A new study from the University of Georgia finds that unenforced compulsory voting laws — those with no penalties for abstaining — can still significantly boost voter turnout, offering a low-stakes tool for democracies facing declining participation.
Published in the journal Electoral Studies, the research takes advantage of a rare natural experiment in the Indian state of Karnataka. There, the state government passed a compulsory voting law for local panchayat elections in 2015, but deliberately chose not to enforce it. Despite the lack of any fines or penalties, voter turnout jumped by 6.5 to 14 percentage points.
“We see clear evidence that people respond to the law, even in the absence of enforcement,” said Shane Singh, the study’s corresponding author. “It supports the idea that laws have an expressive function: They shape norms and behavior even when there are no punishments involved.”
A Subtle Nudge, A Stronger Democracy
In contrast to models that rely on fines or sanctions to push citizens to the polls, this study suggests a lighter-touch alternative. Much like a stop sign on a quiet road, the very presence of a rule can be enough to change behavior — if the message is clear.
Singh and co-author Reshikesav Rajan, now a doctoral student at Texas A&M University, used a difference-in-differences model to estimate turnout changes in Karnataka compared to four other Indian states without voting mandates. Their multi-model approach found turnout effects ranging from 6.5 to 14.4 percentage points, all statistically significant.
Why Do People Comply with Laws That Have No Teeth?
The answer, the authors argue, lies in what legal scholars call the “expressive function” of law — the idea that laws can shape social norms by signaling what is expected or valued, even when no one is watching.
- Voting laws can create an “injunctive norm,” a shared belief that participation is a civic duty.
- This shift in perceived obligation can affect behavior regardless of any practical enforcement.
- Such norms have been shown to alter behavior in areas as diverse as sunscreen use, plastic bag consumption, and sugar-sweetened beverage choices.
In the Karnataka case, public awareness of the compulsory voting law was high, thanks to coverage by major Indian news outlets. The authors found no evidence that other policy changes — such as the simultaneous introduction of a “none of the above” (NOTA) ballot option — accounted for the turnout boost.
Policy Implications Beyond India
Compulsory voting remains controversial, especially in countries where enforcement raises concerns about equity and autonomy. But Singh suggests that governments need not choose between heavy-handed enforcement and doing nothing at all.
“You don’t need to punish people to encourage voting,” he explained. “Sometimes just making voting compulsory, even without teeth, is enough.”
The study adds new depth to the debate over how to strengthen democratic participation, especially in places like the United States where turnout remains stubbornly low. Several U.S. states have considered mandatory voting bills with no enforcement mechanisms, and this research provides fresh evidence such policies may still be effective.
Published in Electoral Studies. DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2025.102951
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