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cover of episode How does compulsory voting work?

How does compulsory voting work?

2025/5/7
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What in the World
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Katie Watson
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Maria Clara Montoya
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Shane Singh
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Katie Watson: 我在澳大利亚大选期间走访了多个投票站，发现人们积极参与投票，投票中心排队现象普遍，投票活动本身也成为了一种社区活动，这说明强制投票制度在澳大利亚营造了一种特殊的选举氛围。虽然对不投票的行为处以20澳元的行政处罚，但这实际上很容易找到合理的理由来解释为什么没有投票。 Maria Clara Montoya: 拉丁美洲是强制投票制度最普遍的地区，共有33个国家，其中13个强制投票。但执行力度有所不同，有些国家虽然在宪法中规定了强制投票，但实际上并没有严格执行；而另一些国家则会对未投票的选民处以罚款。这些国家通过投票证书或数字登记系统来核实选民是否投票。数据显示，强制投票提高了投票率，例如乌拉圭和玻利维亚的投票率分别高达90%和88%，但这并不一定意味着更高的政治参与度。 Shane Singh: 强制投票的主要优点是显著提高了投票率，并有助于减少政治不平等，因为强制投票可以提高弱势群体的投票率，从而使立法更能反映整个社会的需求。此外，强制投票还可以提高政治知识和参与度，并促进政治温和化。然而，强制投票也存在一些缺点，例如会导致无效选票的增加，惩罚措施可能会加剧不同群体之间的投票率差距，并不一定能提高政治知识和参与度，反而可能导致人们对政治的反感和疏离，也可能促使政客采取极端立场以争取强制投票带来的新增选民。长期实行强制投票的国家，民众对强制投票的支持率较高，这表明强制投票制度可以获得公众的接受。

Deep Dive

Shownotes Transcript

Election season in Australia is drawing to a close with the re-election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party. Around 18 million people in the country are eligible to vote, and many of them turned up to the polls as it is a legal obligation to do so. If you fail to turn up, you can face a fine. So what’s it like to vote in an election, when you have to? And how is enforced? BBC’s Australia correspondent Katy Watson tells us how it all works.

Compulsory voting is popular across many countries in Latin America, with 13 out of the 33 countries in the region enforcing it. BBC reporter Maria Clara Montoya gives us the details.

We also hear from Shane Singh, an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia in the US about the advantages and disadvantages of compulsory voting.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde