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    Back to To the Point

    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.

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    By Warren Olney • Mar 19, 2015 • 1 min read

    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

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    The Bitter Battle over Sugar Labeling
    1. 1:39Outrage over the Arrest of a Black University of Virginia Student
    2. 8:14The Bitter Battle over Added Sugar in Your Food
    3. 42:05Obama Makes a Case for Compulsory VotingYou’re reading this
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      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

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      Sáša Woodruff

      Producer, 'To the Point'

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      Christine Detz

      Producer, 'To the Point'

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      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

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      Dylan Matthews

      senior correspondent for Vox.com

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      Simon Jackman

      Stanford University

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    The Bitter Battle over Sugar Labeling
    1. 1:39Outrage over the Arrest of a Black University of Virginia Student
    2. 8:14The Bitter Battle over Added Sugar in Your Food
    3. 42:05Obama Makes a Case for Compulsory VotingYou’re reading this
    Back to To the Point