The “Past Present Future” podcast is hosted by David Runciman, former Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and one of the more erudite and readable writers on politics and political philosophy.
In the episode I link to below, published in early October, Runciman is joined by political historian Dr David Klemperer to talk about compulsory voting. Obviously the episode draws deeply on the Australian experience.
It also makes a couple of points about the impact of compulsory voting on the result of the 2025 Australian election. In particular, its role in increasing turnout amongst younger age groups and more marginalised groups in society.
Given post-election discussion on the Liberal Party’s lack of appeal to younger age groups, it is nice to be reminded by overseas commentators that compulsory voting allows Australian political parties to build winning political platforms around appealing to younger and less advantaged groups in society. It is a point that doesn’t get a mention in Australian 2025 post-election analysis because compulsory voting is a given in the conduct of elections in Australia.
The two David’s compare the Albanese victory with UK elections over the last decade where talk of ‘youthquakes’ shaking results have fizzled out due to low turnout by younger age groups.
This is a direct link to the episode at Apple podcasts, but you can also find it amongst many other episodes at “Past Present Future” on Spotify and at the Past Present Future website.
But I do think there is one point they missed on why compulsory voting has worked in Australia and why it would be harder in countries like the UK.
That is the ease of voting,, largely developed because of compulsory voting. You can’t enforce compulsory voting and at the same time make it difficult to vote.
In Australia, it is generally easier to vote than it is to deal with the fine notice if you forget to vote. You can vote at any polling place in your home division, you can vote Absent in polling places in other divisions, and there are very easy methods to vote pre-poll and by post.
All this requires a common electoral roll setup to make voting mark-off easy, and handle the enforcement required for compulsory voting. The two Davids make the point in the podcast that some countries with compulsory voting do not really enforce it.
In the UK roll maintenance and the conduct of elections is done by local councils, not a single body like the Australian Electoral Commission. Which makes rolling out common procedures, software and mark-off difficult in the UK.
In the UK you are also only allowed to vote at your designated local polling place and only on election day. The two other options for voting are to arrange a postal vote that must be received, completed and returned by polling day. Or there is the odd British institution of the proxy vote, where you can nominate someone to vote for you in your designated polling place on election day.
There is no pre-poll voting in person, no all district voting centres, no absent voting and no voting within your district at any polling place other than the one with your name on the electoral roll.
Attempts to increase turnout at UK elections run into this limitation caused by only local voting being allowed, plus the votes having to be counted in full and a winner declared on election night.
Any effort to increase turnout by allowing early and absent votes runs foul of electoral rolls being tabulated by voting centre, not electoral districts, and that all votes have to be in the hands of returning officer at 10pm on election night.
It is hard to see how you can make voting compulsory in the UK without making it easier to turn up and vote, and that would require upending how the UK conducts elections.
Totally agree with your assessment of the nineteenth century UK electoral system with elections held on a weekday because of stupid traditions and presumably staff unwilling to work on a Saturday. Counting all votes at a central location is another primitive throwback (again pointing to under-resourcing). This also means that it is impossible to know levels of party support in different parts of an electorate.
I don’t believe compulsory voting is democratic.
You should have the right not to vote, not to waste your time if that is what you believe your doing in voting. So you should be able to opt out of having your name on the roll instead of this theatre we go through of being a “great” democracy by forcing everyone to vote.
Compulsory voting also skews the results as those, who are disengaged, go through numbering boxes where they have no clue of what any of the candidates they number stand for. That’s why parties vie to be top of the ticket because these disengaged votes count!
No, totally against compulsory voting.
You do have the right to not vote.. You can also then pay for that right, and get the right to STFU when the government you don’t want to administer the state or country gets in and “ruins everything”.
Compulsory voting in Australia results in centrist governments and not the highly polarised results seen in the UK and the USA. Voter turnout at the 2025 Australian federal election was 90%. Australian elections use preferential voting rather than a first past the post format.
I found that podcast very informative; it increased my appreciation for compulsory voting.
Thanks for your thoughts too, Antony.
Compulsory voting is great!!! My evidence; Australia’s political stability at present times, compared to our other western contemporaries.
Thanks for your work Antony, I have now subscribed to your blog, after reading a couple of your articles. I LOVE the statistics, no fluff. I also really quite enjoyed watching your enthusiasm at the last ABC election.
All the flattery aside, I was hoping you might consider including simple coloured maps of the state/federal electorates, for young guns like myself who don’t have them completely memorised. If not, that is ok, it was just an idea.
Peace, Love & Respect,
Leopold.
@Cookie
It’s not really compulsory voting. Its compulsory get your name marked off the voting register.
What you do with your ballot paper is up to you. Donkey vote, throw it in the bin, eat it. I don’t care and neither will the electoral officials.
And if you choose not to vote. Then keep your political opinions to yourself. Your opportunity to have your say was at the election, if you chose not to use it productively, then no one should listen to your political opinion one way or another.
Rob
I should have the right to not turn up on the day, to have my name struck off the roll, to complain and belly ache about who I want… don’t we have the freedom to express ourselves or
is democracy only for those who walk between the ropes?
I don’t have the right to harm others, but that is a universal…for those who are christian in values that is.
Electoral officials very much do care what happens to votes. Every vote handed out has to be accounted for at the end of the night. Votes that aren’t put in the ballot box have to be carefully watched for and documented by volunteers, which creates extra admin.