Never Mind The Bar Charts

Compulsory voting: how it happened in Australia, and could it happen in the UK?

Listen Later

Time for an international turn on Never Mind The Bar Charts, with Professor Judith Brett, author of From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia got compulsory voting.

It's a great book about how democracy developed in Australia. Not only how voting ended up mandatory but also why so many people eat sausages when voting, the flirtation with round ballot papers and the way British politicians accidentally gave the Australians more democracy than they realised.

Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.

Show notes
  • Which places use compulsory voting (including those who have it but don't enforce it).
  • Talk of using weekend voting in the UK.
  • Optimising names at the start of the London telephone book.
  • From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia got compulsory voting by Judith Brett: Waterstones / Amazon (though watch out that Amazon's paperback prices seem very messed up and Waterstones will almost certainly be a much better deal).
  • I'll take any excuse to shoehorn in another link to the epic Bill Shorten interview, from before he became leader of the Labor Party and lost a general election.
  • Music by Hugo Lee.
  • New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.
    • Enjoy the show? Spread the word
    • Follow the show on Twitter.
  • Like the show on Facebook.
  • Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.
    • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Never Mind The Bar ChartsBy Mark Pack
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    3 ratings

    More shows like Never Mind The Bar Charts

    View all
    The Political Party by Avalon

    The Political Party

    73 Listeners

    The New Statesman | UK politics and culture by The New Statesman

    The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

    127 Listeners

    Politics Unpacked by The Times

    Politics Unpacked

    118 Listeners

    Political Fix by Financial Times

    Political Fix

    150 Listeners

    Oh God, What Now? by Podmasters

    Oh God, What Now?

    202 Listeners

    Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards by Steve Richards

    Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards

    52 Listeners

    Lib Dem Podcast by The LibDem Pod Team

    Lib Dem Podcast

    2 Listeners

    Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government by Institute for Government

    Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

    26 Listeners

    The Bunker – News without the nonsense by Podmasters

    The Bunker – News without the nonsense

    120 Listeners

    Westminster Insider by POLITICO

    Westminster Insider

    41 Listeners

    The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Politics

    3,276 Listeners

    The News Agents by Global

    The News Agents

    983 Listeners

    Politics At Sam and Anne's by Sky News

    Politics At Sam and Anne's

    39 Listeners

    How To Win An Election by The Times

    How To Win An Election

    23 Listeners

    Not Another One by Steve Richards, Miranda Green, Tim Montgomerie and Iain Martin

    Not Another One

    23 Listeners