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Why is voting importance (if you don't think it is, make an argument)?
The importance of voting
Why is voting importance (if you don't think it is, make an argument)?
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A strong example often used against compulsory voting is the lifeboat theory. The theory states that there are 11 people on a lifeboat with no navigator, map, or compass, and their supplies will only last long enough for one attempt at a journey to safety. Every person in the boat develops a guess as to the direction to land and safety, but no one is entirely sure if any of their theories will work. The situation is so dire that the occupants of the lifeboat decide that everyone should be able to vote on the suggested paths. However, only one person decides to cast a vote because they are the only one that feels certain of one specific theory. The rest of the occupants are unsure, knowing that just because they can vote does not mean that they …show more content…
Each voter would have to take a test prior to voting to assess whether or not they are actually voting for what they want or just voting because they now are required. Otherwise, the vote of the informed citizens will be cancelled out by the vote of those who are not informed and that would not properly reflect on any group’s desires. Many forced votes would be picked randomly, or whoever comes first on the ballot. Recent work suggests that compulsory voting has no noticeable effect on political knowledge or interest, (Engelen and Hooghe, 2007) nor any evident effect on electoral outcomes (Selb and Lachat, 2007). Democratic rights are founded upon the belief in people’s ability to make rational judgments. If a citizen is rational, and voting is in their own best interest, then there isn’t a need to force them to vote. A common argument for compulsory voting is that it is a citizen’s duty to vote and not free-ride on the outcome of an election. A moral and political duty that is simple compared to the other obligations of citizenship, like paying taxes or attending jury duty. Voting is very different. Five constitutional amendments mention the right to vote, but nowhere is voting defined as a civic duty in the Constitution. Jury members are mandated to listen the case
In document C, John W. Dean who was legal council the the U.S. President Richard M. Nixon said, “While compulsion of any kind is a restriction, so is the compulsion to drive only on the right side of the road. Requiring citizens to vote is no more restrictive than requiring them to register for the draft. And it is far less restrictive than requiring us, for example, to attend school; to serve on juries, possibly for weeks or months at a time; to pay taxes; or to serve in the military when drafted”(Dean). That shows the multitude of laws or requirements in America that are less important than voting, but are required. Voting is for the good of the country, yet people won't vote, but won't bat an eye when they are forced into jury duty.
Since the turn of the twenty first century, in Canada voter turnout has made a significant and consecutive decline. In the last five federal elections on average only sixty-one per cent of eligible voters voted. If each eligible citizen voted in an election the government would be on par with the primary interests of the people. The easiest way to achieve this objective is by implementing a compulsory voting system. Mandatory voting systems are appealing because all citizens are affected by decisions made by the government, so it makes sense to have all those affected apart of the election process. As a result, the voting results would be more representative of the country and that would lead to an increase of stability and legitimacy. It would also be beneficial to Canadians because would cause political parties to address and focus on the needs of every socio-economic level. However, one of biggest problems that accompanies mandatory voting laws is that the choice to exercise the right to vote is taken away. Another primary concern about compulsory voting is that a large number of uninterested and uninformed voters are brought to the polls. Conversely, uninformed voters will become familiar with and learn the polling procedures and electoral system over time and uninterested voters are not forced to mark a name on the ballot. Compulsory voting laws would only make registration and attendance at the polls mandatory, not voting itself. Therefore the freedom to exercise the right to vote or not is still intact. A greater emphasis on alternate voting practices may be established such as electronic or online voting. Positive changes would not only be evident in the policies of political parties but also in the voting procedure. Th...
Firstly, the idea of compulsory voting that involves every citizen having a civic duty, rather then a right to vote, which has been introduced in over 20 countries worldwide, a good example being Australia. In Australia, the system has been a success, producing an impressive turnout of 94% in the 2013 election, which therefore means that the Australian government will have a much higher level of legitimacy compared to the UK. However, critics of compulsory voting argue that such a system is undemocratic by itself as it does not provide a citizen with a choice on whether to vote or not, resulting in a serious debate around the issue. However, I must agree with the critics of the system, as the people voting because they have to, are likely to be less passionate and well informed about the person they have to
Contrary to what may seem logical, majority votes under a compulsory voting system do not necessarily represent accurate opinion. Rather, compulsion encourages apathy, characterized by “a lack of concern, enthusiasm or interest” ("Definition of Voter Apathy"). In essence, voter apathy “occurs when voters decide that they really don’t care who wins or loses” ("Definition of Voter Apathy") due to “a general feeling that a person’s vote doesn’t matter or even a distrust in regards to how the election is actually being run” ("Definition of Voter Apathy").
To enforce voting to be mandatory , this will prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices for their representatives. Mandating would stimulate the demand side, motivating voters to understand and acknowledge who they are voting for. Therefore , voting is to be a responsibility than a option.
In fact, according to Elections Canada, during the 2011 federal elections, only 61.1% of Canadians exerted their duty as citizen. Hence, some think compulsory voting can remediate the situation. However, mandatory voting is what really could hurt democracy. By forcing every eligible voter to go to the polls, misinformed voters will randomly cast their ballot. Sceptics may believe that by fining individuals who refuse to go to the polls, there will be less ignorant voters. For example, in Australia, where voting is compulsory, Australians who do not cast their ballots have to “pay a 20$ penalty” (Australian Electoral Commission). However, by financially penalising citizens who do not exert their duty, many will be so dissatisfied by the incumbent government that they will simply vote for a party that would not make voting an obligation. These people would ignore the party’s other policies instead of being informed on all the challenges that the country faces and how each party plans on solving them. Nonetheless, the elections are an occasion to elect a leader whose ideologies on many aspects, from immigration to the environment, matches the voter’s most. As a responsible voter, one has to know the policies of each party and has to try to obtain enough “social-scientific knowledge to [assess] these positions” (Brennan 11), which takes a lot of time. Therefore, compulsory voting would make voters more informed, but only on a narrow aspect while ignoring the other issues that should be taken into consideration when choosing the party they will vote for. All in all, mandatory voting would hurt democracy despite the higher participation
Recently, only 60% of registered voters have actually voted in presidential elections. This brings up the question: should Americans be required to vote? This question receives very mixed answers. Many Americans believe that they should have the choice and the freedom to vote or not; many Americans also believe that mandatory, or required, voting is simply a civic duty. Currently, American citizens are not required to vote. Citizens seem to like this system, but because voting is not mandatory, the amount of citizens that vote in elections is rather low. Americans should not be required to vote because it forces people to vote that are uninterested, makes citizens unhappy, and damages other people’s votes.
The most critiqued argument is that mandating voting is just un-American. The con side argues that forcing people to vote violates our freedom of speech. But they don’t feel that the requirement to pay taxes and serve as a jure are unjust. This seems contradictory. The second argument is that requiring all citizens to vote would result in many uninformed and carelessly voters. They continue this argument by stating many people would cast “donkey votes” which are votes for a random candidate because they are required to vote by law. There are many arguments for and against compulsory voting but it comes down to what makes something
In any case, abolishing the Electoral College would at least make every potential voter feels as if his or her vote counted. Third, perhaps the best way to solve the problem of low voter turnout would be to make voting compulsory. It was shown above that the nations which have compulsory voting, enforced or not, consistently have much higher voter turnout than those countries in which voting is optional. While perhaps the best way to fix the problem, this is also the solution least likely to come about in the United States. In conclusion, the problem with voter turnout is stemmed from many problems, but has many solutions that are probable and that we can put into effect to
Clearly, many citizens are choosing not to vote. Now, some may forget to vote. Others may be unable to vote due to sickness or other emergencies. But many people simply do not bother. They may feel they are too busy to participate, or, worse, that their vote "doesn't count." Some people actually believe that individual votes do ...
Many people think of the 206 million eligible voters in the United States and think, “How could one vote possibly make a difference?” Or perhaps some find themselves too busy, while other non-voters are simply uninterested in politics. With a combination of all excuses, about 75 million people that were eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential election chose not to. That’s 75 million unheard voices! 75 million unrepresented individuals make up approximately 36% of all eligible voters. That number of people could easily change the outcome of an election. When put in perspective and fully understood, it’s realized just how important it is for every eligible voter to vote, and do so responsibly. The significance of voting is commonly misunderstood. Voting determines things from the president of the United States, to a small town mayor, to representatives, which all in turn determine everything from war, to taxes, to a child’s education. This country was politically formed into something previously unknown to the world, and with citizenship to this great country and democracy, comes great responsibility. It is a right as U.S. citizens to choose to vote or not; however, it is a duty and obligation to do so, for the sake of those who have fought, for friends and family, and for this country as a whole.
Voting, a right many people have fought and struggled for, but sadly far too few people vote. According to the 2008 US Census Bureau, only 63% of all people registered to vote did. That looks good because over 50% voted but that's not until you find out that only 72% of America registered to vote. That means that the other 28% sat at home doing their own business when their country was deciding who would be their new leader for the next 4 years. Truthfully, only 45% of Americans are even voting, even though they could change the whole country for the better or for the worse. There were wide gaps betweens the amount that can vote and those who do it. People who reach the requirements are able to vote yet only 45% - 50% vote. For 30 years, voters
The president is in charged of the government, they have to do whatever he said if not they will be in big trouble, so if he saids he wants them to start a war they will start a war, no matter how stooped a president would be if he said that.
“Radical changes in the world of politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society.”- Pope John Paul II. With all freedom comes accountability. It is easy for myself and everyone else to take for granted the fact that America is a free country, but as best as I possibly can, I will uphold the culpability given to me, to help my nation in any way possible. Imagine if everyone used their freedoms and abilities to better our country and mankind in general. It is amazing to think what the outcome would be with the participation of all Americans using their freedoms and rights in order to help others, our government, and our country.
knowledge; it still gives the citizens the opportunity to vote actually even William E. Hudson pointed this out in the book which I would like to reference “to the pluralist, elections provide an opportunity for even apathetic and passive citizens to choose their political leaders” (14). But now if we are going to speak on why many citizens are apathetic we must look at this from another form of democracy, which is the participatory democracy model. The next model of democracy I would like to speak about is much different from the rest, although many of these forms of democracy are similar and share similar ideas, this one may be very different, but also the same depending on how you look at this form of democracy.