Australia Voting Turnout

We recently learned from a powerpoint and lecture in class by Professor Dasovic that Rational Thought theory is defined as individuals acting in accord with their preferences and beliefs. We learned that preferences deal with an individuals immediate wants and needs, while beliefs are determined by the conditions of the outside world. Both of these aspects of Rational Thought coincide with voting in Australia, a country in which voting is compulsory. Naturally democratic people in a democratic state, Australians voted for the law to make voting mandatory because they wanted the people in office to represent the will of all people. Thus, the wants, needs, and beliefs of the people are reflected in their natural yearning to vote in candidates that will voice how they feel, and deal with the most important issues at hand according to the general public. As stated in the article, the mandatory voting law has remained basically unchallenged since its beginning – the people are happy with these forms of coercion; these forms of reflecting peoples’ preferences, wants, and needs. More information on this topic can be seen on the following link, which begs the question of whether or not the United States can do the same: