Countries with Compulsory Voting: Penalties, Exemptions, and Enforcement

More than 20 countries with compulsory voting actively enforce the requirement, and roughly a dozen more keep it on the books without penalties. Enforcement is heaviest in Latin America but extends to parts of Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and a few sub-national jurisdictions. Consequences for skipping an election range from a small administrative fine to losing access to a passport or public-sector employment.

Which Countries Enforce Compulsory Voting

The countries below have compulsory voting laws and actually impose penalties on citizens who fail to participate, according to the International IDEA Compulsory Voting Database.¹

Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay
Europe: Belgium, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Turkey
Asia-Pacific: Australia, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Singapore, and Thailand
Sub-national: The Swiss canton of Schaffhausen and several Austrian regions (Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Styria)

Latin America has the deepest tradition. Argentina has mandated voting since 1912, Brazil since 1932, and Bolivia since 1952.¹ Australia, which introduced enforcement in the 1920s, is the best-known example outside the region and consistently records turnout above 90%.²

Countries Where the Law Exists but Isn’t Enforced

A separate group of countries technically requires voting but imposes no real consequences. In these systems the law functions as a civic expectation rather than an obligation. Greece is a common point of confusion: its constitution still declares voting compulsory under Article 51(5), but administrative sanctions were officially lifted in 2000.³

Others in the unenforced category include Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Paraguay.¹ Egypt’s 2014 Presidential Election Law prescribes fines for abstention, but none have ever been imposed. France requires voting only for Senate elections. Italy practiced compulsory voting from 1945 to 1993 before dropping enforcement. Bulgaria introduced the requirement in 2016 and made it unenforceable one year later.

What Compulsory Voting Actually Requires

A detail that surprises many people: these laws generally require you to show up and have your name marked off the electoral roll, not to cast a valid ballot for any particular candidate. In Australia, Section 245 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 states that “it shall be the duty of every elector to record his or her vote at each election,” but there is no mechanism to check whether the ballot was filled out.⁴ A blank ballot is legal. The obligation in most compulsory systems is to attend, not to choose.

One structural gap in some countries is that the vote is mandatory only for people who have registered, but registration itself is voluntary. As International IDEA notes, “people might then have incentives not to register” to avoid the obligation.¹ Australia closes that gap by making both enrollment and voting compulsory.

The rules apply to citizens, not to foreign residents. Australian permanent residents generally cannot vote and are not subject to the voting obligation, aside from a narrow historical exception for individuals who enrolled as British subjects before January 26, 1984.⁵

Penalties for Not Voting

Enforcement varies enormously. Some countries treat non-voting like a minor administrative matter. Others restrict access to government services for years.

Australia

After an election, the Australian Electoral Commission sends a notice to every enrolled voter whose name wasn’t marked off at a polling station. The notice asks for either a valid reason for not voting or payment of a $20 AUD administrative penalty.⁶ Ignoring the notice can lead to a court referral, where the penalty rises. Most people either pay the $20 or provide an excuse, and turnout stayed above 90% in the 2025 federal election.⁷

Belgium

Belgium uses an escalating structure. A first unjustified absence carries a fine of €40 to €80. Repeat offenders face €80 to €200. After three unexcused absences, voters lose their right to vote for ten years and may encounter difficulties getting public-sector employment.¹

Luxembourg

A first unjustified abstention is punishable by a fine between €100 and €250. A repeat offense within five years raises the penalty to €500 to €1,000.⁸ Voters over 75 are exempt.

Brazil

Brazil’s fine is small, roughly R$3.51 per round, but the collateral consequences are severe. A citizen who misses three consecutive elections without justification or payment of the fine cannot obtain a passport, receive a salary from a government position, enroll in or take public service exams, or renew enrollment in public universities.⁹

Singapore

Rather than fining non-voters, Singapore strikes them from the electoral register. Non-voters lose the right to participate in future presidential and parliamentary elections until they apply for reinstatement with the Registration Officer. Restoration requires an explanation and a $50 SGD fee, which non-voters without a valid reason must pay in any case.¹⁰

Nauru

Nauru fines non-voters up to $100 for failing to participate in elections or official polls.¹¹

Who Is Exempt

Every enforcing country builds in exceptions for people who cannot reasonably participate. The categories look similar across jurisdictions.

Age

Older voters are routinely excused. Voting becomes optional at 70 in Argentina and Brazil,¹² at 65 in Ecuador,¹³ and at 75 in Luxembourg.⁸ Greece also exempts voters over 70.³ On the younger end, several Latin American countries make voting optional for 16- and 17-year-olds, with the obligation starting at 18.¹⁴

Illness and Disability

Voters who cannot reach a polling station because of illness or disability can request an exemption, typically with a medical certificate from a registered practitioner. In Australia, the Electoral Act treats a “valid and sufficient reason” as a defense, and the inability to understand or communicate a vote due to disability qualifies.¹⁵

Being Abroad on Election Day

Citizens outside the country on election day are generally excused. Bolivia does not penalize voters who can prove they were absent from the national territory,¹ and Greece follows the same approach.³ Brazil requires citizens abroad to either vote at a consulate or formally justify their absence afterward.¹⁴

Literacy

Brazil and Ecuador make voting optional for illiterate citizens.¹²

Countries That Have Changed Course

The list of enforcing countries is not fixed. Chile practiced compulsory voting from 1925 until abolition in 2012 in favor of voluntary participation with automatic registration. Turnout dropped, and in 2023 Chile reintroduced the requirement in its new constitutional framework. Article 37 of the 2023 Constitution states that inhabitants “must vote in elections and plebiscites, all in accordance with the Constitution and the law.”¹⁶

Others moved the opposite direction. The Netherlands enforced compulsory voting from 1917 to 1967 before repealing it. Italy dropped its system in 1993. Venezuela ended enforcement the same year. The Dominican Republic formally abandoned compulsory voting in 2010.¹ Several Austrian regions that once enforced the requirement phased it out between 1992 and 2004.

1
International IDEA. Compulsory Voting
2
Australian Electoral Commission. Compulsory Voting in Australia
3
Gov.gr. Compulsory Voting
4
Federal Register of Legislation. Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
5
Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Permanent Residency Entitlements
6
Australian Electoral Commission. Non-Voters
7
Australian Electoral Commission. Participation in the 2025 Federal Election
8
Official elections website of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Principles – Electoral System
9
Law Library of Congress. Mandatory Voting and Penalties for Not Voting
10
Elections Department Singapore. What Should I Do If I Did Not Vote in a Past Election
11
Government of Nauru. Electoral (Survey or Poll) Regulations 2021
12
Constitute. Brazil 1988 Constitution
13
ACE Electoral Knowledge Network. Voter Registration – Ecuador
14
Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Voters Abroad
15
Australian Law Reform Commission. Equality, Capacity and Disability in Commonwealth Laws (ALRC Report 124) – Electoral Matters
16
Constitute. Chile 2023 Constitution