Should voting be mandatory?

President Obama has stated that voting should be made mandatory. While I can understand his views, this is something that I disagree with.

First of all, I believe that voting is a right. Having rights also gives you the right to choose whether or not to use them. Like the Miranda Warning, we have the right to remain silent and we have the right to choose to waive the right to remain silent.

Secondly, while we do have some informed voters, we also have some uninformed voters. Do we really want more of those people to vote? What if those people outnumber the amount of informed voters we have?

It shouldn't be mandatory, but increasing voter turnout is incredibly important. Instead of trying to get everybody to vote, let's put our efforts into making sure everybody is registered to vote as well. Not being registered is an obstacle preventing one to vote. Move Election Day to Saturday since that's when more people aren't at work. Lastly, make everybody vote by mail at the convenience of their own home.

What do you guys think about this? I'm sure some Australian EC users may have some great opinions about this.

 

Politics is a double-edged sword, and don't believe in voting because I'm one of those people who believe that all politicians are liars who only give false hopes they never act on.

So no, voting shouldn't be mandatory if you don't agree with the system.

 

No

 

No

 

I don't think so. If it's a choice between Ted Cruz and Hilary Clinton, it's a question of which foot I shoot myself in. Mr. Anti Net Neutrality and Big Business vs Miss Suspicious Backstory and Focused on the Wrong Issues.

 

No, but people who don't own property should not get to vote on anything that's going to raise my property taxes.

Yay, I know.... too deep for EC.

 

The nuance of the poll is definitely making it difficult to choose. :rolle:

I think there are advantages to having more people participate in the democratic process, but it'd be difficult to enforce in the US because apathetic voters.

 

I agree with you on all but understanding his views. I don't. How can you force people to vote? What if people elect a president who helps them overturn that particular law, or on the local level, vote for State representatives who nullify it? Because if this were put into effect, you know I'd do my civic duty to vote out whomever thought of this authoritarian train wreck of a law.

The best government is that which governs least. Neither major party holds this opinion. On a more practical and base view of politics, it's pretty apparent that elections are mostly a sham anyway; who's to say that mandatory voting would do anything at all besides punish people who are squeezed too hard as it is?

^^Daydreamer, I think I'm with you. Oddly enough I don't think all politicians are inherently monsters. But because of the nature of the field, they find the only way to succeed is to become one.

 

I understand his views on the matter because the voter turnout for the 2014 election was incredibly dismal. I do believe that a true democracy is at least 50% of the U.S votes.

 

Well yeah, voter apathy is a huge problem that threatens to undermine the whole system. But a ham-fisted thought of forcing people to do it is definitely not the solution.

 

No, the idea is well meaning, but no.

 

It's harder to curb any particular group's franchise when everyone must vote. That's at least one thing that compulsory voting has going for it.

---------- Post added 28th Mar 2015 at 04:27 PM ----------

Given that having representative democracies means that you don't really get to choose to limit certain voters' influence on particular issues under most circumstances, it's either ill thought and impracticable or you're proposing cutting the franchise of the poor. To allow only property owners to decide on tax policies to the exclusion of others is positively mediaeval, no matter how you couch it.

That isn't an especially profound idea.

 

At first I voted no because I don't think we should force people to do things but then again it might help this country out in a number of ways. Also mandatory voting doesn't mean you are forced to vote for anyone, you can still turn in a blank ballot.

Although there is a simpler approach to improving voting in the US

1 reinstate the voting rights act, or even better amend the constitution to include it

2 make Election Day a national holiday

3 Pass John Tanner's Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act

 

I like this one in particular. The simple fact that a lot of people have to work probably cripples tons of would-be voters. And why shouldn't it be a holiday? Voting is the single most profound act a person can do in a free society. In all of America's bluster about liberty, we could at least act like we believe it.

 

Forgot one and its too late to edit that post

4. Have more states pass the national popular vote interstate compact

 

No...If they both suck, I shouldn't be forced to vote for one, or the other...

 

I don't think it should be mandatory, but it'd be helpful if there was some kind of social reputation for voters that made them seem superior to non-voters. Then more people would be inclined to educate themselves, observe everyday happenings in the government, and vote for who they thought should be President. Because even though making voting mandatory is a dangerous decision, it is a very important contribution to our country and declining it is doing a disservice to the country as a whole, in my opinion.

 

No, people should have the right to not vote. My parents for example stay away from politics.

 

No. Because there are always going to be people who don't care. People who don't follow. People who don't agree with the government. If you're forcing those people to vote, then they are going to throw a careless vote in and could tip the scales when there are many people who are actually trying to make a difference in the voting. There shouldn't a stigma. Some people simply aren't interested in politics. It's a right, not something that is forced. Rights are something you can choose to indulge, and that is how it should be.

 

Nope. A lot of people don't care. You're just going to waste taxpayer money sending out ballots to people who will vote randomly.