It has normally been argued that because compulsory voting systems present higher turnout rates relative to voluntary voting systems, they do not generate as many biases between different groups of voters. This article qualifies that view. It argues that in cases in which compulsory voting does not ensure near-universal participation, there is no certainty that switching to voluntary voting will increase inequalities. This issue is examined by looking at Chile, a democracy that moved from compulsory voting to voluntary voting in 2012. The research finds that while the reform generated class bias in urban districts, it also substantially reduced age bias and, in national elections, equalized participation between small and large districts. The conclusion is that abandoning compulsory voting does not necessarily increase turnout biases, since much depends on the structure of preexisting biases and how these are conditioned by particular electoral institutions.

中文翻译：

---

选举改革后的选民平等和投票率偏差：来自智利自愿投票法的证据

人们通常认为，由于强制投票制度相对于自愿投票制度的投票率更高，因此它们不会在不同的选民群体之间产生那么多的偏见。这篇文章证明了这种观点。它认为，在强制投票不能确保近乎普遍参与的情况下，转向自愿投票并不能肯定会增加不平等。通过观察智利来检验这个问题，该民主国家在 2012 年从强制投票转向自愿投票。研究发现，虽然改革在城市地区产生了阶级偏见，但它也大大减少了年龄偏见，并在全国选举中实现了平等参与在小区和大区之间。结论是放弃强制投票并不一定会增加投票率偏差，