"Forcing" by essentially hitting people on the head with Parsley isn't exactly the same as the sentiment in your comment.

If people really don't want to vote in Australia, they don't vote, theres fines sure, but they're not big, and i'd be surprised if they chase people for it.

But theres more people than you'd think who never enrolled to vote, thereby never getting a fine, and also never voting. I's listening to a podcast, i think it was Ben Raue's, where they demonstrated that the participation rate is actually probably lower than reported due to non-enrolled people not voting. So in percentage terms its maybe high eighties, still good... but.. So the rosy picture sold by the media isn't quite on the money.

If turnout is low then give the lie to "my vote doesn't matter".

This is a consumerist centric view to take. People have self regard for themselves and their immediates above others. I'm not saying some neo-lib greed is good shit, we humans can just find it difficult to see much further past our immediate priorities.

Parties, and Governments aren't a mall filled with products for casual perusal, they're a tool we've collectively come up with to deliver a greater vision for the tribe's success in general. But these tools need feedback, and they need energy to function properly.

They only work if theres participation. If people don't want to bother with that, then they'll find sooner or later an even less generally amenable decision making system will guide the future of their tribe.

Its the same as the old Bread and Circuses saying, distracting the masses and suppressing their voice makes it easier to seize more control.