I agree with your point about forced voting potentially making things worse. The part about people simply choosing anyone just to avoid punishment is something we should talk about. If someone doesn't genuinely understand or care about the candidates then forcing them to vote doesn't necessarily make them a more responsible citizen. It could even make problems like vote buying worse, as you mentioned. I think educating people about the impact of their vote and making them feel that their participation actually matters would be much more effective than threatening them with legal consequences.