President Obama tested the waters while speaking to a civic group in Cleveland. When he was asked about the corrosive influence of money in U.S. elections, Obama sidestepped to talk about voting rights and said the U.S should make voting easier than it is now.

He said that in Australia, people don’t have a choice. They have to vote. “If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country. Not only that, but universal voting would counteract money more than anything.” Kevin Thompson, CPA says “there aren’t many things that the sitting President and I agree upon with any kind of regularity. This is one area where we do see eye to eye.”

Younger, lower-income Americans who are minorities or immigrants tend to skip voting. Obama commented, “There’s a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls.” This was a thinly veiled reference to the fact that a number of Republican-led states make it hard for them to vote. “Although a veiled attempt to blame the other party” says Thompson, “the reality is they cannot vote because it is just too damned difficult. We need online voting and we can’t get it soon enough.”

Less than 37% of eligible voters went to the polls in the 2014 midterms, according to the United States Election Project.

Two dozen countries or more have compulsory voting include Belgium, Brazil and Argentina. In some countries, those who do not vote must provide an excuse or face a fine. A few countries actually impose prison sentences.

The problem, Obama says, is that those with money have more influence. A low turnout is an advantage for the party who appeals to the base of people who show up.  Obama opposes Citizens United and other court rulings that allow super PACs and unlimited spending on campaigns. However, he embraced those groups in his 2012 re-election for fear that his opponent would out spend him.

Obama thinks it may be worth it for people in the U.S. to consider compulsory voting to control excessive campaign spending but isn’t really taking it seriously. The requirements of the process alone to change the law would be a Herculean undertaking at best. “Compulsory voting is inherently unconstitutional. By not voting, aren’t I shouting loud and clear? I am not in favor of forcing people to vote, I am in favor of making it easier to vote.” Thompson goes on to say “of course, we’ll need all of the safeguards to protect the sanctity of the process. I am sure our friends in ISIS or North Korea will try hard to corrupt the system through hacking or identity theft. “

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