Think again. Compulsory voting means that people who haven't got the slightest interest in politics may go and vote randomly just to stay within the law, a very bad reason for making choices. Worse, they may be persuaded/manipulated into voting for bad people as their ignorance will put up little resistance to such devious practices. I can't see how a vote cast for someone you know nothing about, or about whom you've been misled, can possibly serve democracy. Far better to use publicity to persuade people to vote, to ensure that maximum honest information about candidates is readily available and, most importantly, to radically improve political education in schools. Round here we have mostly "independent" local councillors. It can be difficult from what little information is available to decide where they stand, and the fact that they profess no party allegiance makes choice even more difficult. I've found myself on rare occasions unable to make realistic choices so haven't voted. My principles dictate that I always vote, but an even stronger principle is that it's unsafe to vote in ignorance.