Elections

Did you know that today the Presidential elections happened in Peru? I did  because my husband went to vote (and came back with a purple middle finger, because they have to dip their finger in an ink to prove that they have voted.) In Peru, if you don't vote, you get fined. A few years ago, when my husband went to renew his passport, he had to pay the fines in order to get his passport renewed because he hadn't been able to vote. The fines apply to all classes, although there is a sliding scale. But even the poorest of the poor have to pay the fines if they don't vote. 

This is an interesting concept to me, and I wonder if it's a better thing or worse than our current voting system here in the U.S.? If there were fines imposed on those who didn't vote here, would more voters get out there and vote? Or would it be a bad thing and would we have people voting to avoid the fines, but not educating themselves about the people who they are voting for?

Unfortunately things aren't going the way any of them want right now...and apparently the "wrong" candidate is in the lead.  :( It's definitely interesting to get a different perspective on voting in another democratic country!

If you're interested in finding out more, you can click here: http://www.livinginperu.com/news/2011-elections