Mandatory Voting Required

Voting Should Not be Required by United States Citizens The luxury of democracy is that the people have a voice. No longer must a population answer to a single person or group but to the will of the people. Our forefathers knew the importance of voting and gave their lives for the cause. In contrast, today this privilege is often taken advantage of. “In off-year elections, turnout dips to 40 percent or less” (Stephanopoulos). The number of people who vote, directly impacts what policies are passed and which are not. The measurement of this phenomenon is called voter turnout. “Scientists typically define turnout as votes cast divided by the number of eligible voters” (DeSilver). Voter turnout is a growing problem in the United States. There

Many people for mandatory voting often use Australia as an example. “Voting became compulsory in Australia in 1924, [it has] been a marginal issue. The existence of the mandate has made voting a meaningful shared national experience” (Liu). The results of elections have always been a topic of question: how many members of minority groups made it to the polls, did women and men have equal representation, how does the absence or presence of certain people impact the outcome of elections, are just a few. However, with this voting policy, these questions are irrelevant. If everyone is voting, then we know the results are a representation of the population as a whole, and not of the only the small number of people who showed up to work. This allows democracy to function as it was intended and to “Protect the integrity of our elections” (Liu). Also, compulsory voting helps to give more representation to the moderate party affiliations. As as William Galston of the Brookings Institution states that ,” it would temper the polarization of our politics” (Liu). Today, the United States has two strongly supported parties; the Democratic party and the Republican party. The idea behind this is that if everyone is required to vote, then politicians would also cater to more moderate groups as well as both political parties. Finally, mandatory voting would increase the preparation of voters, and their ability to make an educated choice. “Voting is not merely a right, but as a civic obligation” (Aly). If people have to vote anyway, the policy would “motivate more voters to learn what they were voting on” (Liu). Educated voters make the best decision , and if even a few more people were familiar with the things they were voting on, the end result would in all be a better choice based on the