Compulsory voting

All Australian citizens over the age of (except those of unsound mind or those convicted of serious crimes) must be registered to vote and show up at their designated polling place on Election Day. The concept of compulsory voting reflects a strain in democratic theory in which voting is considered not merely a right but a duty. But there are arguments in favor of making voting compulsory, as well as arguments against.

The United States has never come close to establishing compulsory voting, though the topic is brought up occasionally. There are also examples of countries such as Venezuela and the Netherlands which at one time in their history practiced compulsory voting but have since abolished it. See full list on idea.

Compulsory voting is not a new concept. What are the pros and cons to compulsory voting? Why do we have compulsory voting? Which countries have mandatory voting laws? Does compulsory voting violate a right not to vote?

When people haven’t shown up to vote, the decisions made from the elections were not truly the representation of the majority will of citizens. Aussies were quick to jump onto Howard’s thread to talk up the benefits of compulsory voting — it’s enough to make you feel downright patriotic. American voter turnout ranks 26th out of highly developed democracies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which focuses on economic and trade relations between member nations.

Brazil has a mandatory voting rule.

Its elections show that, when a chunk of the population thinks the candidates are too unacceptable, they don’t bother voting , choosing to pay the fee. In Australia, participation in elections has been. There are currently countries with compulsory voting around the world.

In a case where voting is made compulsory , all votes will be accounted for. President Obama recently praised the idea of “mandatory voting,” saying it would be “transformative” and “completely change the political map in this country,” showing again how unbound he feels by. Leaders are supposed to engage in policy formulation. Doing so will push back against voter suppression and tear down barriers to participation because the best way to protect the right to. Proponents argue that voting is similar to other civil responsibilities such as taxation and compulsory education.

Mandatory voting leads to a higher voter turnout which in a higher degree of political legitimacy. Britain and the United States are just two examples. If the voter chooses not to vote, then penalties can be imposed if a sufficient reason for not voting cannot be provided.

If voting were voluntary, the experience of countries like the United States is that poorer and less educated people would tend not to vote. This would skew the political system (further) toward the well off and well educated. Many consider it a step in the right direction for US democracy, pointing to Australia as an example of where it has traditionally worked well. Several of these countries are in Latin America with a. While compulsory voting sounds like a policy that would take place in an authoritarian regime at first glance, compulsory voting laws tend to have relatively lax punishments for refusal to vote.

In all countries where compulsory voting is in place, turnout increased. It works against political apathy because everybody has to form their own opinion.

On the other han mandatory voting has more disadvantages than advantages. Because compulsory voting is a hot topic in the United States, as well as our neighbor up north, it is important to consider some of the pros and cons of such a policy: Pro: Higher Turnout Elections Not surprisingly, one of the main arguments which champions of the policy present in favor of compulsory voting is that it leads to drastically higher voter turnout rates. Only of those enforce them. Registering to vote and going to the polls are legal duties in Australia.

It would incentivize state and local legislatures to lower, not raise, the procedural hurdles to full participation for every citizen over the age of 1 no matter their race or class. A democracy is based on the principle of respecting basic human freedoms, such as free choice. This principle is directly violated by compulsory voting , as people do not have the right to choose not to express their view (should they have any).

Wealthier people are more likely to vote, so government policies are often geared toward their interests. In general, the people who don’t vote are the ones being left behind—people who are unemploye poor, or less educated.