In a few countries, such as Australia and Belgium, voting at elections is compulsory. This means people are obliged to attend the polling place (in countries with a secret ballot, it is impossible to tell whether a specific person has actually cast a valid vote or not). Approximately twenty countries around the world have some form of compulsory voting. Around half of these countries are in Latin America, but most other regions of the world are represented as well. Countries that have some form of compulsory voting include:
- Argentina
- Australia (see the Australian electoral system)
- Belgium (see the Belgian electoral system)
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Costa Rica
- Cyprus
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Lebanon (compulsory for men only)
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Panama
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Some parts of Switzerland
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Countries that have ended compulsory voting include Austria and the Netherlands.
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2 Arguments against compulsory voting 3 External link |
Arguments in favour of compulsory voting
There are a number of different approaches taken by people who support compulsory voting. The most common two approaches are:Arguments against compulsory voting
Just as there are different arguments in favour of compulsory voting, there are different arguments against it. The most common claims are:External link
Administration and Cost of Elections Project paper on compulsory voting considerations