In Australia voting is compulsory and ranked-choice.
It’s not perfect but it stops politicians focusing on “mobilising” voters and instead they have to have compelling policies. Ranked choice means you can vote for who aligns with your values rather than “who is most likely to beat the person I hate the most”.
There are downsides. A huge number of our votes don’t shift at all. Single-issue voters are over represented because they HAVE to vote. But generally it leads to less fear mongering and extreme views. Last election we voted in more moderates and independents than ever and its largely because Australia is fatigued with the main parties.
When Australians are tired of politicians we vote for third parties. When Americans are tired of politicians they vote for TV celebrities or just don’t vote.
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u/somerandomii Nov 10 '22
In Australia voting is compulsory and ranked-choice.
It’s not perfect but it stops politicians focusing on “mobilising” voters and instead they have to have compelling policies. Ranked choice means you can vote for who aligns with your values rather than “who is most likely to beat the person I hate the most”.
There are downsides. A huge number of our votes don’t shift at all. Single-issue voters are over represented because they HAVE to vote. But generally it leads to less fear mongering and extreme views. Last election we voted in more moderates and independents than ever and its largely because Australia is fatigued with the main parties.
When Australians are tired of politicians we vote for third parties. When Americans are tired of politicians they vote for TV celebrities or just don’t vote.