First of all, let's explore what compulsory voting actually is. “Compulsory voting can be defined most simply as the legal obligation to show up at the polls at election time and to perform all duties therein required of voters” (Birch 2). Numerous countries impose sanctions on those who do not vote: these sanctions are usually fines, while some even require a small amount of prison time (“International IDEA”). Those concerned about potentially unfair sanctions by the U.S. government need to remember that when this country was founded in 1776, our founding fathers had legitimate, long-lasting rules for this country, so our government will surely have no problem making rules and fair regulations. Amazingly, this American concept of compulsory voting has been a reality for Australians for almost a century now. Australia's society, political structure and government are synonymous with those of America, except for one key difference. In 1924, the Australian Parliament enacted compulsory voting after just 90 minutes of debate, and it 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 actually enforces the law. Americans certainly relate to Australians. “We share similar historical narratives… 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. That number dropped as low as 37% and only reached a peak of 67%. (McDonald's). Therefore, even on a high-turnout election day, only two-thirds of Americans vote for the president and other important people