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Path: utzoo!utcsri!utcs!pkern
From: pkern@utcs.uucp
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: mandatory vote?
Message-ID: <933@utcs.uucp>
Date: Mon, 21-Oct-85 03:17:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcs.933
Posted: Mon Oct 21 03:17:21 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 21-Oct-85 04:19:51 EDT
Distribution: can
Organization: University of Toronto - General Purpose UNIX
Lines: 17

Belgium just had a general election. What's interesting about this is
that Belgium is the only country or is one of a few in the Common Market
where one is required to vote. The penalty for not voting is a hefty fine
or imprisonment.
  One of the benefits of a mandatory vote is that everyone chooses the shape of
the government and not just a fraction of *registered* voters (registered voters
being a fraction of eligible voters). 
   Another benefit is that there isn't a great amount of energy expended
just to get people to vote in the first place. When people are forced to make
a choice they might pay more attention to what's happening.
   It seems that voter turn-out for some of the past elections here have been
less than spectacular. It's alarming that some US governments have been chosen
by only 50 % of eligible voters (Some have said the whole world should
have a vote in US elections).
    For Canada, it might mean that the House might be more balanced instead
of being the result of a violent move *away* from one party (as opposed to
being the result of a move in favor of another party).