OPINION: Australia does elections better than almost anyone — and compulsory voting is why
This was not, as has sometimes been claimed, an accidental decision carelessly made by inattentive parliamentarians, but the result of Australia's confidence in government, its commitment to majoritarian democracy, and its willingness to experiment with electoral matters.Determined to create a fair and accessible electoral system, they tinkered away until they got it right.
Subsequently, the spirit of incremental innovation was applied to the Senate, with the introduction of proportional representation in 1948, and more recently in the tinkering with above- and below-the-line voting.How compulsory voting shaped WentworthThe Liberals had held the seat since Robert Menzies founded the party in 1945 and went into the contest with a margin of almost 18 per cent.
The circumstances were unusual, with the by-election caused by the resignation of the sitting member, Malcolm Turnbull, after the Liberal party room turned against him and he resigned as prime minister. In a short campaign, run without the backing of a major party, Phelps had to raise money, and to recruit and organise campaign workers; but she did not have to register voters or get them to the polls, just persuade them to give their vote to her.
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