Beyond just being a civic duty in Australia, voting is almost a cultural event we look forward to.

Each polling venue has stands selling sausage sizzles (which we call a democracy sausage), brownies/cakes/other baked goods to fund the local school or girl guides.

Another important factor is: because the US has non-compulsory voting; it forces political candidates to target the "fringes" of the political spectrum to fire up the base and come out to vote.

In places with compulsory voting, politicans vie for the centre.