5 Countries That Enforce Compulsory Voting

With the incessant complaints about bad governance in Nigeria. Some citizens might decide to not participate in the coming elections as they no longer care about who is elected into power.

This begs the question: should compulsory voting be enforced in the country? While that is up for debate, here are five countries that enforce compulsory voting amongst all their citizens.

1. BELGIUM:

Compulsory voting was introduced in Belgium in 1894. Every citizen of the country is automatically registered on the electoral rolls at the age of 18 and is mandated to be present at their designated polling units on the day of any election.

2. AUSTRALIA:

Under the federal electoral law of the country, all eligible Australian citizens must vote in every federal election. It was introduced in 1924 and its effective as the percentage of voters in the country increased significantly since its implementation.

3. LUXEMBOURG:

The country operates on a strict compulsory voting policy as long as you are registered on the electoral roll which is an automatic process once a citizen is 18.

Failure to vote attracts a fine of between €100 and €250. A repeat of the offence within 5 years also attracts between €500 and €1,000 fine.

4. CHILE:

According to the decision-makers, this was a result of the low turnout of voters when voluntary voting was practised in the country.

The move according to them is to ensure that no one backs down from what the majority of Chile decides on in the long run.

5. ARGENTINA:

Voting is mandatory for all Argentine citizens and failure to participate attracts a fine and the suspension of the defaulting individual’s political rights.

However, there are legally acceptable reasons for not participating in the elections but the reasons have to be tendered for approval to be granted.

Do You Think Voting Should Be Made Compulsory In Nigeria?

 

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