First, let's explore what compulsory voting actually is. “Compulsory voting can be defined very simply as the legal obligation to attend the poll at the time of the election and to perform all the tasks required of voters therein” (Birch 2). Many countries impose sanctions on those who do not vote – these sanctions are usually fines, while some even require a small prison sentence (“International IDEA”). Those who are concerned about potentially unfair sanctions from the U.S. government should remember that when this country was founded in 1776, our founding fathers had legitimate and enduring rules for this country, so our government will surely not have no difficulty in creating fair rules and regulations. Surprisingly, this American concept of compulsory voting has been a reality for Australians for almost a century now. Australian society, political structure and government are synonymous with those of the United States, with one fundamental difference. In 1924, the Australian parliament declared compulsory voting after only 90 minutes of debate, and this decision has remained largely unchallenged ever since (Weiner). This begs the question: why can't compulsory voting work in the United States? In his article, Eric Weiner notes that “Australia, along with Belgium, is the only “mature democracy” that requires citizens to vote and effectively enforces the law. The Americans certainly get along with the Australians. “We share similar historical tales… a frontier spirit and a laid-back nature…” (Weiner). On average, 48% of the entire American electorate – American citizens eligible to vote – actually voted on Election Day. This figure fell to 37% and only reached a high of 67%. (McDonalds). So even in high-turnout elections, only two-thirds of Americans vote for the president and other important figures.