Every election, from federal right down to municipal, seems always to have a large percentage of eligible voters who just can’t be bothered to register their vote, or are too apathetic to make the effort.
Because of this, we never get true representation in our elected bodies.
The result of an election would be very different if everybody eligible voted.
It’s also noticeable that those who can’t be bothered are the first to complain if they don’t like what those elected are doing.
The only way to stop this situation is for voting to be made mandatory, subject to a hefty fine for failing to do so.
Ballot slips should also have a check box marked abstain, or none of the above in addition to candidates’ names.
Australia has mandatory voting as well as a number of other countries.
We should make it mandatory here too.
Noel Tyler
Vernon
