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[–] 1 point 8 months ago (4 children)

Not the one you responded to but if I may hazard a guess I'd say they see non-voting as a protest against the two party representative democracy currently in place. 

If you're forced to vote and there is no blank alternative, you are being forced to legitimise it whether you like it or not.

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  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    In Australia, for example, which has mandatory voting, the only requirement is that you participate. So, you can do the equivalent of submitting a completely empty ballot if you want to protest.

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  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago

    Mandatory voting creates more room for independent and minor parties to collect your vote, instead of just abstaining in the booth. The preference system tends to avoid outcomes that don’t reflect the electorate.

    In Australia, far left and far right politicians and candidates can and do bloviate all they want, but ultimately mandatory voting pulls politics back to the centre.

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