2024-09-29 06:01:30
Sanctions are rarely imposed, but in Greece prison is foreseen, and in Bolivia you cannot withdraw your salary for three months
Any citizen or foreigner who lives in Greece but does not vote in elections can be imprisoned from one month to one year. Or at least that’s what the law says in our southern neighbor, although no one has been sanctioned so far.
To date, compulsory voting exists in 24 countries around the world
Six of them are in the European Union – Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Italy, Malta and Bulgaria.
It was introduced in our country in 2016 at the initiative of the patriots. The original text stipulated that if a voter did not vote in two consecutive votes of the same type (presidential, parliamentary, European or local), he should be removed from the electoral rolls. In order for deregistered voters to vote in the next election, they were supposed to submit applications. Exceptions to the law were made for people with permanent disabilities, those over 70 and Bulgarians abroad.
In 2017, however, with a decision of the Constitutional Court, the sanctions were dropped. The reasons were that the deletion of non-voters from the electoral rolls constituted a restriction of the right to vote. And the imposition of sanctions is contrary to the principle of equality of citizens before the law, because they will not apply to specific groups of people. However, the text that voting is mandatory remains in the law to this day, although since then the deputies have opened the Electoral Code 18 times.
One of the first countries in the world to introduce compulsory voting is Belgium. It became an obligation for men there in 1892, and for women in 1949. For failure to appear at the polls, Belgian law provides for a fine of between 25 and 50 euros, and in case of a repeated violation – from 50 to 125 euros. Those who have missed more than 4 times in the last 15 years can also be deleted from the electoral rolls for a period of 10 years, during which citizens are not allowed to hold public office. There have been no sanctions for years, but Belgium remains one of the countries with the highest voter turnout in Europe.
Compulsory voting has existed in Luxembourg since 1919. There
fines start at 99 and go up to 990 euros
But in practice, non-voters only receive a warning after the first failure to appear, and a sanction is imposed when this happens again. However, everyone over 70 and those who are abroad on election day have the right not to vote there. The same exception applies from Greece.
Anyone who does not go to the polls in Turkey can be fined 10,000 lira. But even there this is not often applied.
Not only for elections, but also for referendums, it is mandatory to vote in Australia, and the fine is between 25 and 50 Australian dollars. However, the interesting thing is that
voter turnout in the country hovers around 90% and has nothing to do with sanctions, but is due to the fact that voting is extremely accessible,
say analysts. For example, Australians can cast their vote at any polling station that is convenient for them and do not need to vote by address. People with impaired vision can also cast their vote by telephone, and mobile ballot boxes are provided for other disabled voters, as in Bulgaria. It is possible to vote by mail and even earlier than the day for which the vote is scheduled. Special centers are opened for this purpose.
Many of the Australian companies are also engaged. Although voting day is usually Saturday, it is common practice for employers to set aside hours for their employees to go to the polls. And this is not done at the expense of their daily wages.
Citizens in Costa Rica, Mexico and Thailand are also required by law to vote. In Peru, everyone receives a stamped card after casting their vote, which they must carry with them. The card is required when Peruvians use public services. Such a document is also given in Bolivia. And if the citizens did not vote and therefore do not have one, they will not be able to withdraw their salary in the next three months after the vote.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s (International IDEA) latest report on compulsory voting shows that in those countries where going to the polls is compulsory, voter turnout is
on average between 14 and 18% higher than in countries where participation in elections is not compulsory
However, Venezuela and the Netherlands are examples of countries that switched from compulsory to voluntary voting in 1967 and 1993 respectively, where turnout remains high.