Compulsory Voting

Compulsory voting was introduced federally to Australia in 1914 under the Commonwealth Electoral Act and has since remained a fundamental aspect of Australia’s electoral system. The concept of a compulsory voting system is relatively unique, with only 19 countries (7 of which are members of the OECD) enforcing citizens to vote . Despite compulsory voting remaining a largely untouched aspect of the electoral system in Australia, it has faced criticism. In this essay I will be addressing key arguments against compulsory voting in Australia, and countering these with arguments that support keeping compulsory voting enforced.

A common argument used against the compulsory voting system in Australia, is that it is inconsistent with liberal society. If Australian’s have the right to vote, as recognised in section 41 of the Constitution , shouldn’t they have also have a right not to vote? Political Scientist Anthony Gray uses this argument in his 2012 article for the Australian Journal of Politics and History. Drawing on classical liberalism philosophy, Gray identifies that “a person’s rights may only be infringed when they impact on another’s” . As such, if one refuses to vote they do not impact on another person’s rights. This compared to refusing the ‘duty’ of acting on a jury, may in fact deny one the right to a fair trial .

Whilst Gray’s argument certainly is reasonable on the grounds of definition, many political scientists argue that Australian’s in fact do have the right not to abstain from the vote . This argument stems from the adoption of the ‘secret ballot’, which prominent political scientist Arend Lijphart says exists to guarantee that “the right not to vote remains intact” . The secret ballot ensures that every Aust...

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