Editing Compulsory voting (section)

==Current and past use by countries==
{{As of|2021|12}}, 21 countries were recorded as having compulsory voting.<ref name="World Factbook: Suffrage">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/suffrage|title=Suffrage – The World Factbook|website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> Of these, only 10 countries (additionally one [[Cantons of Switzerland|Swiss canton]]) enforce it. As of January 2020, of the 36 member states of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), only Australia had forms of compulsory voting which were enforced in practice. Voting in Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg, Mexico and Turkey is compulsory, but is [[Unenforced law|not enforced]].
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Place
!Exempt
!Turnout
!Enforced?
!Penalized
!History
|-
|{{Flagicon|Argentina}} [[Elections in Argentina|Argentina]]
|Ages 16, 17, and anyone over 70. The judges and their assistants who must provide services on election day. Those who are more than 500&nbsp;km away on election day. Those who are sick or disabled due to force majeure.<ref>{{Cite web |title=¿Quienes están exentos de la obligación de votar? : Elecciones |url=https://www.mendoza.gov.ar/elecciones/quienes-estan-exentos-de-la-obligacion-de-votar/ |access-date=2023-12-23 |website=www.mendoza.gov.ar}}</ref>
|75%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Argentina |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/11/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Introduced in 1912 with the [[Sáenz Peña Law]].<ref name="idea">{{cite web |date=21 August 2014 |title=Compulsory Voting |url=http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612191446/http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm |archive-date=12 June 2009 |access-date=19 September 2014 |publisher=[[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|IDEA]]}}</ref> Registered voters who abstain from voting without a verified justification, are liable to pay a fine. In case of non-payment, the person concerned is barred from dealing with public bodies for one year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cannataro |first=Micaela |date=26 October 2019 |title=Cuánto se paga de multa por no votar y cómo justificarlo |url=https://argentina.as.com/argentina/2019/10/26/tikitakas/1572083703_938174.html |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=Tikitakas |language=es}}</ref> Turnout peaked around 85% in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 October 2019 |title=Voto obligatorio en la Argentina: ¿podría ser optativo? |url=https://www.clarin.com/politica/voto-obligatorio-en-la-argentina-podria-ser-optativo-_0_I1OgyuQH.html |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=Clarín |language=es}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Australia}} [[Electoral system of Australia|Australia]]
|Travel, illness, religious objection, seasonal workers, anyone without a fixed address, not registered to vote (but registration is compulsory)<ref name=":62"/>
|92%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Australia |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/14/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|1%<ref name=":62"/>
|Introduced for [[1915 Queensland state election|state elections]] in [[Queensland]] in 1915, excluding [[Indigenous Australians]]. [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] introduced compulsory voting in 1926, [[New South Wales]] and [[Tasmania]] in 1928, [[Western Australia]] in 1936 (excluding Indigenous Australians), and [[South Australia]] in 1942. It was introduced for federal elections in 1924 for [[British subjects]] aged 21 and in 1984 for [[Indigenous Australians]].<ref name="ReferenceA">''Commonwealth Electoral Act 1924''</ref> Enrolment and voting at federal elections was introduced for Indigenous Australians in 1949, but was voluntary until both enrolment and voting became compulsory in 1984 for all eligible electors.<ref name="AECPub">{{Cite web |date=20 November 2023 |title=Compulsory voting in Australia |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/voting/index.htm |language=en-AU |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222043229/https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/Publications/voting/index.htm |archive-date=2025-02-22 |access-date=28 February 2025 |website=AEC}}</ref> The compulsory voting age for federal elections was reduced to 18 in 1974.<ref name="idea" />

Australia has one of the highest electoral turnout rates in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turnout by state |url=https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/HouseTurnoutByState-24310.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104095830/https://results.aec.gov.au/24310/Website/HouseTurnoutByState-24310.htm |archive-date=2020-11-04 |access-date=28 October 2021 |website=AEC Tally Room}}</ref> Since the introduction of compulsory voting in 1924, the turnout at Australian elections has never fallen below 90%.<ref name="AECPub" />

For first-time offenders, a fine is issued for AU$20 with a maximum penalty of AU$180, which is regularly enforced.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-08-08 |title=What can happen if you don't vote in an election? |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-08/what-happens-when-you-dont-vote-in-a-federal-election/8786684 |access-date=2021-10-28}}</ref><br /> Voter registration, called ''enrolment'' in Australia, is also compulsory.
|-
|{{Flagicon|Belgium}} [[Elections in Belgium#Voters|Belgium]]
|Not registered to vote<ref name=":62"/>
|90%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Belgium |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/22/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-02 |title=Désintox. Belgique : les abstentionnistes doivent-ils payer une amende ? |url=https://www.franceinfo.fr/elections/departementales/desintox-belgique-les-abstentionnistes-doivent-ils-payer-une-amende_4687269.html |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=Franceinfo |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
|
|Introduced in 1894.<ref>[http://www.senate.be/doc/const_nl.html#art62 &nbsp;Belgian constitution] (in Dutch)</ref> Every citizen and registered non-Belgian voter, from the age of 18 must cast a vote at federal, provincial, local and European parliament elections.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://elections.fgov.be/node/111505 | title=Le vote est-il obligatoire ? &#124; IBZ Elections }}</ref> Before 2003, fines from 40 to €80, and up to €200 for reoffenders were levied, but if they fail to vote in at least four elections, they can lose the right to vote for 10 years and non-voters also might face difficulties getting a job in the public sector. In reality, since 2003, offenders are almost never prosecuted.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/elections/departementales/desintox-belgique-les-abstentionnistes-doivent-ils-payer-une-amende_4687269.html | title=Désintox. Belgique: Les abstentionnistes doivent-ils payer une amende ? | date=2 July 2021 }}</ref> Penalties are immediate for absent appointed polling station staff.<ref>[http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/3625/De-Stemming/article/detail/878939/2009/06/06/Niet-stemmers-riskeren-geen-straf.dhtml Niet-stemmers riskeren geen straf] (in Dutch) De Morgen 06/06/2009</ref><ref>[http://www.7sur7.be/7s7/fr/1502/Belgique/article/detail/1067652/2010/02/15/Vers-la-fin-du-vote-obligatoire.dhtml Vers la fin du vote obligatoire?] 7sur7.be. 15/02/2010.</ref><ref>[https://www.lesoir.be/226381/article/2019-05-24/elections-2019-risquez-vous-vraiment-des-sanctions-si-vous-nallez-pas-voter Élections 2019: risquez-vous vraiment des sanctions si vous n'allez pas voter?], Le Soir.be, 24 May 2019.</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 14, 2019 |title=Geen sanctie voor wie niet stemt |language=nl |newspaper=HLN Nieuws |url=https://www.hln.be/nieuws/binnenland/geen-sanctie-voor-wie-niet-stemt~adcc7525/}}</ref> The key [[Flemish Community]] parties on the right wish to abolish compulsory voting, and did so in the case of Flemish local elections, starting with the [[2024 Belgian local elections|2024 elections]]. In the [[French Community of Belgium]], parties on the left adamantly support compulsory voting while those on the right increasingly favor its abolition.<ref>[https://www.sudinfo.be/id149121/article/2019-10-30/la-fin-du-vote-obligatoire-dici-5-ans-les-partis-de-droite-y-sont-plutot La fin du vote obligatoire d'ici 5 ans? Les partis de droite y sont plutôt favorables alors que la gauche est farouchement contre!] SudInfo.be, 30 October 2019.</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Bolivia}} [[Elections in Bolivia|Bolivia]]
|Over 70, absent on Election Day, force majeure<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Compulsory Voting {{!}} International IDEA |url=https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/voter-turnout/compulsory-voting |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>
|92%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Bolivia |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/27/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Since 1952. Voter are given a card after voting to prove participation. Otherwise they receive a fine and are unable to receive their salary from the bank if they cannot show proof of voting for the three months following the election.<ref name=":7" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Brazil}} [[Elections in Brazil|Brazil]]
|Ages 16, 17, and anyone over 70, those far away from home on election day (must be pre-approved) or cannot read<ref>{{cite journal |last=Power |first=Timothy J. |date=22 April 2009 |title=Compulsory for Whom? Mandatory Voting and Electoral Participation in Brazil, 1986–2006 |url=https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jpla/article/viewArticle/23 |journal=Journal of Politics in Latin America |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=97–122 |doi=10.1177/1866802X0900100105 |access-date=28 March 2018 |via=hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de |doi-access=free |s2cid=55741272 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Madrigal |first=Alexis Gabriel |date=2017-07-05 |title=Voto no Brasil: democracia ou obrigatoriedade? |trans-title=Voting in Brazil: democracy or obligation? |url=https://alexismadrigal.jusbrasil.com.br/artigos/474890287/voto-no-brasil-democracia-ou-obrigatoriedade |website=Jusbrasil |language=pt |access-date=2020-02-02 |archive-date=2020-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202041807/https://alexismadrigal.jusbrasil.com.br/artigos/474890287/voto-no-brasil-democracia-ou-obrigatoriedade |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|80%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Brazil |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/31/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Since 1932. Compulsory for all [[Brazilian citizens]], including Brazilians residing abroad. Those who do not vote in an election and do not later present an acceptable justification (such as being away from their voting location at the time) are subject to a fine of [[Brazilian real|R$]]3.51 (about [[United States dollar|US$]]0.65 in August 2020). Proof of voting compliance (by having voted, justified the absence or paid the fine) is required for some transactions such as obtaining a [[Brazilian passport]], admission to a public university, government employment, and loans from a government-owned bank.<ref>[https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/justica/noticia/2020-04/tse-aprova-reconhecimento-automatico-do-pagamento-de-multa-eleitoral TSE approves automatic recognition of payment of electoral fine], Agência Brasil, 2 April 2020. {{in lang|pt}}</ref><ref>[http://g1.globo.com/ma/maranhao/eleicoes/2016/noticia/2016/09/saiba-o-que-pode-acontecer-com-quem-deixa-de-votar-e-nao-justifica.html Know what may happen to whoever fails to vote and does not justify it], G1, 16 September 2016. {{in lang|pt}}</ref> 56% of Brazilians were against the policy in a 2020 study.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mann |first=Richard |date=2020-12-28 |title=Datafolha: Majority of Brazilians Oppose Compulsory Voting |url=https://www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/brazil/datafolha-majority-of-brazilians-oppose-compulsory-voting/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=The Rio Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Chile}} [[Elections in Chile|Chile]]
|Health incompatibility, being over 200&nbsp;km away from voting poll and any justification accepted by local courthouse.
|TBD
|
|
|In 2012, an amendment of the [[Chilean Constitution of 1980]] eliminated the obligation to vote (and the up to $200 fines that discouraged many low-income citizens from registering)<ref name=":62"/> and established automatic registration for all citizens (Law 20,568).<ref name="auto" /> In 2022 mandatory voting was reintroduced while automatic registration into the voting registry was kept.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 December 2022 |title=Chile's congress reintroduces mandatory voting |url=https://www.latercera.com/politica/noticia/se-repone-voto-obligatorio-congreso-aprueba-reforma-que-dejara-atras-el-sufragio-voluntario-a-10-anos-de-su-implementacion/BG47J7ZH6ZGQTODHYCYVAJ5I6E/ |access-date=20 December 2022 |website=latercera.com}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Costa Rica}} [[Elections in Costa Rica|Costa Rica]]
|
|63%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Costa Rica |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/53/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=19 December 2017 |title=Costa Rica's elections 2018: a primer |url=https://ticotimes.net/2017/12/18/costa-ricas-elections-2018-primer |website=The Tico Times Costa Rica}}</ref><ref name=":62"/>
|
|Absenteeism was consistently around 20 percent until the 1990s, when it jumped to nearly 30 percent.<ref name=":4" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Ecuador}} [[Elections in Ecuador|Ecuador]]
|Ages 16, 17, and anyone over 65 or who cannot read
|82%<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Ecuador |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/64/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Introduced in 1936.<ref name="idea" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Egypt}} [[Elections in Egypt|Egypt]]
|
|33%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Egypt |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/65/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No
|
|Egyptian law provides for a fine and even a jail sentence for those who do not vote, but in practice the law is not applied, and turnouts are low, such as 47.5% at the [[2014 Egyptian presidential election|2014 presidential election]], then down to 28.3% at the [[2015 Egyptian parliamentary election|parliamentary election the following year]].
|-
|{{Flagicon|Fiji}} [[Elections in Fiji|Fiji]]
|
|~70%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Fiji |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/73/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No
|
|Not enforced starting in 2014.<ref>[http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/fiji-to-drop-compulsory-voting-lower-age-for-2014 Fiji to drop compulsory voting, lower age for 2014] radioaustralia.net. 8 September 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140812070950/http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/fiji-to-drop-compulsory-voting-lower-age-for-2014</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Greece}} [[Elections in Greece|Greece]]
|Over 70
|~60%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Greece (look at the last 2–3 parliamentary elections) |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/85/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Election Database – Parliamentary elections in Greece |url=https://nsd.no/european_election_database/country/greece/parliamentary_elections.html |website=nsd.no}}</ref><ref name=":62"/>
|
|There used to be punishments such as not being able to issue a passport, driving license and occupational license. These sanctions were lifted in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Compulsory Voting {{!}} International IDEA |url=https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/voter-turnout/compulsory-voting |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Honduras}} [[Elections in Honduras|Honduras]]
|
|58%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Honduras |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/97/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref name=":62"/>
|
|While the [[Constitution of Honduras]] says voting is compulsory, the Electoral Code does not mention penalties for not voting.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last1=Maldonado |first1=Arturo |date=24 November 2015 |title=The Origins and Consequences of Compulsory Voting in Latin America |url=https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-11202015-184530/unrestricted/Maldonado.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Liechtenstein}} [[Elections in Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]]
|
|78%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Liechtenstein |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/124/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|The Act on the Exercise of Political Rights in National Affairs (1973) states that "Participation in elections and votes is a compulsory civic duty"<ref>{{cite journal |date=23 November 1973 |title=Act of 17 July 1973 on the Exercise of Political Rights in National Affairs (Democratic Rights, VRG) |url=https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/7852/file/Liechtenstein_act_exercise_political_rights_national_affairs_1973_am2012_en.pdf |journal=Liechtenstein State Law Gazette |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029033253/https://www.legislationline.org/download/id/7852/file/Liechtenstein_act_exercise_political_rights_national_affairs_1973_am2012_en.pdf |archive-date=2021-10-29 |number=50}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> with fines issued for those who do not qualify for an exemption.
|-
|{{Flagicon|Luxembourg}} [[Elections in Luxembourg|Luxembourg]]
|Under 18 or over 75, live abroad
|90%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Luxembourg |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/126/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=2024-05-23 |title=Is voting in Luxembourg really compulsory? |url=https://www.luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/is-voting-in-luxembourg-really-compulsory/1257834.html |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=Luxembourg Times}}</ref>
|
|Compulsory for [[Luxembourg citizenship|Luxembourg citizens]] aged between 18 and 75 who live in Luxembourg. Foreign nationals (in local elections for all foreigners and [[Elections to the European Parliament|European elections]] for European citizens only) may register to vote if resident in Luxembourg, with the previous five-year residency requirement lifted in 2023. Enrolment for foreign nationals on the electoral roll is a free choice, not a requirement; however, once an eligible foreign national has registered to vote, then voting becomes compulsory for them. Penalties for not voting range from €100-250 for a first offence to up to €1000 for a repeat offence.<ref>Loi électorale du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg</ref> However, no fines have been imposed since 1963<ref name=":10" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Mexico}} [[Elections in Mexico|Mexico]]
|
|54%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Mexico |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/140/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref name=":62"/>
|
|The [[Constitution of Mexico]] mentions that voting is a citizen's obligation (Art. 36), but the Electoral Code does not establish penalties for not voting.<ref name="auto" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Nauru}} [[Elections in Nauru|Nauru]]
|
|90%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Nauru |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/150/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Introduced in 1965 when it was still an [[History of Nauru|Australian possession]].<ref name="idea" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|DPRK}} [[Elections in North Korea|North Korea]]
|
|99%
|Yes
|
|Everyone over age 17 is required to vote. However, only one candidate from the ruling [[Workers' Party of Korea]] or its partners in the [[Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea]] appears on the ballot. Voting is designed to track who is and is not in the country (including who may have [[North Korean defectors|defected]]). Dissenting votes are possible but are considered acts of treason that can have consequences for someone and their family since ballots are not secret.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 May 2014 |title=The Economist explains: How North Korea's elections work |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/03/economist-explains-2 |access-date=6 May 2015}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-07-19 |title=North Korea elections: What is decided and how? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33584638 |access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Paraguay}} [[Elections in Paraguay|Paraguay]]
|Over 75<ref name=":62"/>
|65%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Paraguay |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/169/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No<ref name=":62"/>
|
|Citizens between 18 and 75 years old. Turnout at the [[2013 Paraguayan general election|2013 general elections]] was 68.5%, then went down to 61.2% at the [[2018 Paraguayan general election|2018 election]].
|-
|{{Flagicon|Peru}} [[Elections in Peru|Peru]]
|Over 70<ref>{{cite web |title=Political Constitution of Peru |url=http://www.tc.gob.pe/legconperu/constitucion.html  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324043856/http://www.tc.gob.pe/legconperu/constitucion.html |archive-date=2007-03-24 |access-date=2011-10-04 |publisher=Tc.gob.pe |language=es}}</ref>
|81%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Peru |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/170/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Introduced in 1933.<ref name="idea" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Pitcairn Islands}} [[Pitcairn Islands]]
|
|100%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Pitcairn Islands |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/172/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|All permanent residents over 18 years of age are required to vote.<ref>[http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%2011%20-%20Local%20Government.pdf Local Government Ordinance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422123214/http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%2011%20-%20Local%20Government.pdf |date=2021-04-22 }}, Laws of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, 2019.</ref> Those who do not vote, without a valid excuse, are subject to a fine up to [[New Zealand dollar|NZ$]]25.<ref>[http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%205%20-%20Summary%20Offences.pdf Summary Offences Ordinance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420134159/http://www.government.pn/Laws/Cap%205%20-%20Summary%20Offences.pdf |date=2021-04-20 }}, Laws of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://news.eud.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2013-12-01/first-country-in-the-world-to-grant-suffrage-to-women-celebrates-its-175th-anniversary/ First country in the world to grant suffrage to women celebrates its 175th anniversary], Seventh-day Adventist Church Inter-European Division, 1 December 2013.</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Samoa}} [[Elections in Samoa|Samoa]]
|
|93%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Samoa |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/186/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Samoa adopted compulsory voting in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-28 |title=Voting in Samoa Parliamentary elections to be compulsory |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/353578/voting-in-samoa-parliamentary-elections-to-be-compulsory |access-date=2022-02-11 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref> It was implemented for the first time in the [[2021 Samoan general election]].
|-
|{{Flagicon|Singapore}} [[Elections in Singapore|Singapore]]
|Travel, illness, under 21<ref name=":5">{{Singapore legislation|title=Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Act 2020|cap=new|no=21|year=2020}}, section 3</ref>
|95%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Singapore |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/193/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Failure to vote may result in the removal of one's name from the electoral roll. A non-voter can restore one's name to the register by submitting an application to the Registration Officer with a valid excuse as to why they did not vote in the most recent election. Those who do not vote, without a valid excuse, are subject to a fine of [[Singapore dollar|SG$]]50 before they are restored on electoral roll.<ref>{{cite web |title=ELD {{!}} What Should I Do If I Did Not Vote in a Past Election? |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/voters_compulsory.html |website=www.eld.gov.sg |access-date=13 June 2024}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon image|Flag of Canton of Schaffhausen.svg}} [[Switzerland|Swiss canton]] of [[Canton of Schaffhausen#Compulsory Voting|Schaffhausen]]
|
|
|Yes
|
|Compulsory voting has never existed at the national level in Switzerland. However, starting in the late 19th century, it was passed by several cantons, but by 1974 had been repealed everywhere but Schaffhausen.<ref name="idea" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Thailand}} [[Elections in Thailand|Thailand]]
|
|67%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Thailand |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/212/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No
|
|
|-
|{{Flagicon|Turkey}} [[Elections in Turkey|Turkey]]
|
|83.45%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Turkey |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/218/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|No
|
|Introduced in 1983 for parliamentary election and in 1984 for local elections. Registered voters who abstain from voting without justification are fined.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.2839.pdf |title=Milletvekili Seçimi Kanunu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.2972.pdf |title=Mahalli İdareler ile Mahalle Muhtarlıkları ve İhtiyar Heyetleri Seçimi Hakkında Kanun}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Uruguay}} [[Elections in Uruguay|Uruguay]]
|Health issues, absence on election day, force majeure, citizenship suspension.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article 6 of the Election Law |url=https://www.impo.com.uy/bases/leyes/16017-1989/6 |access-date=2024-01-30}}</ref>
|90%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Uruguay |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/228/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref>
|Yes
|
|Introduced in 1934, but not enforced until 1970.<ref name="idea" /> Registered voters who abstain from voting without justification are fined. Fines are doubled if the nonvoter is a public servant or a graduate professional. In cases of non-payment the person concerned is barred from dealing with public bodies (whether acting in a personal interest or as a legal representative), collecting fees or salaries, registering for exams in universities, purchasing registered property, or buying tickets for travel to another country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ley N° 16.017 de 13 de enero de 1989 |url=https://www.corteelectoral.gub.uy/legislacion/legislacion/legislacion-electoral/ley-n-16-017-de-13-de-enero-de-1989 |website=Corte Electoral, República Oriental del Uruguay}}</ref>
|}

===Repealed===
Countries where voting is no longer compulsory:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!
|-
|{{Flagicon|People's Socialist Republic of Albania}} [[Elections in Albania|Albania]]
|Compulsory voting, which existed throughout the Communist period and produced official turnouts of 100%, was repealed with the new election law of November 1990 and January 1991 during the [[Fall of communism in Albania|fall of Communism in Albania]].<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.iri.org/sites/default/files/fields/field_files_attached/resource/albanias_1991_parliamentary_elections.pdf |title=The 1991 Elections in Albania: Report of the Election Observer Delegation |publisher=National Republican Institute for International Affairs}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Austria}} [[Elections in Austria|Austria]]
|At the national level, introduced in 1924.<ref name=":1" /> Repealed in 1992. At the provincial level in [[Styria]], [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]] and [[Vorarlberg]], repealed in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elections in Austria |url=https://www.bmi.gv.at/412_english/ |website=www.bmi.gv.at}}</ref> 
|-
|{{Flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Elections in Bulgaria|Bulgaria]]
|Due to the low turnouts at elections, the [[National Assembly (Bulgaria)|National Assembly of Bulgaria]] introduced compulsory voting in 2016 – the only European country to do so in more than 50 years – but the [[Constitutional Court of Bulgaria]] annulled the law the following year, declaring that the right to vote was a subjective right and not a public function that entailed an obligation to vote.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 February 2017 |title=Bulgaria's Constitutional Court Abolishes Compulsory Voting |url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/179013/Bulgaria%27s+Constitutional+Court+Abolishes+Compulsory+Voting |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=novinite.com}}</ref> 
|-
|{{Flagicon|Cyprus}} [[Elections in Cyprus|Cyprus]]
|Introduced after [[London and Zürich Agreements|independence from the British Empire]] in 1960.<ref name="idea" /> Repealed in 2017, after having been inactive for many years.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 31, 2017 |title=Government abolishes compulsory voting |newspaper=Cyprus Mail |url=http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/05/31/government-abolishes-compulsory-voting/ |access-date=June 21, 2017 |archive-date=November 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119091003/https://cyprus-mail.com/2017/05/31/government-abolishes-compulsory-voting/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Elections in the Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic]]
|Compulsory voting, which was not enforced in practice, was repealed with the 2010 [[Constitution of the Dominican Republic]] which states: "Nobody can be obligated or coerced, under any pretext, in the exercise of their right of suffrage or to reveal their vote." In 2017, a proposal by an opposition party to establish compulsory voting was defeated.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 May 2017 |title=Should Dominicans be Forced to Vote? |url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2017/05/04/should-dominicans-be-forced-to-vote/ |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=Dominican Today}}</ref> 
|-
|{{Flagicon|Guatemala}} [[Elections in Guatemala|Guatemala]]
|Repealed in 1990.<ref name=":1" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Italy}} [[Elections in Italy|Italy]]
|Between 1945 and 1993. (Possible arbitrary or social sanctions, called the "innocuous sanction", where it might, for example, be difficult to get a daycare place for the citizen's child or similar.)<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=IPU PARLINE database: ITALY (Camera dei Deputati), Electoral system |url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2157_B.htm |website=archive.ipu.org}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Lebanon}} [[Elections in Lebanon|Lebanon]]
|Repealed at least since the electoral law of 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IPU PARLINE database: LEBANON (Majlis Al-Nuwwab) |url=http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2179.htm |website=archive.ipu.org}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Elections in the Netherlands|Netherlands]]
|Introduced under the [[Pacification of 1917]] along with universal suffrage, repealed it in 1967. In 1946, a survey conducted by the Netherlands Institute of Public Opinion (NIPO), in the [[Netherlands]], reported that 66 percent of those asked favored repealing compulsory voting.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Irwin |first=Galen |title=May we have the votes, please? |url=https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/fac7b21c-484e-475f-982f-b409c2237f72.pdf |website=European Consortium for Political Research}}</ref> In 1966, the public was polled again, this time by the Politics in the Netherlands survey, and responded 69 percent in favor of the policy.<ref name=":2" /> In 1967, the [[Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam|Free University of Amsterdam]] polled voters on whether they thought the compulsory voting laws at the time were "right" or "wrong"; 70 percent of those asked answered "right", 28 percent answered "wrong", and 2 percent gave no opinion.<ref name=":2" /> In January 1969, the Netherlands Institute of Public Opinion polled again, and found 53 percent of those asked were in favor of abolishing compulsory voting, while 29 percent wished to keep it.<ref name=":2" /> In 1999, support for compulsory voting in the Netherlands was just at 35 percent.<ref name=":2" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Panama}} [[Elections in Panama|Panama]]
|The current [[Law of Panama|laws of Panama]] do not mention any sanctions and do not specify the obligation to vote.<ref name="auto" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Philippines|variant=1936}} [[Elections in the Philippines|Philippines]]
|Compulsory and enforced during the regime of [[Ferdinand Marcos]].<ref>Bunge, Frederica M. (ed.), ''Philippines, a country study''/Foreign Area Studies, The American University (1984), pp. 195–196</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Portugal}} [[Elections in Portugal|Portugal]]
|[[1933 Portuguese constitutional referendum]], not enforced.
|-
|{{Flagicon|Spain|variant=1785}} [[Elections in Spain|Spain]]
|1907–1923, but not enforced.<ref name=":1" />
|-
|{{Flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Elections in Switzerland|Switzerland]]
|Widespread among the country's 26 cantons in the 19th century but progressively abandoned since then with only Schaffhausen still retaining it.<ref>{{cite web |last=Leybold-Johnson |first=Isobel |date=4 April 2014 |title=Le dernier canton où le vote est obligatoire |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/democratiedirecte/schaffhouse_le-dernier-canton-o%C3%B9-le-vote-est-obligatoire/38284104 |access-date=28 March 2018 |work=swissinfo.ch}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon image|Flag of the State of Georgia (non-official).svg|link=Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[Elections in Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|By Article XII of the 1777 [[Constitution of Georgia (U.S. state)|Constitution of Georgia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Constitution of Georgia, 5 February 1777 |url=http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/ga02.htm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213082118/http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/ga02.htm |archive-date=13 December 2007 |access-date=2007-12-07 |publisher=The Avalon Project at [[Yale Law School]]}}</ref> This provision was omitted from the revised Georgia constitution adopted after the [[ratification of the United States Constitution]] in 1789.<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgia Constitution of 1789 – Founding.com |url=http://founding.com/founders-library/government-documents/american-state-and-local-government-documents/state-constitutions/georgia-constitution-of-1789/ |access-date=28 March 2018 |website=founding.com}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagicon|Venezuela|variant=1930}} [[Elections in Venezuela|Venezuela]]
|Removed in 1993.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Elliot Frankal |date=2005-07-04 |title=Compulsory voting around the world &#124; Politics &#124; guardian.co.uk |publisher=Politics.guardian.co.uk |location=London |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/apathy/story/0,,1521096,00.html |access-date=2011-10-04}}</ref> Had been largely unenforced before then.<ref name=":62"/> Turnout since 1998 has averaged 62%<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFES Election Guide {{!}} Country Profile: Venezuela |url=https://www.electionguide.org/countries/id/231/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=www.electionguide.org}}</ref> compared with almost 90% on average between 1970 and 1993 during compulsory voting.<ref name=":9" />
|}