Mandatory voting, also referred to as compulsory voting, is a concept born from a fundamental belief that political participation is an essential, non-negotiable aspect of democracy—a civic duty, and not just a right. In countries around the world, compulsory voting has been written into laws and constitutions, into the bedrock of societies where it becomes an expectation rather than an option.
This idea is not new. The first country to implement compulsory voting was Belgium in 1893. Since then, countries have been adapting and iterating this system in myriad ways—particularly in the area of enforcement. In some, nonvoters are fined. In others, the sanctions are more severe like holds on salary or voter disenfranchisement. Stricter yet are the countries who employ both. Then there are democracies where mandatory voting is legal but not enforced, or where sanctions are not delivered consistently. Though the concept is not new, it is far from perfect and far from agreed upon.
In a democracy, the government is meant to represent the will of its constituents. Proponents say that compulsory voting, which mandates that each eligible person cast a vote, is the best way to derive a truly representative government. With mandatory voting, more time and energy can be spent focusing on issues that matter most to the electorate while fewer resources are spent convincing people to exercise their right to vote. Advocates also hope that if everyone is required to vote, people will educate themselves on candidates and their policies.
There is a reason—several, in fact—that not every democratic government (including the United States) has adopted compulsory voting. One of the biggest arguments against mandatory voting is the inherent contradiction to democracy in forcing people to vote. Abstention, for some, is an important right. Another major consideration is the increased risk of donkey votes, when the voter ranks each candidate in the order that they have appeared on the ballot paper or apathetic votes from people who are uninformed and are only there to fulfill a civic duty.
An illustration of that point is in Rio de Janeiro, where 41.5% of people who voted in the 2016 mayoral elections submitted a blank or annulled ballot. This trend was observed throughout Brazil, the largest country that implements a compulsory voting system.
Stacker used the CIA World Factbook to compile a list of the 22 countries which require eligible citizens to vote. The populations (as of 2019) of each country are also included, via the United Nations World Population Prospects. Although it is a relatively small number of countries who have endeavored to systematize compulsory voting, each one takes a different approach in doing so. The nuances of each system—fines vs. no fines, manual vs. automatic voter registration, varying degrees of additional civil sanctions—serve as notes for other democratic nations mulling over the idea of mandatory voting.
Keep reading to learn which countries practice compulsory voting, which actively enforce it, and how.
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