How has Ecuador increased their voting turnout?

In the US, there is a big percentage of the population that does not vote. As we have seen in class, it is rational to abstain from voting because the costs of voting are most likely higher than the benefits. This rational behavior was shown during the recent elections, since even though there were multiple campaigns that tried to incentivize Americans to vote, the voter turnout remained low at around 56.9%.

In Ecuador, the voter turnout from the last election held in 2013 was 81.03%, a lot higher. Why are these numbers so different? Primarily, because Ecuadorians want to avoid the consequences that arise if one does not vote. Voting is a right and a decision,  however in Ecuador when you vote you receive an ID card, like a sticker that says you voted. This sticker is very valuable, because it is required to acquire certain goods and services, both private and public. For instance, in order to open a bank account, you need to provide a copy of your card that confirms you have participated in the last elections. This document is needed to get a passport, enroll in utilities and even needed to enroll in college. For example, I was not able to vote in the last elections, because I was not in the country. In order to open my first bank account, I had to go to a government agency and justify why I did not vote in order to get this ID. This process was time consuming, and required some paper work, which would have been something I could have avoided if I voted. 

Thus, we can see how in Ecuador, the utility gained from voting, for many, is higher than the costs, because of all the additional benefits that voting brings. A citizen will still obtain value from voting in spite of having the decisive vote (PB). The utility gained is D, from our formula PB+D > C, so the left hand side is greater than the costs for many people. Therefore, given that not voting will restrain you from multiple goods and services, the costs of not doing so are high, so it could be argued that in order to minimize voter's costs, and have a marginal benefit greater than costs, it is rational to vote for many Ecuadoreans. Therefore, this would explain the high voter turn out statistics of the country.