The return voting rate, which has hovered at approximately 55 per cent for several elections now, provides a strong argument for compulsory voting.

One may argue that it is only those engaged with the local issues and candidates that cast a vote and forcing the apathetic to fill out a ballot paper adds no value.

The theory is backed up by data that shows the more regional councils — like King Island, Flinders Island and Glamorgan-Spring Bay where voting reached up to nearly 77 per cent — are more engaged.

The larger councils in cities like Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart, Launceston and Devonport returned rates of between 42 per cent and 52 per cent.

Compulsory voting would focus voters' minds to what type of representation and action they want from their council.

After all, councils are the most accessible of our three tiers of government with sitting members' telephone numbers available online and fortnightly or monthly meetings open to the public.

Now people will not have another chance to vote until 2018: a long time to ruminate for people who did not vote but are unhappy with their council.

When one considers the hefty salaries of mayors in the bigger councils, as well as the large budgets they manage, it is inconceivable that voting remains voluntary.

Compulsory voting remains as touchy a subject as council amalgamations.

It is time for both local and state government to take a joint lead on the issue of merging councils rather than pass the buck back and forth.

Councils should not become too large that they become a quasi-state government, which is less accessible, but by 2018, all eligible voters should be lining up at a ballot box to vote for a new council area after having educated themselves on the candidates and local issues.