- Social:
Stanford University
Professor of Political Science at Stanford University
PROFILE
Simon Jackman
Guest
FROM Simon Jackman
To the Point
Obama Makes a Case for Compulsory Voting Australia, Brazil and Singapore are among the 14 countries that have compulsory voting laws. Despite declining turnouts in US elections, the idea has seldom been mentioned here by prominent politicians — until yesterday. At a town hall event in Cleveland yesterday, when asked how he would offset the increasing influence of money in American elections, President Obama responded, "It would be transformative if everybody voted, that would counteract money more than anything." That comment has started a conversation about mandatory voting. Photo: Peter Dutton
Recommended
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
Left, Right & Center
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.