I’m mainly talking about:

  • Voting (at federal elections)
  • Jury Duty (at a courtroom)

I know that in certain countries like Australia for example: citizens there actually have to vote otherwise they face a A$20 (12€) fine for literally not putting a vote. There was a case where a guy was sued and received a A$303 (182€) fine on top of that for disregarding the previous penalities. To me, that sounds stupid, voting shouldn’t be “forced” down on citizens, if that’s the right way to say it.

What about the scenario you receive a letter from the courts that you’re selected as a juror? Let’s say you got a letter saying that you’ve been chosen within a pool and assigned a number (like a draft lottery) whether the courts decide if you’re “fit” enough to be a juror at a trial. The thing is, has this happened to you or anyone you know in your country? If so, what is it like receiving a summons?

  • chris@l.roofo.ccEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    Speaking for germany: no mandatory voting, no jury duty.

    Being part of a jury is voluntary and you have to apply for it. It’s also probably quite different from the US jury system.

    • rollin@piefed.socialEnglish
      0·
      22 days ago

      Same as most European countries, Germany has the adversarial system - no jury, just the judge.

      Don’t know about elsewhere, but in Germany, for some trials, there are an additional 1 or 2 “lay judges” - non-professional judges from the community.

      • multi_flexi@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        22 days ago

        Quite similar here in Czech Republic. No jury duty, because there is no jury and voting is absolutely up to you.

  • Zwuzelmaus@feddit.orgEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    certain countries like Australia

    Have you ever heard the saying that there are no kangaroos in Austria?

  • hades@feddit.ukEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    I wouldn’t say that compulsory voting is “stupid”. There are some very good arguments for it.

    Firstly, it addresses the imbalance of cost of voting (the time and effort you need to spend to cast your vote) with its effect (the tiny fraction of impact your vote has on the outcome). This disproportionately affects lower income voters, especially in some countries like the US, where voting usually happens on a weekday.

    Secondly, the outcomes are no longer won “by turnout”. In other words, to win the election you can no longer merely convince your supporters to vote for you, you need to actually convince people who don’t support you to vote for you.

    Thirdly, and perhaps less convincingly, this stimulates the interest in the decision and the outcome. Since you have to vote, you may be inclined to actually form your opinion about the elections, and follow up on its outcomes.

  • ranzispa@mander.xyzEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    In Italy voting is a compulsory duty. You don’t get a fine, but if you don’t vote for a certain number of times you won’t be allowed to vote anymore.

  • wieson@feddit.orgEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    I like the idea of mandatory voting. I also like the idea of the “I voted” -Bratwurst or other kind of snack offered at booths in Australia.

  • Ziggurat@jlai.luEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    EU is 27 different countries with different system. In some voting may be mandatory in other it isn’t

    I believe that very few European countries have jury trial, and often it’s limited to some case/part of the trial. So definitely not a standard European experience

  • Overspark@piefed.socialEnglish
    0·
    22 days ago

    I don’t think most European countries have juries. Judging should be done by people who are qualified to do so, i.e. judges.

    While Belgium does have mandatory voting, most other countries do not.