Compulsory voting?

I came across this article in the UK's Guardian.

Voters should be forced to go to the ballot box in elections, a thinktank said today.

The call for the UK to move to Australian-style compulsory turnout was backed by two of Tony Blair's cabinet ministers.

It comes just days before crucial local council elections which could show a further slump in the number of people bothering to take part. The Institute for Public Policy Research said making voting a public duty was the only way to boost turnout - especially among poorer people.

I was not aware of the fact that people are compelled to vote in Australia. Frankly, the idea is so foreign to my experience that I haven't wrapped my mind around it yet. Would it be a good idea or a bad idea? It would probably be good for Democrats in general, since the turnout among Democrats is almost always poorer than among Republicans. It would also do away with all the "get out the vote" campaigning around election day. It might even help to nix the Republican's efforts to discourage voting among Democrats by challenging voters' credentials, installing an inadequate number or broken voting machines in Democratic districts, etc.

On the other hand, it would force large numbers of people who have no idea what they're voting about to make random picks in the voting booths. I'm not sure I like that, but we already have a lot of that going on anyway.

Still thinking about it...