By Arooj Rasheed, law student at University of South Australia with a strong passion for human rights and advocacy.
“My fear is that as the older, more regular voters die, we will be left with a significant number of people for whom voting is neither a habit, nor a duty” says Geoffray Hoon, British Labor Party politician.
Low voter turnout at South Australian local elections has long been a matter of concern. Potential voters continue to disengage despite the valuable and increasing role local governments play in delivering services to local communities. In 2022 only 34% of eligible SA citizens chose to exercise their democratic right to vote for their council representative. The growing nature of this problem has led some to look to compulsory voting be as a practical solution for reinvigorating representative democracy in South Australia.
Do people in other states have to vote in Local Council elections?
A number of states in Australia have imposed compulsory voting in local government elections in recent years – some generating impressive results when it comes to increasing voter turnout and democratic participation. For example, in local government elections in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland and Victorian – where failing to vote without a valid and sufficient reason can attract a penalty of 1 unit leading to a fine of $161 and failure to meet these penalties can result in prosecution – there is a voter participation rate of 76% on average.
Why should we care about low voter turnout in local council elections in SA?
As a first-year law student living in the growing city of the Salisbury. I have seen first hand the many ways in which local council impacts my life and the community life through the management of public services, overseeing local development projects and organising community events. However, I have noticed that it can be difficult to work out who the local council representatives are, what type of decisions they are making, to access a clear and detailed information about their roles and responsibilities and what young people like me can do to get involved or even run for elections. This experience makes me believe that voting should be compulsory. When voting is compulsory, local council would likely to be more encouraged to enhance transparency and accessibility. Compulsory voting could therefore ensure broader participation and better communication from local councils making it easier for residents to connect with their representatives and understand their impact on the community.
In a healthy representative democracy people effected by decisions should be able to participate in the creation of those decisions. One of the keyways to do this is to vote in democratic elections, and to encourage a diversity of candidates to run for office, ideally reflecting the views and opinions of their local constituencies or communities. When voter turnout is low, and citizens feel disconnected from the process of representation it becomes difficult for local government authorities to consider the needs and preferences of all citizens and to give everyone an equal opportunity to be heard. In other words representative democracy is being compromised in local councils due to fewer people voting – resulting in elected members representing only a portion rather than a wider community.
What difference could compulsory voting make?
My research, and that of other scholars, suggests that when people are not obligated to vote the social norms and civic sense to vote slowly disappear resulting in declined turnout levels. The Institute for Public Policy Research suggests that this is particularly pronounced among lowest income categories. Keaney and Rogers have also found that when voting is not compulsory, the least privileged social groups are most likely not to vote. In a local council where, voting rates are in decline, there is a significant risk that those groups that are already well represented – such as people who have lived in the community for a long time or that are retired or wealthy homeowners – continues to experience representation and power within local council. In contrast, groups that might be experiencing disadvantage, or newly arrived residents in the area or people from a different culture background or who are renting, might be less like to vote and therefore less likely to have their views represented – even though their needs might be the most acute. Compulsory voting could offer a way to connect these communities back into the democratic process.
Making Voting Compulsory: A Step Forward
In my view, it is time for South Australian local councils to transfer from voluntary voting to compulsory voting to strengthen representative democracy. Compulsory voting would ensure that wide groups of people participate in local elections making voting more diverse, diminishing the imbalance between the privileged and less privileged and ensuring that all voices are heard that might otherwise go unnoticed in the voluntary voting system. South Australia must consider adopting compulsory voting in local councils’ election like many other states in Australia to ensure that every citizen’s voice is heard because it matters.
Care about this issue too? Be part of a free online and in person community forum on 18 September 2024 featuring Arooj and colleagues! Details and registration here.
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