It is often assumed that attitudes about electoral rules are structured by self-interest. Rules determine who the winners and losers are and as such changes to these rules are often framed in terms of how they affect electoral outcomes.
On the other hand, electoral rules may often enshrine normative conceptions of democracy such as equality, fairness, and participation. We examine how citizens reason about electoral rules designed to maximize voter turnout through a series of survey experiments. We use compulsory voting as an example of electoral rules to address these questions.