{"id":351464,"date":"2020-03-17T09:36:43","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T14:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/voting\/how-u-s-elections-work\/what-is-compulsory-voting.html"},"modified":"2024-04-23T09:19:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T14:19:52","slug":"what-is-compulsory-voting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/voting\/how-u-s-elections-work\/what-is-compulsory-voting.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is Compulsory Voting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Is Compulsory Voting?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
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Compulsory voting happens when a state or nation requires its citizens to vote. In many countries, the law requires that all citizens exercise their civic duties. But in most cases, the penalty for not complying is so mild that the term "compulsory" is a bit of a misnomer.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

As you might suspect, compulsory voting can significantly affect voter turnout, especially in some categories of the electorate. Making voting mandatory tends to bring out demographic groups often under-represented in voluntary votes.<\/p>\r\n

This often includes:<\/p>\r\n