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A proposal to solve the turnout problem: require voting

Both major political parties have gotten good in recent years at playing the "turnout game"... get your supporters to the polls, in the hope of ensuring victory. But what if turnout was not an issue, if nearly all voters showed up to the polls?

That is what E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport propose: mandatory voting, just like Australia has been doing for years.

The last major election there got more than 90% turnout, while it's an accomplishment to get to 60% here.

Dionne and Rapoport lay out the case in their book 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting. E.J. Dionne visits with highlights.

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily talk show focused on news and interests across our region of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Angela Decker is the senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Geoffrey Riley hosts the show.