With voter turnout in the European elections held last weekend lower than ever, some German politicians are suggesting mandatory voting and fines for the apathetic voters in the future.
Across the 27-member European Union, just 42.9% of eligible voters cast their ballots in the recent elections.
This is the lowest turnout in Europe since 1979.
The low turnout has helped the center and far right extremist parties across Europe and these parties will have a significant presence and say in the European Parliament.
Now, a few days after the elections, some German politicians are suggesting that voting should be mandatory and apathetic voters should be fined if they don't vote.
Wolfgang Schäuble, current German Interior Minister, says "we politicians are required to vote in parliament. One can require the same of voters in an election. Those who don't cast their ballots should be fined €50."
Some countries around the world already have mandatory voting in place.
As the German Spiegel writes, "Australia has enforced compulsory voting since 1924 and fines people between 20 and 70 Australian dollars should they provide no good reason for not having cast their ballots. Argentina is also a member of the elite, mandatory voting club."
Two European Union members, Luxembourg and Belgium, have mandatory voting. Their turnouts in the European elections last weekend were 91% and 90.4%, respectively, way above the average.
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 18
Golly, I don't know how I feel about that. I vote in every presidential election, but not one hundred per cent of the time during state and special elections. I'd hate to be fined for that.
I'd hate to be blamed for Obama or McCain and didn't vote for either.
This is why I am a royalist. Hail to the Queen or to the Straight Guy!
Ah, the choices given us in elections:
McCain vs Obama (yes, the guys name is Obama...I'm not making this up, it's true)
Dubya vs Kerry
Dubya vs Mr. The-Sky-Is-Falling
and on it goes...
Nevertheless, I do vote...usually, for the person that doesn't stand a chance of winning. (This way no one can put the charge of culpability or complicity on me.)
Last election I voted for one Bob Barr (yes the guys name is Bob Barr...I'm not making this up...) even though, I was really voting for Ron Paul...in a vicarious sort of way.
Come to think of it...it really wasn't a vote...it was a statement.
Instead of making it compulsory in the US, we SHOULD force all voters to pass a basic Civics exam, and I am NOT talking about what was done to African-Americans! People who immigrate here and are granted citizenship know one hell of a lot more about our country than the average American voter knows! THAT'S depressing!
A sad idea, as the people weren't motivated to vote
Great Idea, make lazy uninformed people vote. The democrats would love to do this here. After all that is their base.
Actually, it's the uninformed that elect the ill-informed.
But what do I know...
People should be encouraged but not forced to vote..
Only those who are informed should vote. Forcing people would mean more uninformed voters voting blindly.
by making voting mandatory you take people right of choice away. By not voting people show disdain and mistrust for the politicians running in a race.
These things have a way of working themselves out.
If you exclude people long enough and make enough bad decisions, they will eventually get pissed when their rights are infringed upon. See GW
I used to think that the Presidential elections should be done on a Saturday or Sunday, when most people don't have work or school. But now, with early election voting for at least a week before an election, and with absentee ballots, there really is no excuse for someone not voting. I would be in favor of a token fine for people that are too lazy to vote.