Why is it not compulsary to vote in the USA?

Question

In other countries it is a requirement by law for every citizen to vote ie Australia

Answer 1

Because the US is backward and NOT prepared to be truelly patriotic and VOTE !

Answer 2

to the ill informed person who believes that compulsory voting in Australia was due to having to many beers its time for a history lesson

that law was written and put in to the Australian constitution in 1901 when Australia became a nation in its own right the constitution cannot be changed unless the people agree to it

When that law was written Australia had a population only of a few million even to day we have a population only just over twice that of Manhattan

So finally do you actually advocate that in a democracy that you can get a fair reflection of the peoples views with a hand full of votes either way this law was written for a small population to get a fair indication after all the nation of Australia has neither the history nor the population of the USA

Answer 3

Compulsory voting is found in relatively few countries of the world. To my mind, the main objection to compulsory voting is that, if a person has to be compelled to vote, I do not want that person to have a role in deciding the type of government I live under. A person who votes under compulsion may not be sufficiently informed about the candidates or the issues, and may not vote intelligently. Compulsory voting is inconsistent with the liberty and dignity that is due each citizen.

Even in Australia, voting turnout is often no higher than 97%. Some Australians just pay the $20 fine and let it go at that.

Answer 4

Two reasons. First, the libertarian streak in American politics resists the concept. Second, it scares the professional politicians who don't know how the additional people would vote. Since American government is established on the principle that doing nothing is better than doing the wrong thing (hence the multiple checks in the system that make it easier to kill legislation than to pass it), the idea has never gone anywhere in any legislature.

One last reason is the strong state autonomy that makes election law primarily a matter of state law rather than federal law.

Answer 5

Because we are a free country and everyone has the right to make his own decision about whether to vote or not. It is a privilege, not a law. You have the right to accept that privilege or not. Of course, if you have been in too much trouble with the law, it is no longer a privilege, you just don't get to vote.

Answer 6

I've run into many people who are so disgusted with the way everything's going that they CHOOSE not to vote any more. I always vote, but I'm feeling more and more like my vote means nothing (even in local elections).

Voting is our civic duty--just like appearing for jury duty is. However, it is not a crime if you don't vote...though you can have a warrant issued against you for not appearing for jury duty (without a medical, or in certain instances job-related excuse).

Answer 7

While I admire our Australian friends, I think the idea of mandatory voting is silly.

They must have made that law after throwing back a few too many brewskies.

Answer 8

Voting is compulsory in Australia and it forces people to take a vested interest in democracy and how politics actually affect people.

Answer 9

Compulsary voting is a stupid idea, because it forces uninformed voters to vote when they have nothing to go by but what the media tells them.

Answer 10

America remained democratic for too long for the people to remain indifferent to elections and forget their fundamental duty to vote.