was his election to the Senate through the deceptive use of the name Liberal, and a quirky distribution of preferences, along with good luck on the ballot paper. His only tilt at a lower house seat was in 2007 against Little Johnny Howard in Bennelong where he scored 89 votes, seems he didn't run last, some other lunatic got less votes, less than 89!

Anyway, you don't have to vote, just get your name crossed off the electoral roll. Of the about 5% who vote informal about half show an intention of a formal vote, but stuff it up by such things as writing their name on the paper, not correctly numbering the squares, using ticks and crosses.

As for saying people vote for the candidate with the nicest teeth or hair style, why not. I'm sure a photogenic person has a better chance of getting elected than a bloke who looks like Uncle Fester!

Anyway, you don't have to vote, just get your name crossed off the electoral roll.

I'm not sure when or where I heard or read about that informal votes actually get automatically added to the votes of the incumbent ! if that's so indeed then it is clear why Paul1405 is sounding so flippant about it.
As I said I'm not sure but Paul1405 will definitely correct me if I'm wrong.

A good friend of ours has worked at fairly senior levels of politics in both the USA and Australia. His observations and conclusions of compulsory verses voluntary voting systems is that both have positive and negative aspects to them, with neither system overwhelmingly superior to the other. I’m content to accept his experience.

If individuals in Australia choose not to vote, or record a ‘donkey vote’, perhaps that’s because they believe the old adage - no matter who you vote for, a politician gets elected

Hi Indy,

To answer your question;

I'm not sure when or where I heard or read about that informal votes actually get automatically added to the votes of the incumbent ! Correct me if I'm wrong?
WRONG, they are not added to anyone's pile of votes.
Indy, you've got to stop listening to those voices in your head!

Hi Aries54

Don't worry, if the Lovely Pauline ever gets to run the country, she'll soon abolish compulsory voting, and voluntary voting as well, in fact she will abolish voting completely, as an unnecessary evil in a true democracy.

The fairest election I can recall, was Papa Doc of Haiti, or was it Baby Doc, son of Papa Doc. Had an election for Haiti's President and Doc scored 6 million odd votes, to nil for the other bloke, in a population of about 2 million. The votes had been counted overnight at the Presidential Palace by Doc and the gang, it was a quick count. When questioned why he received 6 million votes in a population of only 2 million people, Doc exclaimed that it was impossible to stop Haitians from voting over and over for him, as they loved him so much, even his brother-in-law the official Opposition candidate endorsed by Doc, voted for Doc. Now that's real democracy in action!

People who choose not to have children forget that they will one day be old.
Then they will almost certainly need someone to look after them, at least part of the time.
If they haven't helped to provide a younger generation to do this, someone else's children will have to step in to the breach.
By shirking the responsibility of having children, they have shifted their needs on to the shoulders of others.
Some might think that unfair?

Voting is the same in a way.
Like it or not, we are born in to this democracy.
And we benefit from it.
It behooves us to support the system which supports us.
Not shirk simple participation.
Not shift responsibility on to the shoulders of others.

And I am suspicious of those who try to dismantle our democracy.
Using honeyed words to say: 'don't bother, someone else will do it'.
That is a downward path.

People who benefit from the previous generation's efforts & criticise them won't have the empathy from the next generation nor do they deserve it ! That's how societies have & will continue to erode !