Why doesn't the United States have mandatory voting?

The original US constitution did not define who was eligible to vote - in the early years of the republic, most US states only extended voting rights to free white male adult property owners. read more

Because voting is a right not a duty. Universal suffrage, where everyone has the right to vote is a good thing, forcing people to vote is cruel. read more

To start, a blue city in a purple state—such as Miami, Florida, Columbus, Ohio, or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—would have to adopt compulsory voting for its own elections. Its elections would also have to be held on the first Tuesday in November, allowing voters to cast ballots in municipal, state, and federal elections at the same time. read more