I’m mainly talking about:
- Voting (at federal elections)
- Jury Duty (at a courtroom)
I know that in certain countries like Australia for example: citizens there actually have to vote otherwise they face a A$20 (12€) fine for literally not putting a vote. There was a case where a guy was sued and received a A$303 (182€) fine on top of that for disregarding the previous penalities. To me, that sounds stupid, voting shouldn’t be “forced” down on citizens, if that’s the right way to say it.
What about the scenario you receive a letter from the courts that you’re selected as a juror? Let’s say you got a letter saying that you’ve been chosen within a pool and assigned a number (like a draft lottery) whether the courts decide if you’re “fit” enough to be a juror at a trial. The thing is, has this happened to you or anyone you know in your country? If so, what is it like receiving a summons?
I wouldn’t say that compulsory voting is “stupid”. There are some very good arguments for it.
Firstly, it addresses the imbalance of cost of voting (the time and effort you need to spend to cast your vote) with its effect (the tiny fraction of impact your vote has on the outcome). This disproportionately affects lower income voters, especially in some countries like the US, where voting usually happens on a weekday.
Secondly, the outcomes are no longer won “by turnout”. In other words, to win the election you can no longer merely convince your supporters to vote for you, you need to actually convince people who don’t support you to vote for you.
Thirdly, and perhaps less convincingly, this stimulates the interest in the decision and the outcome. Since you have to vote, you may be inclined to actually form your opinion about the elections, and follow up on its outcomes.
I see your point, at the same time I’m afraid of what would be my country if everyone forced to vote considering all propaganda and disinformation. Though it’s more of campaigning system issue than voting system issue