Australia says to America: Here's how to fix your voting system

"Vote in Australia, it's like a party"

Since 1924, Australian citizens over the age of 18 have been required to vote in federal elections, by-elections and referendums. (However, it was only in 1984 that voting became mandatory for Aboriginal Australians.) In the decades that followed, the overall voter turnout rate never dropped below 90 per cent. although there has been a slight downward trend in recent years.

"Voting in Australia is like a party. There is a barbecue at the local school. Everyone shows up. Everyone votes. We have the feeling that we are all in the same boat. We are all concerned with the decision we make today. – Neil Ennis, Lawnton, Queensland

Argentina, Egypt, Singapore, Switzerland and Turkey are also among the countries that demand the vote of citizens.

Election day is a weekend

Unlike the United States, where voters must go to the polls on a business day, federal elections and by-elections in Australia are always held on a Saturday.

There are also many ways to vote if you can not go to your polling station, including postal voting and embassies abroad.

"Voting centers are organized by an independent commission. They are everywhere and have enough staff, which means that it is rare to wait more than a few minutes. There are even voting teams that visit prisons, hospitals and retirement homes so that all people have the right to get their vote. "- Damien Hurrell, Bendigo, Victoria

Do not vote comes with a penalty

Voting is a legal obligation and failure to comply with it results in a penalty.

The fines range from 20 Australian dollars for missing a federal election and 79 Australian dollars for skipping a poll.

Voters are, however, allowed to appeal a fine and explain why they did not participate.

"Once, I accidentally missed a local election. I was sent a letter asking what I did not vote for. I replied explaining that I was traveling out of town for work and that I had not seen the local ads. They did not inflict a fine on me. – Heather Pate of Perth, Western Australia

"Donkey Vote"

Some Americans regard the refusal to participate in the polls as a manifestation and therefore as a sort of vote in itself.