we should be asking ourselves why fifteen percent of the population don’t bother to vote
85% is good, though finding out why the 15% don't vote is valuable. Especially so if there are systemic problems that are essentially preventing them voting.
this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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I know so many stoners that were pissed that the referendum failed... Did they vote? Nah. Too stoned.
Lmao.
Speaking as an American, those are already God-tier participation numbers.
last thing right wing govts want is too many people participating in elections.
Yeah, people elsewhere on Lemmy are constantly bitching about how everyone need to get out and vote for the least terrible option, and they genuinely don't seem to understand why people don't want to do that.
Very easy?
It was recently made harder.
Looking forward to see the numbers next election tbh.
as an Australian, no. why ? why force people who don't want to vote to vote, they clearly don't want to be involved in their democracy and will end up angry voting for some dipshit or other if forced to.
that's not to say people don't make horrific choices regardless, one.just has to scan the elected officials around the world to see neither system leads to an outcome of sanity.
Maybe I'm just too American to see the downsides, but I'd much rather have people voting stupidly than our current situation of voter suppression.
Introducing the possibility of not voting just seems to encourage those in power to make it harder for 'undesirables' to vote as a way of shaping the election. Thus, those that actually DO want to vote cannot.
In a system where everyone has to vote, there can be no suppression. Right? Or am I missing something?
So yes, they can vote stupidly. But no one's voice can be taken away. That seems very important for any sort of democracy to work. Stupid voting can be worked on (though honestly never eliminated as there are always stupid people). But at least you always know you're getting the government people wanted.
This would be excellent news for anyone thinking about forming a parody party. Or the legalise cannabis party.