[EL] Chile drops its required voting law and other changes

[Doug Hess]

Hi. I thought some on this list might be interested in this news from
Chile. I am skeptical of the headline predictions as the devil is in
the details (or God is, or both are?). But clearly this presents a
great research opportunity for some enterprising folks.

-Doug

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/chile/politics/23282-chiles-president-signs-new-voting-reform-into-law

MONDAY, 23 JANUARY 2012 18:03
WRITTEN BY STEVE SHEA

Over 4.5 million new and mostly young voters will now be eligible for
October elections.

With President Sebastián Piñera’s signature at a ceremony in the
Presidential Palace on Monday, Chile joined a community of nations in
which all eligible voters are automatically registered to vote.

Piñera was joined by young beneficiaries of Chile’s latest voting
reform on Monday. Photo by Alex Ibañez/Gobierno de Chile.

“This reform is the heart of this administration,” Secretary General
Cristián Larroulet said while introducing President Piñera. “This is a
step in the right direction for Chile, but not yet the answer to all
our problems.”

The new voting law will make registration automatic and voting itself
voluntary. It is projected that over 4.5 million new voters will be
added to the nation’s electoral registry, with most of the additions
under the age of 30.

“This is a great and historic day for Chile,” President Piñera said
before signing the bill. “But we as a country still have much more to
do.”

President Piñera went on to note that although Chile’s democracy is
“recognized internationally,” important democratic reforms like this
one are still underway.

The new law was passed by the Senate in December and approved by the
Constitutional Court lastweek, the final step before Piñera could sign
it into law. The reform will be in place for the coming municipal
elections in October.

Previously, the law in Chile had been that registering to vote was
voluntary, but once registered, it was mandatory to vote. If a
registered voter did not vote, they were subject to a fine up to
US$210.

The current voting reform was initiated under the Bachelet
administration in 2009, and was spurred when more registered voters
began to die every year than new people were registering. Less than 10
percent of those registered to vote were under 30.

Piñera noted that Chile is still in the process of fully reintegrating
itself into the democratic process after the Pinochet dictatorship
(1973-1990).

Although the majority of the newly added voters will be young, Piñera
went on to say that there is no guarantee they will cast a ballot. Yet
precisely the youth vote in Chile will be the nation’s best defense
for preserving democracy, the president said, and they will have the
power to significantly affect elections.

“We will now have a younger democracy with more participation,” Piñera
said. “A democracy that will be stronger. I want to appeal to our
youth, who have been distant from politics, to exercise their right to
have a voice.”

By Stephen Shea (editor at santiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2011 – The Santiago Times