Compulsory Voting Events

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN COMPULSORY VOTING
Coverage begins in October of 2020. For an overview of earlier events, see Chapter 1 of my book on compulsory voting.

2021
December 2021
Chile

Gabriel Boric, the president-elect, reaffirmed his support for a return to compulsory voting shortly before his victory in the second round of the presidential election.
Former president Ricardo Lagos, addressing the Constitutional Convention tasked with drawing a new constitution for Chile, again (see May events below) called for it to restore compulsory voting.

India

The lower house debated a private member's bill that would introduce compulsory voting.

November 2021
Cameroon

A group of several opposition parties proposed modifying the electoral code to introduce compulsory voting, among other reforms.

October 2021
Cape Verde

The leader of the Democratic and Independent Cape Verdean Union (UCID), António Monteiro, suggested the adoption of compulsory voting following low turnout in the presidential election.

Colombia

A member of the House of Representatives, Jorge Benedetti, introduced legislation that would make voting compulsory for 12 years under threat of monetary sanction. Benedetti has introduced similar legislation in the past.

France

The National Assembly launched an online "citizens consultation" on abstention and electoral participation, which included the question: "Would you be in favor of compulsory voting?"

Malaysia

A member of parliament, Ahmad Maslan, called for compulsory voting, suggesting fines and a prohibition on the renewal of driver's licenses for offenders.

Mexico

A member of the lower house, María Eugenia Hernández Pérez, proposed an amendment to Article 31 of the constitution that would unequivocally implement compulsory voting at the federal level (Article 36 can already be interpreted to imply compulsory voting). Around the same time, a state legislator for Coahuila, Javier Cortes Gómez, proposed compulsory voting in elections and referenda. Abstention in Coahuila would entail a fine equivalent to 14 days of the minimum wage in Mexico City and a revocation of the right to vote for one year.

United States

In Massachusetts, the Joint Committee on Election Laws, which is comprised of members of the State House and State Senate, heard testimony on a bill that would make participation compulsory for eligible voters.

September 2021
Argentina

The requirement to vote in the primary (PASO) elections was suspended for those with symptoms related to coronavirus.

Chile

Moving another step closer toward Chile's reinstitution of compulsory voting, with 25 votes in favor, 14 against, and one abstention, the Senate gave general support to the constitutional reform that would reinstate compulsory voting.
Four of the leading candidates for president in Chile's 2021 general election have expressed support for the adoption of compulsory voting, while two have expressed opposition. The four supporters are Eduardo Artés, Gabriel Boric, Franco Parisi, and Yasna Provoste, and the two opponents are José Antonio Kast and Sebastián Sichel.

August 2021
Chile

Moving a step closer toward Chile's reinstitution of compulsory voting, the Internal Government Commission of the lower house approved the specifics of a bill that maintains automatic voter registration but allows for voluntary de-registration from the electoral register. Voluntary registration was a feature of Chile's prior compulsory voting law (voting was made voluntary in 2012). The bill then moved to the Senate for continued debate. But, back in the lower house, the bill ultimately failed after falling two "yes" votes short of the 89-vote quorum required for its approval.

July 2021
Chile

The Senate Constitution, Legislation, and Justice commission, in a 3 to 2 vote, approved legislation from the lower house (see June events below) that would restore the compulsory vote. The legislation does not include any sanctions for abstention. The legislation will now be debated in the full chamber and will require three-fifths support to pass.
The Internal Government Commission of the lower house, in a 9 to 0 vote, endorsed a bill that would pave the way for sanctions for abstention upon the reinstatement of compulsory voting. The bill would allow exemptions for anyone who justifies their non-participation due to illness, absence from the country, being more than 200 kilometers from their polling place, or another serious impediment. The Commission also endorsed a bill that would restore citizens' ability to remove themselves from the electoral register in a 9 to 0 vote (with one abstention). Voluntary registration was a feature of Chile's prior compulsory voting law (voting was made voluntary in 2012).

Colombia

A member of the House of Representatives, Jorge Benedetti, introduced draft legislation that would make voting compulsory for 12 years under threat of monetary sanction. Benedetti had introduced similar legislation a year prior.

June 2021
Argentina

The government announced that people with coronavirus, symptoms of coronavirus, or close contact with someone with coronavirus will be exempt from the voting requirement in the November 2021 legislative elections and their associated primaries. This exclusion adds to existing exemptions, which include being more than 500 kilometers from one's polling place on election day, being ill, and having a public occupation that requires one to perform tasks that preclude turning out to vote.

Chile

Shortly after gubernatorial elections in which turnout was less than 20% of registered voters, a constitutional reform that would restore compulsory voting was approved by the lower house with specific criteria. The bill follows an earlier general proposal, which passed the lower house in May (see below). The vote was 105 to 33, with 9 abstentions. The bill stipulates that all Chilean citizens over 18 years of age, with the exception of those residing abroad, are obliged to participate in general and local elections. Deviating from May's general proposal, exceptions for people over 75 years old and people in situations of disability or dependency were rejected. The bill does not specify any sanctions for abstention, but those could be legislated separately. The bill now advances to the Senate, which could see that mandatory voting returns to Chile before the general election scheduled to be held on November 21, 2021.

May 2021
Chile

Chileans elected a Constitutional Convention tasked with drawing a new constitution for the country. The Convention may consider restoring compulsory voting, which was abrogated in Chile in 2012 (at the same time automatic voter registration was adopted). One high-profile call for the Convention to restore compulsory voting came from former president Ricardo Lagos. The newly drawn constitution will be subject to a ratifying plebiscite, scheduled for 2022, in which voting will be mandatory.
Less than two weeks after the election of the Convention, in which turnout was only about 43% of registered voters, the Chilean lower house approved in general a constitutional reform that would reintroduce compulsory voting by a vote of 107 to 16, with 23 abstentions. The new voting requirement would not apply to those aged 75 and over. (The previous compulsory voting rule in Chile did not have age-based exclusions.) The initiative will be now studied by the Internal Government Commission of the lower house and then, if it passes the lower house again, move on to the upper house. If the proposal were to clear all legislative hurdles quickly, mandatory voting could return before the general election scheduled for November 21, 2021—and before the Constitutional Convention finishes its work (likely in 2022). Thus, if the Convention were to include a compulsory voting rule in the constitution it drafts, it may end up replacing or duplicating an existing compulsory voting provision rather than restoring the requirement to vote.

April 2021
Belgium

The Flemish government formally approved the abolition of compulsory voting for municipal and provincial elections, acting on legislation that originated in 2019. Voting remains mandatory in regional, federal, and European contests in Belgium, as well as in municipal and provincial elections outside of Flanders.

Canada

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Erin O'Toole, said he was “thinking about and talking about” Australia's voting requirement and would "look closely at what Australia's been doing." He subsequently claimed to be in "listening mode" with regard to the idea of compulsory voting in Canada.

Peru

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people aged 65 or over who did not vote in the general election were not subject to sanctions. Typically, the exception to the voting obligation begins at age 70. Sanctions were also waived for people in health-based COVID-19 risk groups. Face masks were compulsory for all voters.

Samoa

Samoa held its first ever general election under compulsory voting (a by-election was held under mandatory rules in 2019). The fine for abstention was 100 tālā (about US$40).

March 2021
Azerbaijan

The leader of the Republican Alternative Party, Ilgar Mammadov, proposed the adoption of compulsory voting.

India

The Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly called for the nationwide implementation of compulsory voting. Voting is already compulsory, though abstention is not punished, in select local elections in Karnataka.

January 2021
France

A group of three senators tabled a bill that would make voting compulsory and allow for the recognition of blank votes.

Peru

Congressional candidate Adriana Tudela has made ending compulsory voting a centerpiece of her campaign for the April 2021 general election on the grounds that a "captive vote" leads parties to make a weak effort to present quality candidates and policy proposals.

United States

A Connecticut state senator proposed a bill that would institute a $20 fine for abstention without a valid excuse or conscientious objection. Violators would have the option of serving two hours of community service in lieu of paying the fine.
A Massachusetts state representative introduced a bill that would institute a $15 fine for abstention, having introduced an identical bill in 2019.

2020
December 2020
Brazil

Vice President Hamilton Mourão questioned the need for mandatory voting on the grounds that many candidates were elected with fewer votes than the sum of blank votes, null votes, and abstentions in the second round of municipal elections, which had a turnout of about 70% of registered voters. Shortly thereafter, two members of the Supreme Federal Court defended compulsory voting, noting its ability to neutralize radicalism and the trivial nature of the fine for abstention in Brazil, while also noting that optional voting would be ideal for Brazil after further democratic consolidation.

November 2020
Brazil

False information spread on social media claiming that those aged 60 and above would not be obliged to participate in municipal elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In reality, the constitutional stipulation that individuals age 18-70 are required to vote applied. Legislation introduced in the lower house in July 2020 would have lowered the maximum age of enforcement to 60 for the 2020 municipal elections, but it was not approved.

Chile

Four senators introduced a bill aimed at amending the constitution to reinstate compulsory voting (which was abolished in 2012 at the same time automatic voter registration was adopted) for those under 65 years of age.

October 2020
Bolivia

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people aged 60 or over who did not vote in the general election were not subject to sanctions. Typically, the exception to the voting obligation begins at age 70.

Chile

In a national plebiscite, Chileans voted to replace the country’s constitution. Voting in the plebiscite was voluntary, and participation in the April 2021 election [note: this was delayed until May 2021 due to COVID-19] of the members of the convention that will write the new constitution will also be voluntary. However, voting in the 2022 ratification plebiscite will be compulsory.

Portugal

André Ventura, a member of parliament, presidential candidate, and founder of Chega, a right-wing party, proposed a constitutional revision that would introduce sanctioned compulsory voting.