Should we as a nation change our compulsory laws and move in line with so many other countries? Would this encourage more active engagement with politics or increase levels of apathy to a point of non-involvement? Would you change your current voting habits if voting were to become voluntary in Australia? Let us know what you think via our comment section, on our Facebook page or on Twitter.
http://cheaperthanrubies.com/2012/11/08 ... -you-vote/
I think it would increase already apathetic levels to what I can only describe as our being in a politically induced coma.
Australians need to participate in politics, one way or the other, and if they choose not to vote, they may do this by way of simply not ticking the boxes on their ballot forms.
But to give people the option of copping out simply because they would rather sleep off a hangover, or because they simply cant be bothered renders the whole concept of voting even less important, relevant than some already believe it is.
Some might argue that those who cant be bothered voting probably shouldn't be voting anyway, though I think as with so many young people, taking an interest in politics, this and exercising your constitutional rights is something that comes with maturity and should be encouraged from the start, and by keeping voting compulsory hits this message home hard, because they will be fined if they don't show up.
A number of countries are quite blasé about voting and the consequences speak for themselves.
We don't need to see the same radical policies in Scotland being passed here in Australia on the “mandate” of a majority party that has won overt support from less than 25% of it's people.
http://www.4liberty.org.uk/2011/05/07/w ... ry-voting/
We need to keep it real, and keep voting compulsory or risk the same thing happening here in Australia.
