Voting is a fundamental democratic right, allowing citizens to have a say in how their country is governed. But what if it’s mandatory? In Australia, as I discovered when I moved there, the voting process is compulsory, aiming to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast their ballot and the opportunity to enjoy hot dogs at the polling booth. Normally called a sausage sizzle in Aussie slang, it becomes democracy sausage come election time.
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What a Difference! I Voted In India and the USA
I am a proud voter. I voted in India, and now I vote in the United States. A transition from the East to the West – from the largest democracy to a long-standing democracy. My experience voting in these two countries seems so similar. Electronic voting machines and ballot boxes — covered enough to make it a perfect secret ballot, all set up on school premises. There are similarities in election propaganda, the campaigns, the rallies, and the voters have to be 18 years or older. Yet they are so different. India elects every five years, and the US every four.
