This Map Shows All the Countries Where Voting Is Mandatory By Law Simran Khosla - GlobalPost
go to original October 15, 2014

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If you've been following the ongoing Brazilian elections, you might have heard that voting in Brazil is mandatory. That might seem weird to citizens of the United States — where only 58 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2012 presidential election — but it's the way things are in 21 nations around the world.

Using data from the CIA, we've created a map that shows which countries have compulsory voting laws, along with information about their requirements of restrictions.

Should you decide not to cast your ballot, the consequences vary by country.

In Mexico, for example, there are no formal sanctions for not voting but there's plenty of social stigma. Belgium, meanwhile, has sanctions on the book but hasn't enforced them since 2003.

Read the rest at GlobalPost

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