Should the US have mandatory voting?

[Lachi]

Make Election Day a public holiday, or move it to the weekend.

[Lachi]

Absolutely not -the furthest I'd go is automatic voter registration, but beyond that I think people should be allowed to decide whether or not they want to vote.  This isn't Australia -we weren't founded as a prison colony.  Freedom is our central value in a way it never was in other Anglo-settler countries. 

By the way, Australia didn't have compulsory voting till 1924.

[Lachi]

Also, I have another idea. Remove the concept of precincts entirely, and allow people to vote at any polling place in their district. A lot of people on election day might not be in their precinct for various reason, they might be at work, and not able to get back to their own polling place, or they might be off on a trip, in which case allow people to cast an absent vote for their district from outside the district.

[Lachi]

Remember though that the voting part of the phrase is a bit misleading. It's actually more compulsory attendance, as in you have to go and get your name marked off. What you do with your ballot is completely up to you, you could just go straight from the the area you get your ballots right to the box and put it in, there's really nothing stopping you.