>If they were interested, they'd have voted without it being mandatory
Nope. A lot of those people would have voted were it not for voter disenfranchisement, having to work (yeah, your employer has to let you vote, but they don't have to pay you while you're gone, and they don't have to give you any extra hours to make up the time missed while voting), not having an address (you didn't forget about the homeless who can't vote absentee and usually can't even register because they don't have an address, did you?).
This assertion above is incorrect. Here in Hawaii, you are guaranteed two hours away from work. Furthermore, you will be paid for those hours upon furnishing the receipt from the polls to your employer. Rights vary by state. My cursory glance at the first list shows that blue states tend to offer the same, with Texas being a noteworthy addition. However, most 'red' states that permit such reserve the right to determine the hours that the employee may go.
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>If they were interested, they'd have voted without it being mandatory Nope. A lot of those people would have voted were it not for voter disenfranchisement, having to work (yeah, your employer has to let you vote, but they don't have to pay you while you're gone, and they don't have to give you any extra hours to make up the time missed while voting), not having an address (you didn't forget about the homeless who can't vote absentee and usually can't even register because they don't have an address, did you?).
This assertion above is incorrect. Here in Hawaii, you are guaranteed two hours away from work. Furthermore, you will be paid for those hours upon furnishing the receipt from the polls to your employer. Rights vary by state. My cursory glance at the first list shows that blue states tend to offer the same, with Texas being a noteworthy addition. However, most 'red' states that permit such reserve the right to determine the hours that the employee may go.
Source: http://www.findlaw.com/voting-...
Source: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/... (Hawaii Revised Statutes, 11-95 Employees entitled to leave on election day for voting.)