The Adelaide Law School is delighted to invite you to attend a symposium on compulsory voting in comparative perspective, presented by its postgraduate Comparative Law class. The symposium addresses the question whether people should be compelled to vote in a democratic system of government. The Australian electoral system is considered by electoral specialists to be one of the finest in the world and supporters of compulsory voting attribute this inter alia to the mandatory nature of participation in elections. In contrast, opponents argue that in a liberal society nobody should be forced to vote. The presentations at this symposium place compulsory voting in a global context.

The keynote address will be delivered by Mike Wait from the Crown Solicitor’s Office, who was counsel in the recent Holmdahl case that challenged compulsory voting in Australia. The other speakers are Masters students from Malaysia, Cambodia, France, Germany and Australia.

Event Details:

11 May 2013, 9 for 9.15 am – 3.15 pm

Moot Court, Ligertwood Building, The University of Adelaide

No attendance fee, but rsvp necessary.

RSVP: cornelia.koch@adelaide.edu.au by 9 May 2013

Further information can be accessed here.