Melbourne, Australia: Text Publishing, 2019. 198 pp. (B&W photos, coloured photos, illustrations.) AU$29.99, paper. ISBN 9781925603842.
Established democracies may, with time, approach their political systems as more than institutions. The organization of political power and democratic practice can become symbols in and of themselves, reinvesting legitimacy into the political system. Judith Brett’s From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage makes a clear case that Australians should take considerable pride in their democracy. She succeeds brilliantly, presenting the most engaging account of an electoral system that we are aware of.
In one sense, the book provides a history of Australian democracy. The brief chapters progress chronologically, from mid-nineteenth-century elections in New South Wales to the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite. This is, however, more accurately a history of Australia’s electoral system, telling the story of how Australians vote, not for whom they vote. Brett provides background and details debates regarding some of Australia’s many democratic innovations: compulsory enrollment and voting, preferential voting, universal male enfranchisement, female suffrage and candidacy, secret voting, Saturday elections, and a non-partisan election commission. She also details a handful of other traits, including the use of paper ballots, postal voting, ballot structure, voter identification, and even the composition of booths.
It is to the author’s great credit that she examines the above institutions in such a readable manner. The book is made accessible with some colourful asides, aided by a country that provides abundant material. From the title’s “democracy sausage,” to an albino lawyer who opposed male suffrage, but accidentally encouraged it by lowering the wealth threshold just before the goldrush (15); numerous examples of early elections emanating from drinking binges in raucous pubs; how women obtained the right to run for office after anti-suffrage conservatives (ironically) added this to a bill (40); the story of Tasmanian senator Bakhap, a tireless promoter of proportional representation who was born to an Irish woman in an asylum and raised as Cantonese (128); and much more.
Above all, the book seeks to give Australian democracy its due. The country does not receive sufficient recognition for its many contributions to democracy, such as the secret ballot, voting booths, voter registration, and suffrage, as well as some features that have proven less exportable, such as compulsory and preferential voting. The heroes of the book are not adventurers or brave politicians, but instead stalwart bureaucrats seeking to engineer a fair, sustainable political system. This is explained as part of the country’s political culture: while the United States was settled in the shadow of abusive monarchs and religious persecution, leading to the cherishing of individual freedom, Australia was founded a century later, reflecting greater trust in and hope for the state. As a result, there have been relatively few objections to compulsory voting in terms of personal freedom, as the consensus is that a legitimate government requires the participation of the majority. Together, compulsory voting and Saturday elections make for festive occasions, with election barbeques serving pun-filled pastries and delicious “democracy sausages” to hungry voters. Through all of this, Brett pushes back on the idea that compulsory voting was a result of fiat in 1924 or represents a random Aussie quirk; it is instead rooted in the country’s culture of participation and voice.
From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage also makes several additional points. At times, Brett provides comparative glances at other countries, especially the United States, New Zealand, and Britain. Women play a central role in this book, just as they did and do in Australian democracy. Women feature not only as suffragettes, voters, and politicians, but also as architects of electoral institutions. Another key theme is the interplay between state and federal governments, with national leaders adopting innovations from state elections, as well as states adapting to national politics. Brett also suggests ways to deepen Australian democracy, including more campaign financing and following New Zealand in allowing permanent residents to vote.
Despite our deep admiration, no book is above critique. Some smaller quibbles include asides sometimes being distracting, the assumed path dependence of Australian political culture, and some slight misrepresentations (i.e., comparing women’s suffrage at the state level, achieved in South Australia in 1894, with national suffrage elsewhere). The book’s most important shortcoming is likely its treatment of minorities while the author otherwise celebrates Australian democracy. It is not that Brett overlooks minorities; she condemns how aboriginals lost the vote and others were excluded through White Australia policies. These messages sit awkwardly alongside the book’s patriotic tone, and are betrayed somewhat by repeated claims that men and women attained suffrage, not just white men and women. It is even possible that electoral innovations may be easier when minorities are unable to participate. Readers may feel the need for more emphasis on historical exclusion, and perhaps the more optimistic story of the ongoing inclusion of non-European migrants into Australia’s body politic.
Some readers may chafe at the book’s sense of national pride, even patriotism. This said, the pride evident throughout the book seems deserved. By the end, one cannot help but develop real admiration for Australian democracy. From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage is written for Australians, but should be read across hemispheres, encouraging the world to recognize Australia’s many contributions to free, fair, and inclusive elections.
Shane Barter and Ana Schugurensky
Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo, USA