Here’s a short rant about a topic that’s bothered me for a long time: The dismal voter turnout in the U.S. I have a hunch that disasters like the current U.S. administration (Bush) could be avoided if voting was compulsory instead of voluntary. You may laugh, but compulsory voting is strictly enforced in Australia, for example. In the U.S. about 50% of those old enough to vote actually do so. Only about 70% of eligible voters even register to vote, which certainly contributes to the de-facto voter apathy. The U.S has a long history of making voting hard and difficult for the general populace, which is a shame and completely contrary to our country’s democratic claims. Let’s make up for these years of neglect and make voting mandatory! I believe strongly that the majority of people are decent and if given the facts will make decent decisions at the ballot box (a conviction that our present government does not seem to share, given the revelations of fraud and misinformation that have recently surfaced). Let’s make voting for general elections (Congress, Presidential) mandatory! And while we are at it, let’s remove the barriers (e.g. advance voter registration) that have traditionally reduced turnout. The United States of American will become a better nation if everybody participates.