Should democracies require by law 100% voter participation?

Question

In Australia this is the case, non voters are fined. This system would give a "true" election, not the TV campaign to get as many voters out
as the spin doctors can.

Answer 1

This doesn't give a "true" election, because if someone doesn't like any of the candidates, then they are still not going to vote truthfully, even if they are forced to stand in the election booth and fill out a ballot. At best, they are going to pick "None of the Above" or fill-in a name or pick some minor candidate who has no chance of winning.

Voting for a candidate means supporting that candidate, and affirmatively expressing that you want that candidate to win. There hasn't been a major presidential candidate in the past 20 years that I wanted to affirmatively support. And with 95% of the vote being split between two parties, does it really matter if voted for one of the minor candidates? My vote would be meaningless either way, you want to force me to waste an hour casting it?

That's the problem with a two-party political system. And forcing voting won't help, it will just make the problem worse.

Answer 2

Why do you think that not voting is undemocratic? If I make a choice not to vote in an election - not even to go to the polls - I am making a very strong statement about my preferences in government. And the next election, perhaps some candidate will try to figure out why I didn't vote and offer me an alternative that excites me enough to actually go pull the lever.

If I am forced to vote, then all my candidate has to be is the lesser of two evils. If I stay home, he has to work to actually be good.

Answer 3

No, I do not thing that voting should be required by law. It is a simple choice whether or not people want to be a part of choosing the government. A better plan would be to keep getting the message out about how important it is to vote. Voters who understand its importance and implications are better informed voters than those who simply vote becasue they have to.

Answer 4

No, I do not think this is a good idea, people must vote of free will or there is no freedom. I personally vote every major election but do not bother with most school and local elections unless there are major elections involved. I do think that there should be better voter partisipation but to force it would be wrong. I think motivation alone should do it.

Answer 5

i have not seen any documents, so i'm purely guessing, yet i imagine there are 2 important communities of people who're eligible to vote, yet do not: the cynics (like myself) who're so discouraged with the device that it sort of feels previous desire, and the settee potatoes who're purely too lazy to imagine about politics. If the cynics were compelled to vote, they could certainly vote for some extreme reforms, because they surely favor the device to be extra perfect. If the settee potatoes were compelled to vote, they could settle on their vote in accordance to which candidate (or fringe of an difficulty) had the perfect commercial. regrettably, i imagine the settee potatoes a procedures outnumber the cynics. i ought to believe stephen m that forcing voter participation can be a step contained in the incorrect route.

Answer 6

That kind of law is draconian. Forcing people to vote? Some people make political statements by NOT voting. If I had to vote to avoid a fine, I'd just vote for eveyone on the ballot, thus ruining it. I'd have avoided the fine, and voted for no one. There's nothing the government can do to force me to make a choice.

I find it difficult to believe the Australian govt. has gotten so intrusive.

Answer 7

I'm not voting in a contest between two evils. A choice between two evils isn't a choice at all. Forced participation just proves how little support the government actually has.

Answer 8

But it is also my choice NOT to make a choice.

I understand the idea that you promote, but many would rankle at it.

And with voting places having a variety of problems, that aspect needs to be addressed before we start demaning 100% participation.

Answer 9

I like this idea. It could be modified to be like American driver's licences. You gets points on your Voter Registration for not voting and can get fined and stuff if you exceed so many points.

Answer 10

Not voting is a perfectly valid choice for a person in a democracy to make.