SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 77
Download to read offline
Benefits Of Compulsory Voting
Are we Americans becoming too lazy in our civic duty? We live in a country that provides all types
of liberties, freedoms, and opportunities. Yet, why do we feel that we do not need to give back to our
country? I have heard Americans complain about paying taxes, jury duty, and even the President of
the United States, Congress and our representatives. However, only 60% of Americans take the
opportunity to vote (Gonchar), even though that right was fought for by black rights and women
suffrage activists. The very nature of a democracy such as ours is for all citizens to have a say in
how the country is run. Given that our voter turnout is so poor, the question becomes: should voting
be mandatory in America? I believe voting should be made mandatory. Compulsory voting is a civic
duty, a means to reciprocate for the liberties America provides, and will increase voter turnout
voting districts.
Compulsory voting is a civic duty like many other mandated civic duties already accepted by
Americans. As citizens of the United States we learn early our basic civic duties to our country. First
through our parents and then through our education. John Dean, Former Council to the President of
the United States, is a strong supporter of mandated voting laws. He compared compulsory voting to
other basic civic duties such as jury duty, paying taxes, the draft, school attendance, and even
driving on the left side of the road (Dean). Those are all things I learned by listening to and
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Voluntary And Compulsory Voting Systems
Voluntary and Compulsory Voting Systems: The Affect on Democracy
Across the globe day after day, nations have been progressively attempting to improve the political
systems in which they inhabit, the most prominent political system currently standing as democracy.
But what exactly constitutes as democracy? Democracy is a term holding a spectrum of meanings,
many frequently overlapping. In its simplest, most basic form, democracy is referred to "rule of the
people." Being the broad term it is, democracy tends to be represented in various ways around the
world. Despite these differences in representation, the endgame is all the same, a rule in the interest
of the people. Using specific countries as models, I strategize to discuss the differences between
compulsory voting in Australia and voluntary voting in Canada to determine whether compulsory
voting augments the quality of democracy. In this essay, I argue compulsory voting enhances the
quality of democracy. Through the lens of different voting systems, I plan to defend my claim by
discussing the effect that voter turnout, civic duty and accurate representation has on the quality of
democracy. While voting is only one of the countless elements involved in politics, it continues to
be the very foundation of our democracy, affecting every aspect of our lives. Whether compulsory or
voluntary, voting exists as a link between ourselves and those who have the authority to implement
our interests. The ability to vote is a
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting
Compulsory voting would have to be a great idea it would make the voting system and the run for
office a lot more legitimate, also it would increase voter turnout, and lastly it would take away
men/women that are running for office to be backed up by millionaires or sometimes even
billionaires.
For the first claim it makes the voting and campaign a lot more legitimate and wouldn't have only
half of the population voting for the president and also the United States wouldn't be having all these
riots and hate towards the president, the article states, "If voting is made mandatory, it will ensure
the government it will be represented by a majority of the population, not just a few individuals. It
will also guarantee that members of the society who are not politically active will not be neglected.
It will also prevent political leaders to claim greater legitimacy." (Connectusfund.org) Although if
the United States would change to a compulsory voting it would violate the slogan of a free country
and also violate the freedom of choice, "A democratic type of government means that it was built on
the basis of respecting basic human freedoms and rights, particularly free choice. However, it can be
violated if voting is made mandatory because people would not have the freedom to not express
their opinion." (Connectusfund.org) The argument on this topic is quite even for the United States if
it were in any other country, it would be a different story.
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting
English Composition 2 SUNY Empire State College Final paper 16.5.2013 Compulsory Voting 1
Topic of the paper Democracy is built on freedom to vote and have your political say, but the
majority of people in the world's 'greatest' democracies never vote at all. Is compulsory participation
in the political system the answer? Investigate countries which make voting compulsory – weigh the
advantages and disadvantages – then argue for or against this policy. Abstract Compulsory voting
solves the problem of low political participation during elections; therefore, winning politicians and
political parties cannot be considered non–legitimate in mandatory voting. On the other hand,
mandatory voting has more ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Mandatory democracy can raise political interest among people. When people who are not interested
in politics are forced to vote, some of them start to feel responsible for results of elections. They
begin to watch political news, read journals and articles to have sufficient knowledge about politics
in general and politicians, who they vote for or against. As Jake Keith and Guang–Zhen Sun
describe in their article, when people are force to vote, it increases their interest about politics, so
compulsory voting raises the value of individual votes (64). Compulsory voting can achieve higher
efficiency in politics, especially on local level. As mandatory voting reaches higher voting turnout,
more groups sensitive about specific topic are included in the voting. This fact can compel local
politicians to care about small, but very important issues for some people. Such issues are for
example public transportation, water supply, sanitation etc. ("'Compulsory Voting Good for
Democracy"). Disadvantages of compulsory voting The most common argument against mandatory
voting is individual freedom. Countries using compulsory voting force people to vote, but it can
definitely be considered as a step against freedom of individuals. Even Lijphart, who is known as a
propagator of compulsory voting, argues that mandatory voting has a very strong disadvantage,
which is individual freedom. In case of
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting: Moral Issues and Necessities in A...
Compulsory Voting: Moral Issues and Necessities in A Democratic Nation Compulsory voting as
defined by Merriam Webster is "a system in which electors are obligated to vote in elections, or be
subject to punitive measures such as fines or community service if violated." It is a system of voting
that has been implemented successfully in over 30 countries, and has seen the increase in voting
turnout on average of 20%. When compulsory voting was abandoned turnout after a period of
mandatory voting, voting dropped on average 25%. This is an issue that can shape the future of
democratic nations, for the actions that governments make are reliant upon those who enter into
office, due to the ballot of the people. Therefore, in a democracy, voting ought to be compulsory. In
many democratic nations compulsory voting has been good, and reduces the threat of low voter
turnout, while increasing the legitimacy of the government. Annabelle Lever, a research fellow at
the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the Manchester University School of Law, states
"participation in elections is declining in most advanced industrial countries"; this lower turnout has
begun to make democratic voting systems that can "threaten the legitimacy of a country's
government and electoral system, because it significantly increases the likelihood that governments
will reflect a minority, rather than a majority, of registered voters" (58–59). In order to combat this
decline, compulsory
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Should Compulsory Voting Be A Civil Right?
Participating by voting in elections is a civil right we are given as Democratic Americans. While
some people are eager to go out and vote, there are others who despise the system and neglect their
duties as citizens and avoid voting in elections all together. Other nations around the globe have
instituted a new system of Compulsory Voting; in which citizens are required by law to vote in
elections or attend a polling place on a designated day. There are many pros and cons when it comes
to compulsory voting, as well as a wide variety of controversy associated with it. Compulsory
voting has resulted in many benefits to foreign nations, however, this new system is not perfect and
still comes with new problems that nations face and are working to overcome; the general public
believes compulsory voting to be a good idea yet still inefficient due to the laziness and lack of
regard from some of the practicing nation's citizens.
First off, some pros and benefits of compulsory voting are that it is part of each citizen 's civic duty,
the majority interest of the people can be followed and implemented, and policy formation cannot be
run by special interests. The most obvious benefit of compulsory voting is that it would lead to
higher voter turnout. Along with the direct effect of compulsory voting on turnout, there are also
several indirect benefits. Compulsory voting would reduce the role of money in politics. For
example, political parties would spend less on their
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Voting in National Elections Should be Compulsory Not...
It was in 1928 that universal suffrage had been granted in the United Kingdom. Prior to that time,
people fought to have the right to vote so their opinions could be voiced, yet now we have that right,
voting does not seem so significant. Before deciding whether voting should be compulsory or
optional, understanding what exactly is meant by the term 'compulsory voting' is essential. It is also
important to educate the general public more about politics so they can make an informed decision if
and when they do choose to vote. Finally, there should be a comparison with other countries which
currently enforce compulsory voting to better understand how it would work.
The term 'compulsory voting' is a misnomer as it is impossible to monitor ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Perhaps making voting compulsory would encourage apathetic and apolitical people to become
more politically active and express their opinions.
There are some people who believe that they are not well–informed so they do not know who to
vote for in elections. Others are 'prepared to express a view without having the slightest knowledge
about the subject' (Kavanagh, 1983:13). However, if voting were made compulsory, political parties
would spend less money on 'getting out the vote', and spend more time on campaigning their
policies (Electoral Reform Society, 2009; IDEA, 2009) and so making the public more aware of
what they are trying to achieve and why people should vote for them. As less money is spent on
(often negative) campaigning, there would be a decrease in the 'opportunity for corruption in politics
by reducing the need for party fundraising' (Faulks, 2001:24). The public should be more educated
about politics and the policies of the parties they may or may not vote for because 'the more intense,
informed and stable an opinion is, the more likely a person is to act on it' (Kavanagh, 1983:14).
Nevertheless, the information provided in educating the public has to be interesting, something
which 'engages public interest and stimulates debate, as opposed to apathy and alienation'
(Heywood, 2007:255) and this would be much easier to do with the enforcement of compulsory
voting rather than politicians
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Vs. Mandatory Voting
According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the definition of a vote is, "A formal indication
of a choice between two or more candidates or courses of action, expressed typically through a
ballot or a show of hands or by voice." When forced to make a choice, are you still making that
choice? Compulsory voting, or mandatory voting, is a system in which electors are required to vote
in elections or at least attend a polling place on Election Day. If a voter does not appear at a polling
place, and is eligible to vote, he or she may have to contribute community service or fines. This
voting system exists in about a quarter of all democracies in the world. The core goals of
compulsory voting are to increase voter turnout and to have an election reflect the will of all
citizens. However, it is improbable that this form of voting would truly change the government to be
more inclusive of those non–voters than it is currently. Mandatory voting goes against American
principals and American citizens that avoid casting their ballots intentionally. Compulsory voting
would fail to solve any actual issues, and could cause even more to surface. Compulsory voting is
principally undemocratic – freedom of choice must include the freedom not to choose. Forcing
citizens to vote violates individual freedom, a key staple of American democracy. Voting must be
left to the individual to choose to participate or not to participate because the right to vote or not is
protected by the
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting For A Representative Democracy
Voting compulsion can very simply be defined as the process of electoral participation being law
binding. However, the process and fundamentals of compulsory voting are not as simple. Twomey,
in her article Compulsory Voting In A Representative Democracy: Choice, Compulsion, And The
Maximization Of Participation In Australian Elections describes compulsory voting to stand "... at
the intersection between the principles of maximum participation of the people in elections and the
expression of genuine choice." Within this essay, I critique compulsory voting to show that it is a
contradiction to basic civil liberty, it will be straining in terms of cost to enforce, and that random
voting is most likely to distort results and with it the validity of our governmental system. I show
this through the analyzation of several scholarly works in contrast to the arguments of critics who
ensure that compulsory voting is for the greater good of society. However, this essay will refute this
point by addressing the downfalls to this system and how these downfalls cannot be overlooked
simply because of turnout.
While people or individuals who are part of a democratic system may have the responsibility to
vote, compulsory voting isn 't necessarily justifiable under a democracy. This is not to say that only
countries that are democratic practice voting compulsion–take Egypt and Singapore for example.
However, the right to vote, a privilege within the western world, is also a primary counter
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
The Issue Of Compulsory Voting
In 2001, Gareth Thomas, a Labour MP for Harrow West for the past 18 years introduced a Private
Members' Bill for compulsory voting. However it did not progress beyond its first reading. Yet the
question has not died out and whether the UK should follow the likes of Australia and Belgium still
remains a hotly debated issue.
The UK prides itself in being a leading force for democracy worldwide. It is thought to have become
truly democratic in 1918 with the passing of the Representation of the Peoples Act whereby
universal suffrage was cemented in statute law. In the election afterwards in 1922, participation
soared to over 70%, and peaked in 1950 at 83.9%. Since then, the argument for compulsory voting
has arisen partly due to turnout falling so dramatically to below 60% in 2001, and failing to improve
significantly, lying at 61.4% in 2010. These statistics have been a major cause for prompting
discussion about compulsory voting, as it is argued that the UK cannot be democratic without high
turnout. With these falling turnout rates, I decided to visit 3 local constituencies and explore the
reasons why people do not vote through conducting a questionnaire. With over 200 people
undertaking this questionnaire, and 89 of these 207 saying they did not vote, my results held some
authority. Around a third of those who claimed not to vote said they did not due to being
disillusioned with the party system. However, the largest proportion at 54% of those questioned
stated that
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
The Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting
More than half of all citizens in the world are currently able to vote, however, many of them choose
not to, leading to an increase of enforced mandatory voting in many countries. This essay will
consider the role of compulsory voting and whether legally required voting reduces freedom.
Compulsory voting is often supported due to the fact it considerably raises turnout, Birch 2009
found that mandatory attendance at the polls increased turnout by between 6 and 20 percent .
Legally required voting is also considered to be an effective instrument to motivate citizens to
express their voice in public life, thereby ensuring that their concerns will be heard, and potentially
acted upon . However, opponents of compulsory voting argue that it violates freedom and reduces
the legitimacy of the elected representatives . The first part of this essay will consider why
compulsory voting was adopted, following this, I will consider the different types of freedom that
may or may not be compromised with compulsory voting and how legally required voting could
increase or decrease freedom. To understand why some critics believe that legally required voting
reduces freedom, one must first look at the reasons why compulsory voting was adopted in the first
place. One potential reason was suggested by Anthoula Malkopoulou who stated that the "rejection
or adoption of compulsory voting is dependent on cultural context, political setting, and institutional
environment ". Meaning that the countries
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting
In recent years, society has noticed increasingly minute numbers of voters. Regardless of what is
causing people to stay home, it is a big issue. Voting is a right, every citizen is entitled to having a
voice in the government. We can choose to vote or we can choose to abstain. This is not an issue,
until voting numbers are so low it is hard to even call elections. To help fix this, countries have
implemented a system called "Compulsory Voting", or more blatantly put as "Mandatory Voting".
This system would require all citizens (capable) to vote. On paper, this seems like a good idea.
However, it is a removal of right. To have a right is to have an option. We as citizens have the right
to almost anything we want. The Constitution gives us options. You wouldn't say we have the right
to pay taxes. We are required to pay taxes. Obligations are not considered rights. Making the right to
vote mandatory would be removing one keyword. RIGHT.
Like any good argument, there are always two sides. This one is not an exception. There are some
benefits. For one, it would give everyone an equal voice. Of course, one person is only one vote; but
when it comes to non–partisan voters, they have almost no voice compared to their partisan
counterparts. Two party elections have been the primary setting for every election in the United
States. It has always been one side versus another. The independents and third–parties have been
lacking representation in almost every election. If voting was mandatory, the number of independent
voters would skyrocket. The result of such high numbers would be the fairest election to date. If
everyone voiced their opinions, instead of sidelining, we could achieve accurate numbers for our
elections. Some people don't vote because they believe one vote is worth nothing. If people were
required, the phrase "Strength in numbers" would really show its accuracy. If voting was required in
the 2016 election, Bernie Sanders may have taken the presidency. Just because someone lost, doesn't
mean they lost in numbers. It means they lost in voting numbers.
I believe mandatory voting would be a good move for elections. However, I do not believe
mandatory voting would be good for democracy and freedom. Like
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Persuasive Essay On Compulsory Voting
In a modernized society that highly values civil rights and equality, it is paramount for every citizen
of a country to vote. Throughout history, people of minority and many others have fought for the
notorious right to vote, and some even putting their lives on the line. Thus, a blessing of compulsory
voting will not only give everybody an opportunity to voice how their country would like to be
governed, but also presents a fair representation of what people want. One shouldn't discount
compulsory voting to pose a havoc on civil rights, it grants everyone that right regardless of
citizenship and class. Countries should adopt compulsory voting, as countries will govern better and
citizens would be happier as their country would be controlled by how they like.
Firstly, Compulsory voting not only collects a large sample of data, but also gives a fair and honest
representation of ideals and values people want their country to abide by. For instance, in U.S.
Presidential Elections, voter turnouts were always significantly lower than its total eligible voting
adult population. Presented throughout history, this causes discrepancies and conflict amongst
people. When more and more people vote, communities can get together and agree on ideals such as
Same–Sex Marriage or raising the minimum wage, making a powerful, lively, and public movement
to change lives. This has been apparent throughout the U.S. as Same–Sex Marriage has been granted
in the U.S. through communities getting
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Of Brazil : Compulsory The State Of The...
Compulsory Voting In Brazil
The compulsory nature of voting in Brazil is a controversial topic, well discussed by politicians,
jurists, political scientists, and voters. This requirement has been in place in Brazil since 1932, and
every citizen older than 18 and younger than 70 is obliged to vote every 2 years. However, voters
that are between 16 and 18 and voters that are older than 70 have the option to vote or not. For the
voters that are obliged to vote, their abstention from voting implies in serious penalties, including
the inability to apply for any governmental job, to get any official documents, like IDs and
passports, and financial fines. Even with those sanctions, there is still a high number of abstentions.
This is explained by the extremely low level of interest of the population in political matters as well
as political immaturity. Considering these facts, the obligation of voting in Brazil should be
maintained, the country is not ready for a change. A significant portion of the population is not yet
capable of electing their leaders for the sake of the collectivity. Actually, the population needs to be
made fully aware that the vote is the greatest weapon that exists against indifference and collective
apathy; until then it will be necessary to maintain voting compulsory in Brazil.
When discussing voting, it is worth mentioning that the vote is a right, but also a social and political
duty of the citizen to the community and as such needs to be enforced.
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Should Compulsory Voting Be Mandatory Voting?
The idea of compulsory voting has been discussed for almost every democratic nation in the world.
It has been shown to work for some nations but, would compulsory voting benefit the United States?
Many have posited that if all were forced to vote, many would vote at random or on a whim,
randomizing our democratic process. This would undermine our political system and put into office
whoever happens to be randomly selected. Many who push for compulsory voting say that it will
even the playing field, forcing those underprivileged parties that did not vote before to vote. I see
this as a movement in the wrong direction. The people that should be voting are those who have an
opinion on the election, or want one of the candidates over the others, but that is not always who is
voting. Many either can not because it is too hard, or do not because they believe it is too hard. The
effort should be spent on making voting accessible to every American citizen. In the end compulsory
voting is not the solution to the problem of low voter turnout, as it raises many more problems in
itself. For many countries mandatory voting has worked well but that alone does not mean that it
will work well for the United States. There are many factors that have to be considered first. All
countries that have implemented compulsory voting are smaller than the United States and do not
share all of our culture and values. Many Americans prize their sense of freedom and place it above
all else. Mandatory
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Australia
The Australia arrangement of compulsory voting at federal election was implemented in 1924 and
has demonstrated as being one of the most successful electoral arrangements in the world.
(Ghazarian, 2012) Compulsory voting should be the finest decision for Australia citizens as it is a
national engagement.
The opponent is assertion that people who support our present arrangement claim that we need to
encourage citizens to vote alternatively they may lose enthusiasm in the political procedure.
(Beverge, 2012) On the other hand, voting is a part of democracy structure in Australia and it is
significance as well as a part of citizens' commitment similar to taxes payment, jury duty and
military service.
Many people claim that we are not constrained
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Essay about Compulsory Voting
Industrial Countries all over the world have seen a steady decline in voter participation; Great
Britain is a great example of this. The country has witness turnout in elections falling slowly as time
pass. However, the election of 2001 dropped the country from their average of 76% voter turnout to
just a 59.4% turnout. Comparatively, Australia, a former colony of Britain, has enjoyed high and
steady voter participation since 1924 because of the implementation of compulsory voting. This
system has proven to be not only effective in bring voters to the polls, but also effective in
improving Australia's democracy. By evaluating these two countries with similar political structure;
one can see the difference in compulsory voting turnouts ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
However, it is not constitutionally recognized as a legal entity, therefore, giving its decisions no
legal force. The main parties of Australia are: the Labour Party, Liberal Party, National Party, and
the Australian Democrats; these parties are voted in through a preferential system of voting
("Australia's Political Structure," 2011). All citizens over the age of 18 are required to vote for these
parties because of compulsory voting (adopted in 1924). Australia followed many other democracies
on there decision to implement compulsory voting during the 1920s. However, the country
unusually added mandatory voting without other previsions (Birch, 2009). Australia was able to do
so because of several strong factors supporting the measure. The left (the Labour Party) had already
used a form of social compulsion through trade unions getting their supporters to the polls. Bring in
compulsory voting would rectify this imbalance between the left and the right votes (Birch, 2009).
Furthermore, voters would no longer be in a position to demand transportation to the polls
producing lower party cost. Several other factors include: raising turnout, greatening the legitimacy
of government, enhancing the public education on politics, and the fact that voting is considered a
duty–not only a right (Birch, 2009). Since the adoption the system has widely been supported. At the
highest point of support peaked at 73% in favor of compulsory voting
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Arguments Against Compulsory Voting
In national elections, only a fraction of eligible voters cast their ballots. The turnout for local
elections is much smaller. Australia deems it ethically correct to force all adults to vote. Australia
making voting compulsory for all adults is highly problematic for a myriad of facets. Much of our
population is filled with uneducated people who believe everything they read on the internet, forcing
the entire eligible population is also highly unethical for it ruins our freedom of speech and
humanity. Altogether, compulsory voting is unnecessary, unattainable, and a majority could easily be
attained with the normal election turnout. Today in society, people twist the truth and create internet
memes about candidates, leaving our population ignorant and brainwashed. Many people are
extremely uneducated, and forcing them to vote will wreak havoc on our ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Even with a small amount, a majority vote is easily attainable. Every adult voting would be
unnecessary for it takes a long time to count up each vote in the United States. For example, not all
of America's population participated in the 2008 election with John McCain and Barrack Obama.
President Obama still defeat McCain in a landslide with 365 electoral votes verses 173. This
demonstrates how a candidate can easily be picked with out needing all of America to lazily cast in
their forced votes. Forcing all of the United States is also virtually impossible. President Obama
could try and force us all to vote, but forcing a whole country to vote is not as easy as it sounds. For
Instance, president Obama is trying to force everybody to purchase his "affordable" health care. He
is truly trying to force everybody, but many still refuse. Although president Obama penalizes them,
he still wont phase people who do not even pay their
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Cons
Have you ever wondered when a person could be considered an adult? If so, that day arrives when
they become 18 years old. Kids become adults at the age of 18. Many responsibilities and privileges
are given to people of this age, such as the ability to enroll into the military, to vote, receive their
driver's license, and to buy cigarettes. In the United States military system, you may enlist into any
branch at the age of 18 years old without parental consent. The Twenty–Sixth Amendment states "
the right of citizens of the United States who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or any state on the account of age." In the state of
Massachusetts, you can receive your license at the age ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Most smokers receive their cigarettes from 18–year–olds because they purchase it for them. 18–
year–olds are still too young to be smoking because they've just become an adult. More than 3,200
people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette, which then they become daily
smokers. 5.6 billion children alive today will die prematurely from smoking. Each day 6,000
children under the age of 18 start smoking. The way those children receive their cigarettes is from
older people like 18–year–olds, they can't buy cigarettes because their too young. 18 should stay the
age to be able to start smoking. Regardless of the age people still do smoke even if they're not 18.
In conclusion, becoming 18 is your first step down the road to legal adulthood. That step takes you
into a vast new world of rights and responsibilities. When you become 18 you gain plenty of
freedom, but that freedom can be easily taken away because there will always be consequences.
When you become 18 make wise decisions. Join the military to protect our country, don't text or talk
while driving in order to decrease the crashes of 18–year–olds, prevent smoking of people that are
younger than you, and most importantly vote to make so we can make the nation a better
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Arguments Against Compulsory Voting
Compulsory voting is a system where citizens are required to register to vote and attend a polling
place on election day (Rosenburg, Matt). Compulsory voting is not the most virtuous solution to the
problem of low voter turnout and political disengagement due to its disregard of the peoples' rights
as well as citizens' opinions and the quality of the their votes. As Theodore Roosevelt once said "A
vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user" (Roosevelt, Theodore).
Without a doubt, compulsory voting is an infringement of liberty as stated in the U.S. Constitution.
Voting is not an imperative obligation and forcing it would contravene the first five basic freedoms
of U.S. citizens guaranteed by the First Amendment. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Text 2 Lines 27–30 explains the idea of random voting, "Voters who are voting against their free
will may check off a candidate at random, particularly the top candidate on the ballot paper. The
voter does not care whom they vote for as long as the government is satisfied that they have fulfilled
their civic duty". Forcing a population to vote has been proved to result in blank and invalid votes
(text 2, lines 25–26), which happens to contradict the purpose of the compulsory voting. If the
motive for the mandatory voting is to produce an accurate representation of the country's political
opinion then the invalid and blank votes prove that it is an inadequate way to go about tackling the
problem of political
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Dbq
The debate over compulsory vs. non–compulsory voting is a complex subject matter to say the least,
that has sparked much controversy in recent times with almost all strongly in favor of one side of the
argument and or the other. This highly polarized debate has sparked in popularity in recent times
because of a quote by former president Barak Obama in which he said that "It would be
transformative if everybody voted". It is believed that if everyone voted that could and was eligible
then the domination of hard core partisans within the political system would be in part quelled as the
candidates went where the votes are, which would be away from the extremes. Moreover some
studies show that mandatory voting decreases the rates of uninformed voters within an area as
voting becomes more of a civic duty than right. While the institution of compulsory voting would
have a short term effect of increasing the rate of uninformed voters, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Much like a draft persuades those involved in it to learn about what they are fighting for compulsory
voting would lead to many people becoming more passionate about the subjects that they are voting
on and as such learn about these topics. If the state compels their citizens to vote then a lot of the
burden shifts from the individual that plans to vote moreso to the state. This would lead to the area
having to introduce new and quicker ways to vote such as one day voter registration, moving voting
locations, and locations to vote in everyday locations. Mandatory voting would also allow or at least
comple lower income, younger, and non–white voters to take part in the system whose voices would
usually not be heard as much as the general populace. A better informed and more diverse electorate
are more prone to participate in the political
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Mandatory Vs Compulsory Voting
Creating a new law that requires Americans to vote in national elections, will not be effective.
Instead, as text 2 states in lines 27–30, it will result in random votes. Votes that had candidates
checked off at random, so, as it is said, "the government is satisfied that they have fulfilled their
civic duty." Therefore, compulsory voting has more negative results than positive.
According to text 2 lines 1–2, "All democratic governments consider participating in national
elections a right of citizenship and a citizen's civic responsibility." However, voting is not an
essential obligation to the people. It is always said that "America is a free country". But would you
be taking away people's rights by forcing them to vote? According to text
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
The Australian And Compulsory Voting Essay
Voting in many countries is held in different ways. In The United States of America, voting is
voluntary while the Australian citizen has to vote, it is compulsory. When an Australian citizen does
not vote they receive a fine. Compulsory voting has now become a large political issue for many
countries. Great Britain has seen a dramatic decline in the number of people voting in the last 15
years (Singh, 2014) and compulsory voting has become a large political and social debate. However,
as with any political change, there are strengths and weaknesses. The Australian system is an
excellent one to analyse as the question has to be asked when introducing compulsory voting what
are the long term democratic, economic and social issues? Four key points can be outlined to
consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian compulsory voting system. The first,
compulsory voting provides a clear and accurate representation of an entire electorate. Additionally,
this system may influence an increase in support for the leftist policy in a current democratic
institution. Another key issue to consider is, does an active and informed citizen have a moral duty
and obligation to vote to protect and further society? Key constitutional changes brought about by
referendums can prove that compulsory voting is essential and needed in society for every vote to
count. Lastly, compulsory voting when being a secret ballot can turn into a more compulsory "turn
up" for many citizens as they can
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting For A Representative Democracy
Voting compulsion can very simply be defined as the process of electoral participation being law
binding. However, the process and fundamentals of compulsory voting are not as simple. Twomey,
in her article Compulsory Voting In A Representative Democracy: Choice, Compulsion, And The
Maximization Of Participation In Australian Elections describes compulsory voting to stand "... at
the intersection between the principles of maximum participation of the people in elections and the
expression of genuine choice." Within this essay, I critique compulsory voting to show that it is a
contradiction to basic civil liberty, it will be straining in terms of cost to enforce, and that random
voting is most likely to distort results and with it the validity of our governmental system. I show
this through the analyzation of several scholarly works in contrast to the arguments of critics who
ensure that compulsory voting is for the greater good of society. However, this essay will refute this
point by addressing the downfalls to this system and how these downfalls cannot be overlooked
simply because of turnout.
While people or individuals who are part of a democratic system may have the responsibility to
vote, compulsory voting isn 't necessarily justifiable under a democracy. This is not to say that only
countries that are democratic practice voting compulsion–take Egypt and Singapore for example.
However, the right to vote, a privilege within the western world, is also a primary counter
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Implementing Compulsory Voting in Canada Essay example
A compulsory voting system similar to the one used in Australia is not a system Canada should
implement. Compulsory voting in the context of a democratic society can be a misleading term
(Lever, 2010). Canada practices the secret ballot process in voting, and so it is impossible to verify
if someone has cast a legally valid ballot. If countries have a singular goal of simply increasing voter
turnout, compulsory voting could remedy this problem and it should be more accurately defined as
being compulsory voter turnout (Lever, 2010). The belief that compulsory voting inherently
improves democracy is misleading (Lever, 2010). Canada should not force its citizen's to vote
because other then increasing voter turnout, compulsory voting would ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Implementing a similar system in Canada would be difficult and problematic because Canadian
citizens have become accustom to a system of individualized rights and freedoms. The Right to Not
Vote:
Abstaining from alienation occurs when "a voter's utility for [their] favorite candidate fails to exceed
a certain positive threshold" (Blomberg, 1995. Pg.1023). An alienated voter is someone who with
distinct purpose of mind avoids voting for the purpose of showing discontent often for unqualified
candidates (Blomberg, 1995). Implementing compulsory voting would force these already alienated
voters to vote regardless if they disagree with all the candidates involved and those candidates
platforms or beliefs. High rates of non–voting citizens exercising their right to not vote may also
"lure highly qualified individuals to run for public office" (Blomberg, 1995. Pg.1024–25). A return
of qualified individuals would increase the alienated voter turnout, which would supersede the need
for a compulsory vote. Some in favor of compulsory voting suggest that if people are dissatisfied
with the candidate options that they can provide a write–in vote, meaning they put the name of
someone they wish to vote for on the ballot themselves. However, the problem with a write–in vote
is that you are not included in the percentage of nonvoters (Bloomberg, 1995). The percentage of
nonvoters can be important data because it can be an indication to the political community, and may
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting
INTRODUCTION
This research essay argues that compulsory voting does not violate international law of human rights
(ILHR). In arguing so, we explore the perspectives of different commentators regarding the pros and
cons of compulsory voting, and interpret how the relevant ILHR documents address the issue of
compulsory voting. Compulsory voting is a process in which eligible electors must cast their vote at
an election with various ways which include postal voting, absent voting, voting through mobile
polling team, and voting at a polling place. Although compulsory voting literally forces people to
vote, it offers flexible options for people to choose how they vote. Adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly by 48 votes in favour ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With the public participation in elections is diminishing among developed countries, the elected
governments of those countries become less representative of the entire population. The UDHR
asserts that the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government. If the
government is elected by the minority of the population, the elected government does not truly
reflect the will of the entire population within that country, and impliedly lacks the authority to rule
the country. To remedy this problem, the implementation of compulsory voting dramatically and
effectively raised the public participation in elections, and thus supported the legitimacy of the
newly elected government to rule stably. It is possible to argue that compulsory voting ultimately
leads to a more stable society because every citizen has been given an opportunity to choose their
government and there will be no excuse for people to overturn their government that is reflecting the
public will. This demonstrates that compulsory voting is consistent with the notion of preserving
public order and safety manifested in the UDHR and the ICCPR. Moreover, Lever illustrated how
the most marginal members of society are further marginalised without compulsory voting. She
explained that people who do least well in our
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
The Importance Of Compulsory Voting
The current day politicians are worried about the number of the voters turn out for the federal
elections. With 2008 being the lowest in the past 30 years this probably causing debates about
having compulsory voting in canada to increase voter turnout. As the results show from countries
that enforce compulsory voting that it dramatically increase voter turnout. Is the increased voter
turnout worth the price of the loss of the right of liberty? Why should the government implement a
law to increase voter turn out that could easily be increased without mandatory voter turnout, and it
will cause an unequal representation of voters, and a loss of rights and freedoms.
If the canadian government want more people to vote they should view their own results why people
don't vote. According to stats canada the second main reason why people don't vote is because they
are too busy to vote. Why should the government force on the people the job of ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
According to Compulsory Voting Can Increase Political Inequality:Evidence From Brazil by Gabriel
Cepaluni from São Paulo State University and F. Daniel Hidalgo from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology with compulsory voting the voter turnout from lower education to higher education
made the higher education turnout rate increased more than the lower education turnout rate making
the representation unequal between the lower class then the higher education. This is probably to the
fact that the lower education people tend to have lower income job and use less of the rights so
when they don't vote they don't feel the effect that much making only the upper and middle class
feel the consequence of not voting therefore they do not feel motivated to vote. The government
want equal representation that is why they what to have mandatory voting but in truth that will make
the representation more unequal than
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory: Should Voting Be Mandatory?
Introduction:
If you think back to history class and those countless lessons on the formation of the United States,
then you will remember how hard the people fought to be free and to not be ruled by the
government rather to hold the power of it. Now the United States is not the only example of wars
being fought to gain freedom from the people who rule them. If voting was mandatory, it would
violate the rights and freedoms that people fought to earn.
Therefore be it resolved that in a democracy voting should not be compulsory.
The key terms for my case are:
Compulsory– means mandatory
Democracy– a political system in which supreme power lies in a body of citizens who choose to
elect people to represent them.
Value:
My value for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If choosing who they want means that they don't want to vote at all then they shouldn't be forced to
vote. It is one of our responsibilities but just because it is our responsibility does not make it
mandatory. Each individual makes up the society as a whole, if the individual's freedoms are
violated then the society won't be able to function. The people won't agree so the government
doesn't continue in the best manor. According to The Debate Handbook, "political forms, and
institutions, legal systems, legislative enactments, all the charters and codes and statutes in
christendom, are valid and stable only as they tend to assure freedom and justice to individuals."
This means the whole foundation that the country and government was built on relies on the people
to be free and happy but if the laws start to violate their rights than the people won't be happy and
the government won't be able to continue as a
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Influence of Compulsory Voting
The Idea of Compulsory Voting After Australia, Singapore, and Switzerland implemented
compulsory voting and the turnout of voters grew, other democratic countries began wondering if
the idea should be implemented globally. Research began on how this implementation affected
countries with compulsory voting in place and how it would affect other countries such as Canada
(Twomey, 2013). The idea that Canada, or another similarly democratic country, should pass a
policy of compulsory voting would be against the very foundation of freedom that defines a
democratic state. It brings to mind three questions with it, is voting a right or duty, does it change
the level of intelligent political participation, and does the compulsion goes against all ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
However this fine was not a push in direction of political participation, it was a reason to not be
political as being politically participating cost money and no one wants to spend money on the
government. Intelligent Political Participation For compulsory voting to make way for more
intelligent political participation is a contradiction of itself. In compulsory voting the politician
running for office do not need to put in the same effort as they would otherwise (Barry, 2013). These
politicians will have to fight for every vote and will have to "argue their cases with more conviction"
(Barry, 2013) if compulsory voting was not in place. But knowing what the individual politician
platform declare are only half the battle. In Australia, a survey found that "only 40 per cent could
name the two federal houses of parliament" (Barry, 2013). The problem with this complete lack of
knowledge is that the ignorant voters whom are forced to vote do so picking either a random
politician or one who a friend or family member has mentioned (Jenson & Spoon, 2011, p. 702).
Voting for a random politician or the one at the top of the list should not be the reason people vote
for someone. This type of voting does not take any kind of intelligent thought. People are not voting
because they believe in what the politician is trying to accomplish they are voting simply because
they will be fined if they neglect to vote. Those who endorse compulsory voting saying that it
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Australia Compulsory Voting System
For the last few years of democratic history in Australia there has been much debate. One main
focus of political debate has been the voting system Australia currently uses. The majority of the
country like the way we currently vote by using a however there is one major difference that sets us
aside from most democracy's. This is compulsory voting. The majority of major democracies around
the world (United States of America and England) do not enforce their citizens to vote. Although a
democratic result will be achieved regardless of the voting system, people still argue that certain
ways are un democratic and un affective. So of course there are strengths and weaknesses of each
system.
To help gain a better knowledge of the strengths and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The biggest 'western' country that enforces compulsory voting is Australia. The major strength of
this particular voting method is of course the numbers. As mentioned earlier 92% of Australia's
voting population came and voted compared to Americas 41%. This obviously makes the result
more fair and democratic as it shows what the majority of the population want. On numerous
occasions in recent history there have been numerous attempts to accept voluntary voting and ditch
compulsory, however every time the idea was ditched, mainly due to how successful it was working
but also because of the popularity and the social backing behind it. Another strength for compulsory
voting is that it educates people on politics and the policies each party applies. This comes in the
sense that citizens, knowing they have to vote, will do research on each party gaining a better
understanding. For the people who are very uneducated on politics the possible idea of research can
help them select the major or minor party they want to back. A weakness of compulsory voting goes
against the previous 'strength' this is that people who are uneducated in politics may just select a
random party that they know nothing about only so they don't get fined. This could be a party that
the majority of the country's population dislike, for Australia's example Pauline Hanson's one nation
party. If every politically uneducated person in Australia was to do this it could pose an issue to the
people who actually know what they are doing and their votes. Some people believe that
compulsory voting is wrong as it forces the citizens to do something they don't want to do, which
many people believe is
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Research Paper
We become citizens at birth, yet we often do not live up to the responsibilities of our birthright. By
birth, we are responsible for the safety of our nation. We are also responsible for the environment,
the standard of education, and the productivity. Nevertheless, few people stand up for these
important matters and even fewer put forth the effort in order to make a change. Once a child is born
it is up to the infant's parents to instill the beliefs and qualities of a good citizen. The child should be
raised with the belief that your life is what you make it, not that you are a victim who deserves to
fight for pension to their misfortunes. Too often are people prone to cry out "Victim!" instead of
putting in hard work, blood, and sweat ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It is the man who works three jobs and still finds time to donate to the coastal cleanup project, or the
mother who teaches her children how to help strangers that change the world for the better. People
who do what they can with what they have to help others are the best citizens in this great nation. In
this election year, many people are coming out to fulfill one asset of their citizenship. Voting is one
of the best paths in order to ensure your nation's safety, prosperity, and the future of your family.
Many candidates use slogans such as "Make America Great Again" that appeal to the working class
more then those who chose to not work for their living. The workingman and woman are the one's
who achieve greatness for the country. A responsible citizen looks toward the future instead on the
here and now. Global warming is an intense issue facing the millennial generation. As we look
toward the next century, we see deforestation, the possibility of extinction of the polar bear, and the
disappearance of the bee. All of which are devastating news. A responsible citizen puts forth
endeavors to prevent the melting ice caps and polluted beaches. It is the duty of all citizens to keep
our nation clean and to protect the animals who cannot protect themselves. In the past twenty years
America has seen oil spills, air pollution by factories, and even terrorist attacks, which has led to our
environment being
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Voting Should Be Compulsory
Every citizen in America has the right to vote, yet so many decide not to. With the turnout at just
57.5 percent for the 2012 presidential election, voter turnout rates are steadily decreasing with every
next big election. There are many reasons why people may not vote: a lack of understanding
politics, busy schedules, or pure laziness. Regardless, the men and women who fought so hard to get
equal voting right for everyone, it is only fair to make it an obligation for every United State citizen
to turn out on election day and vote. Subsequently, I believe that voting should be compulsory
because one vote could make or break a nation.
To begin with, choosing not to vote when given the right ti is considered to be disrespectful to an
abundance of people in the past who sacrificed their time and effort for the right to vote. A classical
example of a motivational suffragette is Susan B. Anthony. She was arrested and sent to trial in
Rochester, New York, along with fifteen other women for illegally voting. Being the posterity of that
time, it is the utmost right to show appreciation for the leader(s) who allowed women's voices to be
heard during elections. Ultimately, if these selected women did not stand up and battle for women's
voting right, women today would probably still be portrayed as weak and insignificant, yet alone to
obtain the right to vote.
Moreover, it is not fair to many unprivileged or oppressed people all over the world who would give
anything for the right to
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting And Its Effect On Society
Compulsory voting's effects can be argued to increase or decrease democracy. Compulsory, or
mandatory voting is in effect in about 30 democracies around the world. However of these 30 that
have compulsory voting in their laws, the policies vary from country to country. For an example,
some countries only instate compulsory voting for certain elected positions. France, for example,
strictly uses compulsory voting for their Senatorial elections (Hamid, 2010). As the number of active
voters decreases there are limited options as to how to increase voter turnout, compulsory voting
could be one of the few actions that may work without decreasing democracy. Compulsory voting
defined as forcing citizens of a state to go to the polls during an election and vote on Election Day
(Rosenberg, 2015). This rule is enforced by giving fines, community service, or difficulty getting a
job within the public sector to those who do not participate. Compulsory voting is in place in many
modern countries such as Australia, Belgium and Argentina to name a few. Compulsory voting's
punishment varies depending on the state it is acting in. For example, in Australia you are exempt
from voting if you have an explanation with a legitimate reason (Idea, 2015). If you do not have a
legitimate excuse you may face a fine of $20.00. If you do not wish to pay this fine you may do an
allotted set of hours of community service or another duty set out by the government in power
(Australian Government 2013).
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Should Voting Be Made Compulsory in Britain?
Politics & Economics
Should voting be made compulsory in Britain?
Britain currently employs a voluntary voting system, whereby it is entirely up to the individual to
choose whether to vote or not. 32 countries across the world, such as; Australia, Switzerland and
Belgium, employ a compulsory voting system, were the citizens of their countries must register their
vote in elections. This paper is going to look into the positive, negative, opportunity and threat
aspects of whether voting should be made compulsory in Britain.
One of the main arguments for Britain adopting a compulsory voting system is to facilitate higher
rates of electoral participation after poor turnouts in the last two general elections, were only 59.4%
and 61.4% of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
From this perspective it is therefore not an infringement on the democratic rights of the public to
have compulsory voting, merely an adaptation of the legislation that currently exists.
There is a school of thought that those who are distanced and disillusioned by the political process,
could be reconnected and engaged in a democratic government if compulsory voting were to be
implemented. The silent majority would be forced to consider and at least find out about what they
are voting for if they had to vote. This would be achieved by the main parties, who currently
disregard the people who don't vote in certain demographics, being forced to concentrate efforts on
them as well as on the ‘core vote' i.e. those who regularly vote and pay credence to the voting
system. The effect of politicians going out actively pursuing votes in famously low turnout areas
would help to ignite interest in politics, to what was once a forgotten constituency. Also once the
public are voting and more aware of the political process, it can increase more political activity in
other areas. This would also serve to address the decline of the proportion of voters strongly
identifying with either Labour or Conservative parties, which has fallen from 38% in 1964 to below
20% by 1997.
There is also a fear that the younger generation are under–represented. Statistics show in the 2005
election
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Should Not Be Legal In America
From a purely principled position on freedom and what a right is, voting should not be voluntary.
Something is a right when you have the free ability to choose to do it and not choose to do it; for
instance, freedom of speech is a right because you can say whatever you want to say and also say
nothing at all. If you are obligated to do something by jail time and fines, and even neither of those
things, then it is not a right but an obligation; you do not have the right to pay taxes because you
cannot choose not to pay taxes. Therefore, from an argument of rights and principles, compulsory
voting should not be legal in America. However, there are many benefits to the idea of compulsory
voting and even a potential counteraction towards the argument
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting DBQ
In recent years, due to non compulsory voting, our national affairs and international affairs have
been affected. America should have compulsory voting because of increased voter turnout rates, the
questionability of the legitimacy of our government and the education of politics for the people. The
voter turnout rates can lead to a multitude of things like education and more accurate votes to the
simple feel of completing a civic duty. The endgame of voter turnouts is the education of voters
involved (Document F) as well as the accuracy of the vote being unquestionable (Document E). This
increased voter turnout can lead to the connection of people through gathering, regardless of age
(Document B). "...Civic virtue; it's sentimentality,"(Document G). The previous quote shows that
civic virtue can go a long way from not only yourself emotionally, but others too. Higher voter
turnout rates cannot only improve a multitude of things in our country, but also can give our nation a
legitimate name. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
is having the matching legit internal affairs. The voter turnout of our government "has led some
people to worry about the legitimacy of our government," (Background Essay). Voter turnout rates
can help with legitimacy, and it would make it ten times more legitimate if we had 100% turnout
rates (Document D). Voting brings people together through knowledge and common ground of their
patriotism, whether it's age or education, if all were required to vote there would be a little less
prejudice in the world, making us more legitimate (Document B). The legitimacy and voter turnout
rates can bring people together, and compulsory voting can educate people to also bring them
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting Outline
Argumentation Outline APA Form
(Proposition of Policy)
Issue: The issue is whether or not Compulsory voting should be put into place in the USA
Thesis: Compulsory voting should not be made law in the USA.
Introduction
At a City Hall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio when asked about the topic of mandatory voting laws
(Jackson 2015), President Obama stated, "If everybody voted, then it would completely change the
political map in this country." (Stephanopoulos 2015 p5) (Evidence: Testimony) He is right, if
everyone voted the political map in the country would be completely different–––and not for the
better. Compulsory voting can potentially cause the nation 's true political viewpoints to be
misrepresented, thus hindering political progression, by making voters feel obligated to choose
candidates that may not represent their ideas and forcing the politically disengaged to select random
ballots.
Invalid votes would skew political data thus causing a misrepresentation in nationwide political
ideas.
People still do not vote even in countries where Compulsory voting is law
J.J Strossmayer who holds a P.H.D in law research found that empty and invalid ballot papers
(defined as blank or spoiled votes) are one of the biggest problems of the countries that have a
compulsory voting. During Brazil's 1990 elections voter turnout was 76.57%, but 40% of the votes
were deemed invalid. (Mackerras & Mcallister 1999) (Evidence: Statistics) In Ecuador's 2006
elections 40% votes were
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Compulsory Voting in America: Against Our Civil Rights
Allen
EGL 101–018/035
Fall 2010
Compulsory Voting in America: Against Our Civil Rights
The United States of America is supposed to be a land of freedom where one can exercise the right
to have various liberties that are not found in many other countries around the world. Among these
liberties is the right to vote in a democratic government. Voting is a privilege in the United States
that should not be taken for granted; many countries do not have the luxury of choosing who they
want to represent them in government. Or if they do, they have in place a system that is called
compulsory voting. Compulsory voting is a system in which voters are obligated to come to their
designated polling place on Election Day to place a vote. If ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In Peru, if one does not have a stamped voting card to prove he or she has voted, that person is not
able to receive specific services or products from many public offices. In Belgium, if one does not
vote, the chances of getting hired at a job are slim to none. In Greece, prison is an option, as well as
trouble obtaining a new driver's license or passport. In other words, if a person does not have a
legitimate reason why he or she did not vote, such as extreme illness or absence from the country,
along with concrete evidence to prove the reason, he or she will somehow be "punished." Voting is a
right and a privilege, not an obligation. There are better ways to encourage higher voter turnout
without making voting mandatory. Compulsory voting is not an efficient way to respond to the
problem of voter disengagement. The government should look at the reason behind the lack of
voting enthusiasm rather than try to mask the problem by making voting mandatory. There are many
reasons why people choose not to vote; for example, they could be unsupportive of all of the
electoral candidates, they could have no interest whatsoever in politics, or even simply be unable to
get to their polling place because of other obligations. In the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, people
of this faith choose not to vote because of their faith. By making voting mandatory, this would take
away not only our freedom of choosing to vote, but in a sense our freedom to practice
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
Pros And Cons Of A Compulsory Voting System
A compulsory voting system within the United States threatens America's founding ideals and
ultimately causes more negatives than positives. Preventing the United States from creating a
compulsory voting system eliminates the demand for an unnecessary disciplinary system, guarantees
the reliability of the majority vote, and ensures that America continues to live up to its promise of
Liberty.
Consequently, creating a new law comes with the responsibility for the government to construct a
new disciplinary system to protect the law and to make certain the law is obliged by. In this case,
someone that fails to vote would be unreasonably disciplined. Creating a disciplinary system would
cause an added stress on those who must enforce this law. This ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Most people that do not vote today are those who do not take the time to fully evaluate the
candidates to make a well thought out vote. Creating this system will not make these people try
harder to choose the best candidate, but instead make a "donkey vote" or a vote that is random
without background knowledge. Preventing a compulsory voting system will also prevent a major
decision from being decided by many voters that randomly selected a candidate. Compulsory voting
lessens the value of the votes of people who choose the candidate that accurately stands for their
views. If individuals have no background knowledge of the candidates, their votes carry no meaning
toward a true majority decision. Fundamentally making it possible for a politician to become the
president of the United States based on a vote made by an unmethodical whim. Votes should only
made by those who strongly believe in the people they vote for, not by individuals who vote because
it is a legal issue. By preventing a compulsory voting system, the United States would be able to
ensure the United States of America makes the right decisions based upon a true
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

More Related Content

More from Amanda Gray

Promotion Student Essay
Promotion Student EssayPromotion Student Essay
Promotion Student EssayAmanda Gray
 
My Mother Essay 10 Lin
My Mother Essay  10 LinMy Mother Essay  10 Lin
My Mother Essay 10 LinAmanda Gray
 
010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even
010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even
010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected EvenAmanda Gray
 
The Best Way To Compile A Respons
The Best Way To Compile A ResponsThe Best Way To Compile A Respons
The Best Way To Compile A ResponsAmanda Gray
 
Buy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The House
Buy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The HouseBuy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The House
Buy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The HouseAmanda Gray
 
Where Can I Buy Research Paper.
Where Can I Buy Research Paper.Where Can I Buy Research Paper.
Where Can I Buy Research Paper.Amanda Gray
 
The Theory Of Leadership Theories
The Theory Of Leadership TheoriesThe Theory Of Leadership Theories
The Theory Of Leadership TheoriesAmanda Gray
 
Questions On The And Football
Questions On The And FootballQuestions On The And Football
Questions On The And FootballAmanda Gray
 
China Marine Essay
China Marine EssayChina Marine Essay
China Marine EssayAmanda Gray
 
Approaches Of Teamwork
Approaches Of TeamworkApproaches Of Teamwork
Approaches Of TeamworkAmanda Gray
 
The Soviet Union Of Soviet Republics
The Soviet Union Of Soviet RepublicsThe Soviet Union Of Soviet Republics
The Soviet Union Of Soviet RepublicsAmanda Gray
 
Recommendation For Tasco Essay
Recommendation For Tasco EssayRecommendation For Tasco Essay
Recommendation For Tasco EssayAmanda Gray
 
The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay
 The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay
The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda EssayAmanda Gray
 
Social Foundations Of Multicultural Education
Social Foundations Of Multicultural EducationSocial Foundations Of Multicultural Education
Social Foundations Of Multicultural EducationAmanda Gray
 
Tiresias In Oedipus The King And Antigone
Tiresias In Oedipus The King And AntigoneTiresias In Oedipus The King And Antigone
Tiresias In Oedipus The King And AntigoneAmanda Gray
 
ELL Summary And Analysis
ELL Summary And AnalysisELL Summary And Analysis
ELL Summary And AnalysisAmanda Gray
 
Archaeology Career Goals
Archaeology Career GoalsArchaeology Career Goals
Archaeology Career GoalsAmanda Gray
 
The Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers Of Tamil EelamThe Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers Of Tamil EelamAmanda Gray
 

More from Amanda Gray (20)

Promotion Student Essay
Promotion Student EssayPromotion Student Essay
Promotion Student Essay
 
My Mother Essay 10 Lin
My Mother Essay  10 LinMy Mother Essay  10 Lin
My Mother Essay 10 Lin
 
010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even
010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even
010 Essay Example Writing Samples Unexpected Even
 
The Best Way To Compile A Respons
The Best Way To Compile A ResponsThe Best Way To Compile A Respons
The Best Way To Compile A Respons
 
Buy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The House
Buy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The HouseBuy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The House
Buy Law Essays Uk Law Essays Help Is The House
 
Where Can I Buy Research Paper.
Where Can I Buy Research Paper.Where Can I Buy Research Paper.
Where Can I Buy Research Paper.
 
The Theory Of Leadership Theories
The Theory Of Leadership TheoriesThe Theory Of Leadership Theories
The Theory Of Leadership Theories
 
Questions On The And Football
Questions On The And FootballQuestions On The And Football
Questions On The And Football
 
China Marine Essay
China Marine EssayChina Marine Essay
China Marine Essay
 
Approaches Of Teamwork
Approaches Of TeamworkApproaches Of Teamwork
Approaches Of Teamwork
 
The Soviet Union Of Soviet Republics
The Soviet Union Of Soviet RepublicsThe Soviet Union Of Soviet Republics
The Soviet Union Of Soviet Republics
 
Recommendation For Tasco Essay
Recommendation For Tasco EssayRecommendation For Tasco Essay
Recommendation For Tasco Essay
 
The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay
 The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay
The Media As Conduit For Political Propaganda Essay
 
Social Foundations Of Multicultural Education
Social Foundations Of Multicultural EducationSocial Foundations Of Multicultural Education
Social Foundations Of Multicultural Education
 
Tiresias In Oedipus The King And Antigone
Tiresias In Oedipus The King And AntigoneTiresias In Oedipus The King And Antigone
Tiresias In Oedipus The King And Antigone
 
ELL Summary And Analysis
ELL Summary And AnalysisELL Summary And Analysis
ELL Summary And Analysis
 
Archaeology Career Goals
Archaeology Career GoalsArchaeology Career Goals
Archaeology Career Goals
 
Samuel Colt
Samuel ColtSamuel Colt
Samuel Colt
 
The Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers Of Tamil EelamThe Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam
 
Acc Quiz
Acc QuizAcc Quiz
Acc Quiz
 

Recently uploaded

Enzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdf
Enzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdfEnzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdf
Enzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdfSumit Tiwari
 
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher EducationIntroduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Educationpboyjonauth
 
Roles & Responsibilities in Pharmacovigilance
Roles & Responsibilities in PharmacovigilanceRoles & Responsibilities in Pharmacovigilance
Roles & Responsibilities in PharmacovigilanceSamikshaHamane
 
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptx
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptxEPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptx
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptxRaymartEstabillo3
 
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptxPOINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptxSayali Powar
 
Gas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptx
Gas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptxGas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptx
Gas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptxDr.Ibrahim Hassaan
 
Meghan Sutherland In Media Res Media Component
Meghan Sutherland In Media Res Media ComponentMeghan Sutherland In Media Res Media Component
Meghan Sutherland In Media Res Media ComponentInMediaRes1
 
Like-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdf
Like-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdfLike-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdf
Like-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdfMr Bounab Samir
 
Final demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptx
Final demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptxFinal demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptx
Final demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptxAvyJaneVismanos
 
AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.
AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.
AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.arsicmarija21
 
Capitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptx
Capitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptxCapitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptx
Capitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptxCapitolTechU
 
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptxSolving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
 
Full Stack Web Development Course for Beginners
Full Stack Web Development Course  for BeginnersFull Stack Web Development Course  for Beginners
Full Stack Web Development Course for BeginnersSabitha Banu
 
Alper Gobel In Media Res Media Component
Alper Gobel In Media Res Media ComponentAlper Gobel In Media Res Media Component
Alper Gobel In Media Res Media ComponentInMediaRes1
 
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️9953056974 Low Rate Call Girls In Saket, Delhi NCR
 
Proudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptx
Proudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptxProudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptx
Proudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptxthorishapillay1
 
How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17
How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17
How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17Celine George
 
Employee wellbeing at the workplace.pptx
Employee wellbeing at the workplace.pptxEmployee wellbeing at the workplace.pptx
Employee wellbeing at the workplace.pptxNirmalaLoungPoorunde1
 

Recently uploaded (20)

Enzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdf
Enzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdfEnzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdf
Enzyme, Pharmaceutical Aids, Miscellaneous Last Part of Chapter no 5th.pdf
 
Model Call Girl in Tilak Nagar Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
Model Call Girl in Tilak Nagar Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝Model Call Girl in Tilak Nagar Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
Model Call Girl in Tilak Nagar Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
 
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher EducationIntroduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
 
Roles & Responsibilities in Pharmacovigilance
Roles & Responsibilities in PharmacovigilanceRoles & Responsibilities in Pharmacovigilance
Roles & Responsibilities in Pharmacovigilance
 
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptx
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptxEPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptx
EPANDING THE CONTENT OF AN OUTLINE using notes.pptx
 
TataKelola dan KamSiber Kecerdasan Buatan v022.pdf
TataKelola dan KamSiber Kecerdasan Buatan v022.pdfTataKelola dan KamSiber Kecerdasan Buatan v022.pdf
TataKelola dan KamSiber Kecerdasan Buatan v022.pdf
 
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptxPOINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
 
Gas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptx
Gas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptxGas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptx
Gas measurement O2,Co2,& ph) 04/2024.pptx
 
Meghan Sutherland In Media Res Media Component
Meghan Sutherland In Media Res Media ComponentMeghan Sutherland In Media Res Media Component
Meghan Sutherland In Media Res Media Component
 
Like-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdf
Like-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdfLike-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdf
Like-prefer-love -hate+verb+ing & silent letters & citizenship text.pdf
 
Final demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptx
Final demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptxFinal demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptx
Final demo Grade 9 for demo Plan dessert.pptx
 
AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.
AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.
AmericanHighSchoolsprezentacijaoskolama.
 
Capitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptx
Capitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptxCapitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptx
Capitol Tech U Doctoral Presentation - April 2024.pptx
 
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptxSolving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
 
Full Stack Web Development Course for Beginners
Full Stack Web Development Course  for BeginnersFull Stack Web Development Course  for Beginners
Full Stack Web Development Course for Beginners
 
Alper Gobel In Media Res Media Component
Alper Gobel In Media Res Media ComponentAlper Gobel In Media Res Media Component
Alper Gobel In Media Res Media Component
 
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
 
Proudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptx
Proudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptxProudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptx
Proudly South Africa powerpoint Thorisha.pptx
 
How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17
How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17
How to Configure Email Server in Odoo 17
 
Employee wellbeing at the workplace.pptx
Employee wellbeing at the workplace.pptxEmployee wellbeing at the workplace.pptx
Employee wellbeing at the workplace.pptx
 

Benefits Of Compulsory Voting

  • 1. Benefits Of Compulsory Voting Are we Americans becoming too lazy in our civic duty? We live in a country that provides all types of liberties, freedoms, and opportunities. Yet, why do we feel that we do not need to give back to our country? I have heard Americans complain about paying taxes, jury duty, and even the President of the United States, Congress and our representatives. However, only 60% of Americans take the opportunity to vote (Gonchar), even though that right was fought for by black rights and women suffrage activists. The very nature of a democracy such as ours is for all citizens to have a say in how the country is run. Given that our voter turnout is so poor, the question becomes: should voting be mandatory in America? I believe voting should be made mandatory. Compulsory voting is a civic duty, a means to reciprocate for the liberties America provides, and will increase voter turnout voting districts. Compulsory voting is a civic duty like many other mandated civic duties already accepted by Americans. As citizens of the United States we learn early our basic civic duties to our country. First through our parents and then through our education. John Dean, Former Council to the President of the United States, is a strong supporter of mandated voting laws. He compared compulsory voting to other basic civic duties such as jury duty, paying taxes, the draft, school attendance, and even driving on the left side of the road (Dean). Those are all things I learned by listening to and ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 2.
  • 3. Voluntary And Compulsory Voting Systems Voluntary and Compulsory Voting Systems: The Affect on Democracy Across the globe day after day, nations have been progressively attempting to improve the political systems in which they inhabit, the most prominent political system currently standing as democracy. But what exactly constitutes as democracy? Democracy is a term holding a spectrum of meanings, many frequently overlapping. In its simplest, most basic form, democracy is referred to "rule of the people." Being the broad term it is, democracy tends to be represented in various ways around the world. Despite these differences in representation, the endgame is all the same, a rule in the interest of the people. Using specific countries as models, I strategize to discuss the differences between compulsory voting in Australia and voluntary voting in Canada to determine whether compulsory voting augments the quality of democracy. In this essay, I argue compulsory voting enhances the quality of democracy. Through the lens of different voting systems, I plan to defend my claim by discussing the effect that voter turnout, civic duty and accurate representation has on the quality of democracy. While voting is only one of the countless elements involved in politics, it continues to be the very foundation of our democracy, affecting every aspect of our lives. Whether compulsory or voluntary, voting exists as a link between ourselves and those who have the authority to implement our interests. The ability to vote is a ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 4.
  • 5. Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting Compulsory voting would have to be a great idea it would make the voting system and the run for office a lot more legitimate, also it would increase voter turnout, and lastly it would take away men/women that are running for office to be backed up by millionaires or sometimes even billionaires. For the first claim it makes the voting and campaign a lot more legitimate and wouldn't have only half of the population voting for the president and also the United States wouldn't be having all these riots and hate towards the president, the article states, "If voting is made mandatory, it will ensure the government it will be represented by a majority of the population, not just a few individuals. It will also guarantee that members of the society who are not politically active will not be neglected. It will also prevent political leaders to claim greater legitimacy." (Connectusfund.org) Although if the United States would change to a compulsory voting it would violate the slogan of a free country and also violate the freedom of choice, "A democratic type of government means that it was built on the basis of respecting basic human freedoms and rights, particularly free choice. However, it can be violated if voting is made mandatory because people would not have the freedom to not express their opinion." (Connectusfund.org) The argument on this topic is quite even for the United States if it were in any other country, it would be a different story. ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 6.
  • 7. Compulsory Voting English Composition 2 SUNY Empire State College Final paper 16.5.2013 Compulsory Voting 1 Topic of the paper Democracy is built on freedom to vote and have your political say, but the majority of people in the world's 'greatest' democracies never vote at all. Is compulsory participation in the political system the answer? Investigate countries which make voting compulsory – weigh the advantages and disadvantages – then argue for or against this policy. Abstract Compulsory voting solves the problem of low political participation during elections; therefore, winning politicians and political parties cannot be considered non–legitimate in mandatory voting. On the other hand, mandatory voting has more ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Mandatory democracy can raise political interest among people. When people who are not interested in politics are forced to vote, some of them start to feel responsible for results of elections. They begin to watch political news, read journals and articles to have sufficient knowledge about politics in general and politicians, who they vote for or against. As Jake Keith and Guang–Zhen Sun describe in their article, when people are force to vote, it increases their interest about politics, so compulsory voting raises the value of individual votes (64). Compulsory voting can achieve higher efficiency in politics, especially on local level. As mandatory voting reaches higher voting turnout, more groups sensitive about specific topic are included in the voting. This fact can compel local politicians to care about small, but very important issues for some people. Such issues are for example public transportation, water supply, sanitation etc. ("'Compulsory Voting Good for Democracy"). Disadvantages of compulsory voting The most common argument against mandatory voting is individual freedom. Countries using compulsory voting force people to vote, but it can definitely be considered as a step against freedom of individuals. Even Lijphart, who is known as a propagator of compulsory voting, argues that mandatory voting has a very strong disadvantage, which is individual freedom. In case of ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 8.
  • 9. Compulsory Voting: Moral Issues and Necessities in A... Compulsory Voting: Moral Issues and Necessities in A Democratic Nation Compulsory voting as defined by Merriam Webster is "a system in which electors are obligated to vote in elections, or be subject to punitive measures such as fines or community service if violated." It is a system of voting that has been implemented successfully in over 30 countries, and has seen the increase in voting turnout on average of 20%. When compulsory voting was abandoned turnout after a period of mandatory voting, voting dropped on average 25%. This is an issue that can shape the future of democratic nations, for the actions that governments make are reliant upon those who enter into office, due to the ballot of the people. Therefore, in a democracy, voting ought to be compulsory. In many democratic nations compulsory voting has been good, and reduces the threat of low voter turnout, while increasing the legitimacy of the government. Annabelle Lever, a research fellow at the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the Manchester University School of Law, states "participation in elections is declining in most advanced industrial countries"; this lower turnout has begun to make democratic voting systems that can "threaten the legitimacy of a country's government and electoral system, because it significantly increases the likelihood that governments will reflect a minority, rather than a majority, of registered voters" (58–59). In order to combat this decline, compulsory ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 10.
  • 11. Should Compulsory Voting Be A Civil Right? Participating by voting in elections is a civil right we are given as Democratic Americans. While some people are eager to go out and vote, there are others who despise the system and neglect their duties as citizens and avoid voting in elections all together. Other nations around the globe have instituted a new system of Compulsory Voting; in which citizens are required by law to vote in elections or attend a polling place on a designated day. There are many pros and cons when it comes to compulsory voting, as well as a wide variety of controversy associated with it. Compulsory voting has resulted in many benefits to foreign nations, however, this new system is not perfect and still comes with new problems that nations face and are working to overcome; the general public believes compulsory voting to be a good idea yet still inefficient due to the laziness and lack of regard from some of the practicing nation's citizens. First off, some pros and benefits of compulsory voting are that it is part of each citizen 's civic duty, the majority interest of the people can be followed and implemented, and policy formation cannot be run by special interests. The most obvious benefit of compulsory voting is that it would lead to higher voter turnout. Along with the direct effect of compulsory voting on turnout, there are also several indirect benefits. Compulsory voting would reduce the role of money in politics. For example, political parties would spend less on their ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 12.
  • 13. Voting in National Elections Should be Compulsory Not... It was in 1928 that universal suffrage had been granted in the United Kingdom. Prior to that time, people fought to have the right to vote so their opinions could be voiced, yet now we have that right, voting does not seem so significant. Before deciding whether voting should be compulsory or optional, understanding what exactly is meant by the term 'compulsory voting' is essential. It is also important to educate the general public more about politics so they can make an informed decision if and when they do choose to vote. Finally, there should be a comparison with other countries which currently enforce compulsory voting to better understand how it would work. The term 'compulsory voting' is a misnomer as it is impossible to monitor ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Perhaps making voting compulsory would encourage apathetic and apolitical people to become more politically active and express their opinions. There are some people who believe that they are not well–informed so they do not know who to vote for in elections. Others are 'prepared to express a view without having the slightest knowledge about the subject' (Kavanagh, 1983:13). However, if voting were made compulsory, political parties would spend less money on 'getting out the vote', and spend more time on campaigning their policies (Electoral Reform Society, 2009; IDEA, 2009) and so making the public more aware of what they are trying to achieve and why people should vote for them. As less money is spent on (often negative) campaigning, there would be a decrease in the 'opportunity for corruption in politics by reducing the need for party fundraising' (Faulks, 2001:24). The public should be more educated about politics and the policies of the parties they may or may not vote for because 'the more intense, informed and stable an opinion is, the more likely a person is to act on it' (Kavanagh, 1983:14). Nevertheless, the information provided in educating the public has to be interesting, something which 'engages public interest and stimulates debate, as opposed to apathy and alienation' (Heywood, 2007:255) and this would be much easier to do with the enforcement of compulsory voting rather than politicians ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 14.
  • 15. Compulsory Voting Vs. Mandatory Voting According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the definition of a vote is, "A formal indication of a choice between two or more candidates or courses of action, expressed typically through a ballot or a show of hands or by voice." When forced to make a choice, are you still making that choice? Compulsory voting, or mandatory voting, is a system in which electors are required to vote in elections or at least attend a polling place on Election Day. If a voter does not appear at a polling place, and is eligible to vote, he or she may have to contribute community service or fines. This voting system exists in about a quarter of all democracies in the world. The core goals of compulsory voting are to increase voter turnout and to have an election reflect the will of all citizens. However, it is improbable that this form of voting would truly change the government to be more inclusive of those non–voters than it is currently. Mandatory voting goes against American principals and American citizens that avoid casting their ballots intentionally. Compulsory voting would fail to solve any actual issues, and could cause even more to surface. Compulsory voting is principally undemocratic – freedom of choice must include the freedom not to choose. Forcing citizens to vote violates individual freedom, a key staple of American democracy. Voting must be left to the individual to choose to participate or not to participate because the right to vote or not is protected by the ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 16.
  • 17. Compulsory Voting For A Representative Democracy Voting compulsion can very simply be defined as the process of electoral participation being law binding. However, the process and fundamentals of compulsory voting are not as simple. Twomey, in her article Compulsory Voting In A Representative Democracy: Choice, Compulsion, And The Maximization Of Participation In Australian Elections describes compulsory voting to stand "... at the intersection between the principles of maximum participation of the people in elections and the expression of genuine choice." Within this essay, I critique compulsory voting to show that it is a contradiction to basic civil liberty, it will be straining in terms of cost to enforce, and that random voting is most likely to distort results and with it the validity of our governmental system. I show this through the analyzation of several scholarly works in contrast to the arguments of critics who ensure that compulsory voting is for the greater good of society. However, this essay will refute this point by addressing the downfalls to this system and how these downfalls cannot be overlooked simply because of turnout. While people or individuals who are part of a democratic system may have the responsibility to vote, compulsory voting isn 't necessarily justifiable under a democracy. This is not to say that only countries that are democratic practice voting compulsion–take Egypt and Singapore for example. However, the right to vote, a privilege within the western world, is also a primary counter ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 18.
  • 19. The Issue Of Compulsory Voting In 2001, Gareth Thomas, a Labour MP for Harrow West for the past 18 years introduced a Private Members' Bill for compulsory voting. However it did not progress beyond its first reading. Yet the question has not died out and whether the UK should follow the likes of Australia and Belgium still remains a hotly debated issue. The UK prides itself in being a leading force for democracy worldwide. It is thought to have become truly democratic in 1918 with the passing of the Representation of the Peoples Act whereby universal suffrage was cemented in statute law. In the election afterwards in 1922, participation soared to over 70%, and peaked in 1950 at 83.9%. Since then, the argument for compulsory voting has arisen partly due to turnout falling so dramatically to below 60% in 2001, and failing to improve significantly, lying at 61.4% in 2010. These statistics have been a major cause for prompting discussion about compulsory voting, as it is argued that the UK cannot be democratic without high turnout. With these falling turnout rates, I decided to visit 3 local constituencies and explore the reasons why people do not vote through conducting a questionnaire. With over 200 people undertaking this questionnaire, and 89 of these 207 saying they did not vote, my results held some authority. Around a third of those who claimed not to vote said they did not due to being disillusioned with the party system. However, the largest proportion at 54% of those questioned stated that ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 20.
  • 21. The Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting More than half of all citizens in the world are currently able to vote, however, many of them choose not to, leading to an increase of enforced mandatory voting in many countries. This essay will consider the role of compulsory voting and whether legally required voting reduces freedom. Compulsory voting is often supported due to the fact it considerably raises turnout, Birch 2009 found that mandatory attendance at the polls increased turnout by between 6 and 20 percent . Legally required voting is also considered to be an effective instrument to motivate citizens to express their voice in public life, thereby ensuring that their concerns will be heard, and potentially acted upon . However, opponents of compulsory voting argue that it violates freedom and reduces the legitimacy of the elected representatives . The first part of this essay will consider why compulsory voting was adopted, following this, I will consider the different types of freedom that may or may not be compromised with compulsory voting and how legally required voting could increase or decrease freedom. To understand why some critics believe that legally required voting reduces freedom, one must first look at the reasons why compulsory voting was adopted in the first place. One potential reason was suggested by Anthoula Malkopoulou who stated that the "rejection or adoption of compulsory voting is dependent on cultural context, political setting, and institutional environment ". Meaning that the countries ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 22.
  • 23. Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting In recent years, society has noticed increasingly minute numbers of voters. Regardless of what is causing people to stay home, it is a big issue. Voting is a right, every citizen is entitled to having a voice in the government. We can choose to vote or we can choose to abstain. This is not an issue, until voting numbers are so low it is hard to even call elections. To help fix this, countries have implemented a system called "Compulsory Voting", or more blatantly put as "Mandatory Voting". This system would require all citizens (capable) to vote. On paper, this seems like a good idea. However, it is a removal of right. To have a right is to have an option. We as citizens have the right to almost anything we want. The Constitution gives us options. You wouldn't say we have the right to pay taxes. We are required to pay taxes. Obligations are not considered rights. Making the right to vote mandatory would be removing one keyword. RIGHT. Like any good argument, there are always two sides. This one is not an exception. There are some benefits. For one, it would give everyone an equal voice. Of course, one person is only one vote; but when it comes to non–partisan voters, they have almost no voice compared to their partisan counterparts. Two party elections have been the primary setting for every election in the United States. It has always been one side versus another. The independents and third–parties have been lacking representation in almost every election. If voting was mandatory, the number of independent voters would skyrocket. The result of such high numbers would be the fairest election to date. If everyone voiced their opinions, instead of sidelining, we could achieve accurate numbers for our elections. Some people don't vote because they believe one vote is worth nothing. If people were required, the phrase "Strength in numbers" would really show its accuracy. If voting was required in the 2016 election, Bernie Sanders may have taken the presidency. Just because someone lost, doesn't mean they lost in numbers. It means they lost in voting numbers. I believe mandatory voting would be a good move for elections. However, I do not believe mandatory voting would be good for democracy and freedom. Like ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 24.
  • 25. Persuasive Essay On Compulsory Voting In a modernized society that highly values civil rights and equality, it is paramount for every citizen of a country to vote. Throughout history, people of minority and many others have fought for the notorious right to vote, and some even putting their lives on the line. Thus, a blessing of compulsory voting will not only give everybody an opportunity to voice how their country would like to be governed, but also presents a fair representation of what people want. One shouldn't discount compulsory voting to pose a havoc on civil rights, it grants everyone that right regardless of citizenship and class. Countries should adopt compulsory voting, as countries will govern better and citizens would be happier as their country would be controlled by how they like. Firstly, Compulsory voting not only collects a large sample of data, but also gives a fair and honest representation of ideals and values people want their country to abide by. For instance, in U.S. Presidential Elections, voter turnouts were always significantly lower than its total eligible voting adult population. Presented throughout history, this causes discrepancies and conflict amongst people. When more and more people vote, communities can get together and agree on ideals such as Same–Sex Marriage or raising the minimum wage, making a powerful, lively, and public movement to change lives. This has been apparent throughout the U.S. as Same–Sex Marriage has been granted in the U.S. through communities getting ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 26.
  • 27. Compulsory Voting Of Brazil : Compulsory The State Of The... Compulsory Voting In Brazil The compulsory nature of voting in Brazil is a controversial topic, well discussed by politicians, jurists, political scientists, and voters. This requirement has been in place in Brazil since 1932, and every citizen older than 18 and younger than 70 is obliged to vote every 2 years. However, voters that are between 16 and 18 and voters that are older than 70 have the option to vote or not. For the voters that are obliged to vote, their abstention from voting implies in serious penalties, including the inability to apply for any governmental job, to get any official documents, like IDs and passports, and financial fines. Even with those sanctions, there is still a high number of abstentions. This is explained by the extremely low level of interest of the population in political matters as well as political immaturity. Considering these facts, the obligation of voting in Brazil should be maintained, the country is not ready for a change. A significant portion of the population is not yet capable of electing their leaders for the sake of the collectivity. Actually, the population needs to be made fully aware that the vote is the greatest weapon that exists against indifference and collective apathy; until then it will be necessary to maintain voting compulsory in Brazil. When discussing voting, it is worth mentioning that the vote is a right, but also a social and political duty of the citizen to the community and as such needs to be enforced. ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 28.
  • 29. Should Compulsory Voting Be Mandatory Voting? The idea of compulsory voting has been discussed for almost every democratic nation in the world. It has been shown to work for some nations but, would compulsory voting benefit the United States? Many have posited that if all were forced to vote, many would vote at random or on a whim, randomizing our democratic process. This would undermine our political system and put into office whoever happens to be randomly selected. Many who push for compulsory voting say that it will even the playing field, forcing those underprivileged parties that did not vote before to vote. I see this as a movement in the wrong direction. The people that should be voting are those who have an opinion on the election, or want one of the candidates over the others, but that is not always who is voting. Many either can not because it is too hard, or do not because they believe it is too hard. The effort should be spent on making voting accessible to every American citizen. In the end compulsory voting is not the solution to the problem of low voter turnout, as it raises many more problems in itself. For many countries mandatory voting has worked well but that alone does not mean that it will work well for the United States. There are many factors that have to be considered first. All countries that have implemented compulsory voting are smaller than the United States and do not share all of our culture and values. Many Americans prize their sense of freedom and place it above all else. Mandatory ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 30.
  • 31. Compulsory Voting Australia The Australia arrangement of compulsory voting at federal election was implemented in 1924 and has demonstrated as being one of the most successful electoral arrangements in the world. (Ghazarian, 2012) Compulsory voting should be the finest decision for Australia citizens as it is a national engagement. The opponent is assertion that people who support our present arrangement claim that we need to encourage citizens to vote alternatively they may lose enthusiasm in the political procedure. (Beverge, 2012) On the other hand, voting is a part of democracy structure in Australia and it is significance as well as a part of citizens' commitment similar to taxes payment, jury duty and military service. Many people claim that we are not constrained ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 32.
  • 33. Essay about Compulsory Voting Industrial Countries all over the world have seen a steady decline in voter participation; Great Britain is a great example of this. The country has witness turnout in elections falling slowly as time pass. However, the election of 2001 dropped the country from their average of 76% voter turnout to just a 59.4% turnout. Comparatively, Australia, a former colony of Britain, has enjoyed high and steady voter participation since 1924 because of the implementation of compulsory voting. This system has proven to be not only effective in bring voters to the polls, but also effective in improving Australia's democracy. By evaluating these two countries with similar political structure; one can see the difference in compulsory voting turnouts ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... However, it is not constitutionally recognized as a legal entity, therefore, giving its decisions no legal force. The main parties of Australia are: the Labour Party, Liberal Party, National Party, and the Australian Democrats; these parties are voted in through a preferential system of voting ("Australia's Political Structure," 2011). All citizens over the age of 18 are required to vote for these parties because of compulsory voting (adopted in 1924). Australia followed many other democracies on there decision to implement compulsory voting during the 1920s. However, the country unusually added mandatory voting without other previsions (Birch, 2009). Australia was able to do so because of several strong factors supporting the measure. The left (the Labour Party) had already used a form of social compulsion through trade unions getting their supporters to the polls. Bring in compulsory voting would rectify this imbalance between the left and the right votes (Birch, 2009). Furthermore, voters would no longer be in a position to demand transportation to the polls producing lower party cost. Several other factors include: raising turnout, greatening the legitimacy of government, enhancing the public education on politics, and the fact that voting is considered a duty–not only a right (Birch, 2009). Since the adoption the system has widely been supported. At the highest point of support peaked at 73% in favor of compulsory voting ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 34.
  • 35. Arguments Against Compulsory Voting In national elections, only a fraction of eligible voters cast their ballots. The turnout for local elections is much smaller. Australia deems it ethically correct to force all adults to vote. Australia making voting compulsory for all adults is highly problematic for a myriad of facets. Much of our population is filled with uneducated people who believe everything they read on the internet, forcing the entire eligible population is also highly unethical for it ruins our freedom of speech and humanity. Altogether, compulsory voting is unnecessary, unattainable, and a majority could easily be attained with the normal election turnout. Today in society, people twist the truth and create internet memes about candidates, leaving our population ignorant and brainwashed. Many people are extremely uneducated, and forcing them to vote will wreak havoc on our ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Even with a small amount, a majority vote is easily attainable. Every adult voting would be unnecessary for it takes a long time to count up each vote in the United States. For example, not all of America's population participated in the 2008 election with John McCain and Barrack Obama. President Obama still defeat McCain in a landslide with 365 electoral votes verses 173. This demonstrates how a candidate can easily be picked with out needing all of America to lazily cast in their forced votes. Forcing all of the United States is also virtually impossible. President Obama could try and force us all to vote, but forcing a whole country to vote is not as easy as it sounds. For Instance, president Obama is trying to force everybody to purchase his "affordable" health care. He is truly trying to force everybody, but many still refuse. Although president Obama penalizes them, he still wont phase people who do not even pay their ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 36.
  • 37. Compulsory Voting Cons Have you ever wondered when a person could be considered an adult? If so, that day arrives when they become 18 years old. Kids become adults at the age of 18. Many responsibilities and privileges are given to people of this age, such as the ability to enroll into the military, to vote, receive their driver's license, and to buy cigarettes. In the United States military system, you may enlist into any branch at the age of 18 years old without parental consent. The Twenty–Sixth Amendment states " the right of citizens of the United States who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on the account of age." In the state of Massachusetts, you can receive your license at the age ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Most smokers receive their cigarettes from 18–year–olds because they purchase it for them. 18– year–olds are still too young to be smoking because they've just become an adult. More than 3,200 people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette, which then they become daily smokers. 5.6 billion children alive today will die prematurely from smoking. Each day 6,000 children under the age of 18 start smoking. The way those children receive their cigarettes is from older people like 18–year–olds, they can't buy cigarettes because their too young. 18 should stay the age to be able to start smoking. Regardless of the age people still do smoke even if they're not 18. In conclusion, becoming 18 is your first step down the road to legal adulthood. That step takes you into a vast new world of rights and responsibilities. When you become 18 you gain plenty of freedom, but that freedom can be easily taken away because there will always be consequences. When you become 18 make wise decisions. Join the military to protect our country, don't text or talk while driving in order to decrease the crashes of 18–year–olds, prevent smoking of people that are younger than you, and most importantly vote to make so we can make the nation a better ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 38.
  • 39. Arguments Against Compulsory Voting Compulsory voting is a system where citizens are required to register to vote and attend a polling place on election day (Rosenburg, Matt). Compulsory voting is not the most virtuous solution to the problem of low voter turnout and political disengagement due to its disregard of the peoples' rights as well as citizens' opinions and the quality of the their votes. As Theodore Roosevelt once said "A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user" (Roosevelt, Theodore). Without a doubt, compulsory voting is an infringement of liberty as stated in the U.S. Constitution. Voting is not an imperative obligation and forcing it would contravene the first five basic freedoms of U.S. citizens guaranteed by the First Amendment. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Text 2 Lines 27–30 explains the idea of random voting, "Voters who are voting against their free will may check off a candidate at random, particularly the top candidate on the ballot paper. The voter does not care whom they vote for as long as the government is satisfied that they have fulfilled their civic duty". Forcing a population to vote has been proved to result in blank and invalid votes (text 2, lines 25–26), which happens to contradict the purpose of the compulsory voting. If the motive for the mandatory voting is to produce an accurate representation of the country's political opinion then the invalid and blank votes prove that it is an inadequate way to go about tackling the problem of political ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 40.
  • 41. Compulsory Voting Dbq The debate over compulsory vs. non–compulsory voting is a complex subject matter to say the least, that has sparked much controversy in recent times with almost all strongly in favor of one side of the argument and or the other. This highly polarized debate has sparked in popularity in recent times because of a quote by former president Barak Obama in which he said that "It would be transformative if everybody voted". It is believed that if everyone voted that could and was eligible then the domination of hard core partisans within the political system would be in part quelled as the candidates went where the votes are, which would be away from the extremes. Moreover some studies show that mandatory voting decreases the rates of uninformed voters within an area as voting becomes more of a civic duty than right. While the institution of compulsory voting would have a short term effect of increasing the rate of uninformed voters, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Much like a draft persuades those involved in it to learn about what they are fighting for compulsory voting would lead to many people becoming more passionate about the subjects that they are voting on and as such learn about these topics. If the state compels their citizens to vote then a lot of the burden shifts from the individual that plans to vote moreso to the state. This would lead to the area having to introduce new and quicker ways to vote such as one day voter registration, moving voting locations, and locations to vote in everyday locations. Mandatory voting would also allow or at least comple lower income, younger, and non–white voters to take part in the system whose voices would usually not be heard as much as the general populace. A better informed and more diverse electorate are more prone to participate in the political ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 42.
  • 43. Mandatory Vs Compulsory Voting Creating a new law that requires Americans to vote in national elections, will not be effective. Instead, as text 2 states in lines 27–30, it will result in random votes. Votes that had candidates checked off at random, so, as it is said, "the government is satisfied that they have fulfilled their civic duty." Therefore, compulsory voting has more negative results than positive. According to text 2 lines 1–2, "All democratic governments consider participating in national elections a right of citizenship and a citizen's civic responsibility." However, voting is not an essential obligation to the people. It is always said that "America is a free country". But would you be taking away people's rights by forcing them to vote? According to text ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 44.
  • 45. The Australian And Compulsory Voting Essay Voting in many countries is held in different ways. In The United States of America, voting is voluntary while the Australian citizen has to vote, it is compulsory. When an Australian citizen does not vote they receive a fine. Compulsory voting has now become a large political issue for many countries. Great Britain has seen a dramatic decline in the number of people voting in the last 15 years (Singh, 2014) and compulsory voting has become a large political and social debate. However, as with any political change, there are strengths and weaknesses. The Australian system is an excellent one to analyse as the question has to be asked when introducing compulsory voting what are the long term democratic, economic and social issues? Four key points can be outlined to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the Australian compulsory voting system. The first, compulsory voting provides a clear and accurate representation of an entire electorate. Additionally, this system may influence an increase in support for the leftist policy in a current democratic institution. Another key issue to consider is, does an active and informed citizen have a moral duty and obligation to vote to protect and further society? Key constitutional changes brought about by referendums can prove that compulsory voting is essential and needed in society for every vote to count. Lastly, compulsory voting when being a secret ballot can turn into a more compulsory "turn up" for many citizens as they can ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 46.
  • 47. Compulsory Voting For A Representative Democracy Voting compulsion can very simply be defined as the process of electoral participation being law binding. However, the process and fundamentals of compulsory voting are not as simple. Twomey, in her article Compulsory Voting In A Representative Democracy: Choice, Compulsion, And The Maximization Of Participation In Australian Elections describes compulsory voting to stand "... at the intersection between the principles of maximum participation of the people in elections and the expression of genuine choice." Within this essay, I critique compulsory voting to show that it is a contradiction to basic civil liberty, it will be straining in terms of cost to enforce, and that random voting is most likely to distort results and with it the validity of our governmental system. I show this through the analyzation of several scholarly works in contrast to the arguments of critics who ensure that compulsory voting is for the greater good of society. However, this essay will refute this point by addressing the downfalls to this system and how these downfalls cannot be overlooked simply because of turnout. While people or individuals who are part of a democratic system may have the responsibility to vote, compulsory voting isn 't necessarily justifiable under a democracy. This is not to say that only countries that are democratic practice voting compulsion–take Egypt and Singapore for example. However, the right to vote, a privilege within the western world, is also a primary counter ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 48.
  • 49. Implementing Compulsory Voting in Canada Essay example A compulsory voting system similar to the one used in Australia is not a system Canada should implement. Compulsory voting in the context of a democratic society can be a misleading term (Lever, 2010). Canada practices the secret ballot process in voting, and so it is impossible to verify if someone has cast a legally valid ballot. If countries have a singular goal of simply increasing voter turnout, compulsory voting could remedy this problem and it should be more accurately defined as being compulsory voter turnout (Lever, 2010). The belief that compulsory voting inherently improves democracy is misleading (Lever, 2010). Canada should not force its citizen's to vote because other then increasing voter turnout, compulsory voting would ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Implementing a similar system in Canada would be difficult and problematic because Canadian citizens have become accustom to a system of individualized rights and freedoms. The Right to Not Vote: Abstaining from alienation occurs when "a voter's utility for [their] favorite candidate fails to exceed a certain positive threshold" (Blomberg, 1995. Pg.1023). An alienated voter is someone who with distinct purpose of mind avoids voting for the purpose of showing discontent often for unqualified candidates (Blomberg, 1995). Implementing compulsory voting would force these already alienated voters to vote regardless if they disagree with all the candidates involved and those candidates platforms or beliefs. High rates of non–voting citizens exercising their right to not vote may also "lure highly qualified individuals to run for public office" (Blomberg, 1995. Pg.1024–25). A return of qualified individuals would increase the alienated voter turnout, which would supersede the need for a compulsory vote. Some in favor of compulsory voting suggest that if people are dissatisfied with the candidate options that they can provide a write–in vote, meaning they put the name of someone they wish to vote for on the ballot themselves. However, the problem with a write–in vote is that you are not included in the percentage of nonvoters (Bloomberg, 1995). The percentage of nonvoters can be important data because it can be an indication to the political community, and may ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 50.
  • 51. Pros And Cons Of Compulsory Voting INTRODUCTION This research essay argues that compulsory voting does not violate international law of human rights (ILHR). In arguing so, we explore the perspectives of different commentators regarding the pros and cons of compulsory voting, and interpret how the relevant ILHR documents address the issue of compulsory voting. Compulsory voting is a process in which eligible electors must cast their vote at an election with various ways which include postal voting, absent voting, voting through mobile polling team, and voting at a polling place. Although compulsory voting literally forces people to vote, it offers flexible options for people to choose how they vote. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly by 48 votes in favour ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... With the public participation in elections is diminishing among developed countries, the elected governments of those countries become less representative of the entire population. The UDHR asserts that the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government. If the government is elected by the minority of the population, the elected government does not truly reflect the will of the entire population within that country, and impliedly lacks the authority to rule the country. To remedy this problem, the implementation of compulsory voting dramatically and effectively raised the public participation in elections, and thus supported the legitimacy of the newly elected government to rule stably. It is possible to argue that compulsory voting ultimately leads to a more stable society because every citizen has been given an opportunity to choose their government and there will be no excuse for people to overturn their government that is reflecting the public will. This demonstrates that compulsory voting is consistent with the notion of preserving public order and safety manifested in the UDHR and the ICCPR. Moreover, Lever illustrated how the most marginal members of society are further marginalised without compulsory voting. She explained that people who do least well in our ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 52.
  • 53. The Importance Of Compulsory Voting The current day politicians are worried about the number of the voters turn out for the federal elections. With 2008 being the lowest in the past 30 years this probably causing debates about having compulsory voting in canada to increase voter turnout. As the results show from countries that enforce compulsory voting that it dramatically increase voter turnout. Is the increased voter turnout worth the price of the loss of the right of liberty? Why should the government implement a law to increase voter turn out that could easily be increased without mandatory voter turnout, and it will cause an unequal representation of voters, and a loss of rights and freedoms. If the canadian government want more people to vote they should view their own results why people don't vote. According to stats canada the second main reason why people don't vote is because they are too busy to vote. Why should the government force on the people the job of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... According to Compulsory Voting Can Increase Political Inequality:Evidence From Brazil by Gabriel Cepaluni from São Paulo State University and F. Daniel Hidalgo from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with compulsory voting the voter turnout from lower education to higher education made the higher education turnout rate increased more than the lower education turnout rate making the representation unequal between the lower class then the higher education. This is probably to the fact that the lower education people tend to have lower income job and use less of the rights so when they don't vote they don't feel the effect that much making only the upper and middle class feel the consequence of not voting therefore they do not feel motivated to vote. The government want equal representation that is why they what to have mandatory voting but in truth that will make the representation more unequal than ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 54.
  • 55. Compulsory: Should Voting Be Mandatory? Introduction: If you think back to history class and those countless lessons on the formation of the United States, then you will remember how hard the people fought to be free and to not be ruled by the government rather to hold the power of it. Now the United States is not the only example of wars being fought to gain freedom from the people who rule them. If voting was mandatory, it would violate the rights and freedoms that people fought to earn. Therefore be it resolved that in a democracy voting should not be compulsory. The key terms for my case are: Compulsory– means mandatory Democracy– a political system in which supreme power lies in a body of citizens who choose to elect people to represent them. Value: My value for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... If choosing who they want means that they don't want to vote at all then they shouldn't be forced to vote. It is one of our responsibilities but just because it is our responsibility does not make it mandatory. Each individual makes up the society as a whole, if the individual's freedoms are violated then the society won't be able to function. The people won't agree so the government doesn't continue in the best manor. According to The Debate Handbook, "political forms, and institutions, legal systems, legislative enactments, all the charters and codes and statutes in christendom, are valid and stable only as they tend to assure freedom and justice to individuals." This means the whole foundation that the country and government was built on relies on the people to be free and happy but if the laws start to violate their rights than the people won't be happy and the government won't be able to continue as a ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 56.
  • 57. Influence of Compulsory Voting The Idea of Compulsory Voting After Australia, Singapore, and Switzerland implemented compulsory voting and the turnout of voters grew, other democratic countries began wondering if the idea should be implemented globally. Research began on how this implementation affected countries with compulsory voting in place and how it would affect other countries such as Canada (Twomey, 2013). The idea that Canada, or another similarly democratic country, should pass a policy of compulsory voting would be against the very foundation of freedom that defines a democratic state. It brings to mind three questions with it, is voting a right or duty, does it change the level of intelligent political participation, and does the compulsion goes against all ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... However this fine was not a push in direction of political participation, it was a reason to not be political as being politically participating cost money and no one wants to spend money on the government. Intelligent Political Participation For compulsory voting to make way for more intelligent political participation is a contradiction of itself. In compulsory voting the politician running for office do not need to put in the same effort as they would otherwise (Barry, 2013). These politicians will have to fight for every vote and will have to "argue their cases with more conviction" (Barry, 2013) if compulsory voting was not in place. But knowing what the individual politician platform declare are only half the battle. In Australia, a survey found that "only 40 per cent could name the two federal houses of parliament" (Barry, 2013). The problem with this complete lack of knowledge is that the ignorant voters whom are forced to vote do so picking either a random politician or one who a friend or family member has mentioned (Jenson & Spoon, 2011, p. 702). Voting for a random politician or the one at the top of the list should not be the reason people vote for someone. This type of voting does not take any kind of intelligent thought. People are not voting because they believe in what the politician is trying to accomplish they are voting simply because they will be fined if they neglect to vote. Those who endorse compulsory voting saying that it ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 58.
  • 59. Australia Compulsory Voting System For the last few years of democratic history in Australia there has been much debate. One main focus of political debate has been the voting system Australia currently uses. The majority of the country like the way we currently vote by using a however there is one major difference that sets us aside from most democracy's. This is compulsory voting. The majority of major democracies around the world (United States of America and England) do not enforce their citizens to vote. Although a democratic result will be achieved regardless of the voting system, people still argue that certain ways are un democratic and un affective. So of course there are strengths and weaknesses of each system. To help gain a better knowledge of the strengths and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... The biggest 'western' country that enforces compulsory voting is Australia. The major strength of this particular voting method is of course the numbers. As mentioned earlier 92% of Australia's voting population came and voted compared to Americas 41%. This obviously makes the result more fair and democratic as it shows what the majority of the population want. On numerous occasions in recent history there have been numerous attempts to accept voluntary voting and ditch compulsory, however every time the idea was ditched, mainly due to how successful it was working but also because of the popularity and the social backing behind it. Another strength for compulsory voting is that it educates people on politics and the policies each party applies. This comes in the sense that citizens, knowing they have to vote, will do research on each party gaining a better understanding. For the people who are very uneducated on politics the possible idea of research can help them select the major or minor party they want to back. A weakness of compulsory voting goes against the previous 'strength' this is that people who are uneducated in politics may just select a random party that they know nothing about only so they don't get fined. This could be a party that the majority of the country's population dislike, for Australia's example Pauline Hanson's one nation party. If every politically uneducated person in Australia was to do this it could pose an issue to the people who actually know what they are doing and their votes. Some people believe that compulsory voting is wrong as it forces the citizens to do something they don't want to do, which many people believe is ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 60.
  • 61. Compulsory Voting Research Paper We become citizens at birth, yet we often do not live up to the responsibilities of our birthright. By birth, we are responsible for the safety of our nation. We are also responsible for the environment, the standard of education, and the productivity. Nevertheless, few people stand up for these important matters and even fewer put forth the effort in order to make a change. Once a child is born it is up to the infant's parents to instill the beliefs and qualities of a good citizen. The child should be raised with the belief that your life is what you make it, not that you are a victim who deserves to fight for pension to their misfortunes. Too often are people prone to cry out "Victim!" instead of putting in hard work, blood, and sweat ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... It is the man who works three jobs and still finds time to donate to the coastal cleanup project, or the mother who teaches her children how to help strangers that change the world for the better. People who do what they can with what they have to help others are the best citizens in this great nation. In this election year, many people are coming out to fulfill one asset of their citizenship. Voting is one of the best paths in order to ensure your nation's safety, prosperity, and the future of your family. Many candidates use slogans such as "Make America Great Again" that appeal to the working class more then those who chose to not work for their living. The workingman and woman are the one's who achieve greatness for the country. A responsible citizen looks toward the future instead on the here and now. Global warming is an intense issue facing the millennial generation. As we look toward the next century, we see deforestation, the possibility of extinction of the polar bear, and the disappearance of the bee. All of which are devastating news. A responsible citizen puts forth endeavors to prevent the melting ice caps and polluted beaches. It is the duty of all citizens to keep our nation clean and to protect the animals who cannot protect themselves. In the past twenty years America has seen oil spills, air pollution by factories, and even terrorist attacks, which has led to our environment being ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 62.
  • 63. Voting Should Be Compulsory Every citizen in America has the right to vote, yet so many decide not to. With the turnout at just 57.5 percent for the 2012 presidential election, voter turnout rates are steadily decreasing with every next big election. There are many reasons why people may not vote: a lack of understanding politics, busy schedules, or pure laziness. Regardless, the men and women who fought so hard to get equal voting right for everyone, it is only fair to make it an obligation for every United State citizen to turn out on election day and vote. Subsequently, I believe that voting should be compulsory because one vote could make or break a nation. To begin with, choosing not to vote when given the right ti is considered to be disrespectful to an abundance of people in the past who sacrificed their time and effort for the right to vote. A classical example of a motivational suffragette is Susan B. Anthony. She was arrested and sent to trial in Rochester, New York, along with fifteen other women for illegally voting. Being the posterity of that time, it is the utmost right to show appreciation for the leader(s) who allowed women's voices to be heard during elections. Ultimately, if these selected women did not stand up and battle for women's voting right, women today would probably still be portrayed as weak and insignificant, yet alone to obtain the right to vote. Moreover, it is not fair to many unprivileged or oppressed people all over the world who would give anything for the right to ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 64.
  • 65. Compulsory Voting And Its Effect On Society Compulsory voting's effects can be argued to increase or decrease democracy. Compulsory, or mandatory voting is in effect in about 30 democracies around the world. However of these 30 that have compulsory voting in their laws, the policies vary from country to country. For an example, some countries only instate compulsory voting for certain elected positions. France, for example, strictly uses compulsory voting for their Senatorial elections (Hamid, 2010). As the number of active voters decreases there are limited options as to how to increase voter turnout, compulsory voting could be one of the few actions that may work without decreasing democracy. Compulsory voting defined as forcing citizens of a state to go to the polls during an election and vote on Election Day (Rosenberg, 2015). This rule is enforced by giving fines, community service, or difficulty getting a job within the public sector to those who do not participate. Compulsory voting is in place in many modern countries such as Australia, Belgium and Argentina to name a few. Compulsory voting's punishment varies depending on the state it is acting in. For example, in Australia you are exempt from voting if you have an explanation with a legitimate reason (Idea, 2015). If you do not have a legitimate excuse you may face a fine of $20.00. If you do not wish to pay this fine you may do an allotted set of hours of community service or another duty set out by the government in power (Australian Government 2013). ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 66.
  • 67. Should Voting Be Made Compulsory in Britain? Politics & Economics Should voting be made compulsory in Britain? Britain currently employs a voluntary voting system, whereby it is entirely up to the individual to choose whether to vote or not. 32 countries across the world, such as; Australia, Switzerland and Belgium, employ a compulsory voting system, were the citizens of their countries must register their vote in elections. This paper is going to look into the positive, negative, opportunity and threat aspects of whether voting should be made compulsory in Britain. One of the main arguments for Britain adopting a compulsory voting system is to facilitate higher rates of electoral participation after poor turnouts in the last two general elections, were only 59.4% and 61.4% of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... From this perspective it is therefore not an infringement on the democratic rights of the public to have compulsory voting, merely an adaptation of the legislation that currently exists. There is a school of thought that those who are distanced and disillusioned by the political process, could be reconnected and engaged in a democratic government if compulsory voting were to be implemented. The silent majority would be forced to consider and at least find out about what they are voting for if they had to vote. This would be achieved by the main parties, who currently disregard the people who don't vote in certain demographics, being forced to concentrate efforts on them as well as on the ‘core vote' i.e. those who regularly vote and pay credence to the voting system. The effect of politicians going out actively pursuing votes in famously low turnout areas would help to ignite interest in politics, to what was once a forgotten constituency. Also once the public are voting and more aware of the political process, it can increase more political activity in other areas. This would also serve to address the decline of the proportion of voters strongly identifying with either Labour or Conservative parties, which has fallen from 38% in 1964 to below 20% by 1997. There is also a fear that the younger generation are under–represented. Statistics show in the 2005 election ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 68.
  • 69. Compulsory Voting Should Not Be Legal In America From a purely principled position on freedom and what a right is, voting should not be voluntary. Something is a right when you have the free ability to choose to do it and not choose to do it; for instance, freedom of speech is a right because you can say whatever you want to say and also say nothing at all. If you are obligated to do something by jail time and fines, and even neither of those things, then it is not a right but an obligation; you do not have the right to pay taxes because you cannot choose not to pay taxes. Therefore, from an argument of rights and principles, compulsory voting should not be legal in America. However, there are many benefits to the idea of compulsory voting and even a potential counteraction towards the argument ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 70.
  • 71. Compulsory Voting DBQ In recent years, due to non compulsory voting, our national affairs and international affairs have been affected. America should have compulsory voting because of increased voter turnout rates, the questionability of the legitimacy of our government and the education of politics for the people. The voter turnout rates can lead to a multitude of things like education and more accurate votes to the simple feel of completing a civic duty. The endgame of voter turnouts is the education of voters involved (Document F) as well as the accuracy of the vote being unquestionable (Document E). This increased voter turnout can lead to the connection of people through gathering, regardless of age (Document B). "...Civic virtue; it's sentimentality,"(Document G). The previous quote shows that civic virtue can go a long way from not only yourself emotionally, but others too. Higher voter turnout rates cannot only improve a multitude of things in our country, but also can give our nation a legitimate name. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... is having the matching legit internal affairs. The voter turnout of our government "has led some people to worry about the legitimacy of our government," (Background Essay). Voter turnout rates can help with legitimacy, and it would make it ten times more legitimate if we had 100% turnout rates (Document D). Voting brings people together through knowledge and common ground of their patriotism, whether it's age or education, if all were required to vote there would be a little less prejudice in the world, making us more legitimate (Document B). The legitimacy and voter turnout rates can bring people together, and compulsory voting can educate people to also bring them ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 72.
  • 73. Compulsory Voting Outline Argumentation Outline APA Form (Proposition of Policy) Issue: The issue is whether or not Compulsory voting should be put into place in the USA Thesis: Compulsory voting should not be made law in the USA. Introduction At a City Hall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio when asked about the topic of mandatory voting laws (Jackson 2015), President Obama stated, "If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country." (Stephanopoulos 2015 p5) (Evidence: Testimony) He is right, if everyone voted the political map in the country would be completely different–––and not for the better. Compulsory voting can potentially cause the nation 's true political viewpoints to be misrepresented, thus hindering political progression, by making voters feel obligated to choose candidates that may not represent their ideas and forcing the politically disengaged to select random ballots. Invalid votes would skew political data thus causing a misrepresentation in nationwide political ideas. People still do not vote even in countries where Compulsory voting is law J.J Strossmayer who holds a P.H.D in law research found that empty and invalid ballot papers (defined as blank or spoiled votes) are one of the biggest problems of the countries that have a compulsory voting. During Brazil's 1990 elections voter turnout was 76.57%, but 40% of the votes were deemed invalid. (Mackerras & Mcallister 1999) (Evidence: Statistics) In Ecuador's 2006 elections 40% votes were ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 74.
  • 75. Compulsory Voting in America: Against Our Civil Rights Allen EGL 101–018/035 Fall 2010 Compulsory Voting in America: Against Our Civil Rights The United States of America is supposed to be a land of freedom where one can exercise the right to have various liberties that are not found in many other countries around the world. Among these liberties is the right to vote in a democratic government. Voting is a privilege in the United States that should not be taken for granted; many countries do not have the luxury of choosing who they want to represent them in government. Or if they do, they have in place a system that is called compulsory voting. Compulsory voting is a system in which voters are obligated to come to their designated polling place on Election Day to place a vote. If ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... In Peru, if one does not have a stamped voting card to prove he or she has voted, that person is not able to receive specific services or products from many public offices. In Belgium, if one does not vote, the chances of getting hired at a job are slim to none. In Greece, prison is an option, as well as trouble obtaining a new driver's license or passport. In other words, if a person does not have a legitimate reason why he or she did not vote, such as extreme illness or absence from the country, along with concrete evidence to prove the reason, he or she will somehow be "punished." Voting is a right and a privilege, not an obligation. There are better ways to encourage higher voter turnout without making voting mandatory. Compulsory voting is not an efficient way to respond to the problem of voter disengagement. The government should look at the reason behind the lack of voting enthusiasm rather than try to mask the problem by making voting mandatory. There are many reasons why people choose not to vote; for example, they could be unsupportive of all of the electoral candidates, they could have no interest whatsoever in politics, or even simply be unable to get to their polling place because of other obligations. In the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses, people of this faith choose not to vote because of their faith. By making voting mandatory, this would take away not only our freedom of choosing to vote, but in a sense our freedom to practice ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...
  • 76.
  • 77. Pros And Cons Of A Compulsory Voting System A compulsory voting system within the United States threatens America's founding ideals and ultimately causes more negatives than positives. Preventing the United States from creating a compulsory voting system eliminates the demand for an unnecessary disciplinary system, guarantees the reliability of the majority vote, and ensures that America continues to live up to its promise of Liberty. Consequently, creating a new law comes with the responsibility for the government to construct a new disciplinary system to protect the law and to make certain the law is obliged by. In this case, someone that fails to vote would be unreasonably disciplined. Creating a disciplinary system would cause an added stress on those who must enforce this law. This ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ... Most people that do not vote today are those who do not take the time to fully evaluate the candidates to make a well thought out vote. Creating this system will not make these people try harder to choose the best candidate, but instead make a "donkey vote" or a vote that is random without background knowledge. Preventing a compulsory voting system will also prevent a major decision from being decided by many voters that randomly selected a candidate. Compulsory voting lessens the value of the votes of people who choose the candidate that accurately stands for their views. If individuals have no background knowledge of the candidates, their votes carry no meaning toward a true majority decision. Fundamentally making it possible for a politician to become the president of the United States based on a vote made by an unmethodical whim. Votes should only made by those who strongly believe in the people they vote for, not by individuals who vote because it is a legal issue. By preventing a compulsory voting system, the United States would be able to ensure the United States of America makes the right decisions based upon a true ... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...