The author mentions the Australian (or secret) ballot, but does not mention that today in Australia people are fined for not voting.
This would not work in the US, because we would not collect the fines. It would not be worth it to track down all the no-shows.
Not voting is as much a freedom as voting. I have always voted, but not always for every race on the ballot. Sometimes not voting is an expression of opinion.
It is wrong to think of the election process as a sanctification of state activity. It is merely a possible check on state activity. There is no way that a few elections can make the people really in control of all the millions of decisions made by government. The only way to freedom is strict limitation of the state.
An electorate can ruin a country just as easily as can a bad monarch, or a dictatorship. It all depends on the character of the people.
This is why free elections in Egypt will not bring anything desirable: no freedom; no order; no justice; no prosperity. You cannot built on a corrupt foundation.
No moslem country successfully runs as a democracy. Not one.
In the district at which I work the polls we actually had a write-in for "none of the above" in this month's primary.