Why Australia Fines You for Not Voting

Compulsory voting was added to federal Australian law in 1924, following the drop in turnout at the 1922 election from 71 percent to 58. The Electoral Act as amended requires every Australian citizen aged 18 or over to enroll and to vote in federal elections. A first-offence fine for a skipped vote is AUD 20, rising to AUD 180 if the matter goes to court. The fine is rarely chased aggressively. What the law produces is a turnout norm.

Federal turnout since 1946 has been above 90 percent — often closer to 95 — in every election. The 2022 federal election came in at 89.8 percent, the lowest in decades, and still higher than any US presidential election in modern history. About a dozen other countries have compulsory voting written into law. Fewer than half actually enforce it.

The Australian ballot is worth noting for a second reason. It uses full-preferential ranked-choice voting in the lower house and a Single Transferable Vote system in the Senate. Voters do not just pick one candidate; they number every candidate in order of preference. This changes the strategic math: voting for a smaller party is not a wasted vote, because preferences flow up the ranking if a first choice is eliminated.

Defenders argue that compulsory voting reduces the weight of highly motivated factional blocs — you cannot win just by turning out a fervent base — and increases the incentive to compete for the median voter. Critics argue it compels participation in a process some citizens want nothing to do with.

The 'democracy sausage' — a sausage on white bread sold outside polling stations — is now an institution mapped live on election day by the ABC.