A public holiday would be a far less authoritarian way of achieving the same end. Postal ballots and the option of extending voting hours also exist.
And frankly, if people are at risk of being fired for taking time out to vote, the problem is that employment law allows people to be fired for voting, not that electoral law doesn't compel them to choose between the risk of being fired or the certainty of being fined.
And frankly, if people are at risk of being fired for taking time out to vote, the problem is that employment law allows people to be fired for voting, not that electoral law doesn't compel them to choose between the risk of being fired or the certainty of being fined.