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Australia's Compulsory Voting System

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Australia is one of the several countries which has implemented compulsory voting into its system. But it wasn’t until 1924 when it became mandatory for all eligible voters to enrol and vote in federal elections, due to a decline of elector turnout caused by the First World War. According to the Australian Electoral Commission, during the 1925 election, the first election with mandatory voting, the participation of voters was noticed to have increased to 91%. In spite of this, does more turnout increase legitimacy?

Having mandatory voting will not only increase outliers but will also violate our freedom to choose and can lead to poor leadership. Therefore, Australia must bring about voluntary voting back into its system.

We as Australians

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