Should voting in election be compulsory?

Answer 1

I live in Australia where it is compulsory. i don't have an issue in it being mandatory and i don't think many people in australia do, but if you tried to introduce this into a country where it wasn't already compulsory, you might have some trouble. I think people should vote anyway, so that they have a say in the running of their country.

Answer 2

Taking this from an American-elections perspective: If we want a truly representative system of government, compulsory elections might seem like a good idea, given voter apathy (only a small fraction of the population of eligible voters in the US decides whom the President will be, and that's true for both Republican and Democratic elections.)

However, it'll force lesser of two evils choices, and in many cases people's votes may not align with what they really want (neither of the above), so compulsory voting isn't as good for representation as it might initially seem.

We Americans are lousy at getting out the vote, and always have been, but we also have a populace that likes to decide on single issues rather than on a balance of the issues, that will elect people based on their television personality (on both sides of the political aisle), and is generally uneducated about government.

What we really need is an educated, informed populace who cares about what they're doing when they go out to vote. We're about thirty years too late for that, though. Politics is now a matter of fame and name recognition, not on whom is the best man or woman for the job, and that's subsumed much political interest in this country. I'd say voter EDUCATION should be compulsory, but that's far too much to ask, I'm afraid.

Answer 3

Yes. Everybody above a certain age should have the right to vote. And everybody has the duty to vote. Both these propositions should be enforced by law. It should be easy to vote, there should not be artificial barriers or complicated procedures. Unified election laws and procedures should be used throughout the country in national elections (e.g., in Canada, where the election system, how people cast their ballot, etc., is the same throughout the country). National elections should be separated from state or local elections so that the ballots can be simpler and the count can be simpler. In the U.S., there should be a national constitutional amendment to complete the process of election reform that started with the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s, so that the promise of effective democracy becomes a reality. As part of this reform, the electoral college should be constitutionally abandoned and Presidential slates should be elected by direct democracy, rather than by a hold over from 18th century oligarchy and local squirearchies.

Answer 4

Actually, I think people should be discouraged from voting. Part of the reason this country gets so screwed up at times is that there are so many people who just go out and vote the party line.

If I was in charge, I'd have the main candidates each answer 20 multiple choice questions on their position (multiple choice so you just get the answer rather than a speech; for example: Do you support the troop surge? Yes, No, Undecided, no commentary) Then every voter would be presented with 5 random questions about the major candidates' positions and would be required to get 4 (80%) of them correct in order for his or her vote to be counted.

Simply put: If you can't put in the effort to make an informed decision, STAY HOME.

Answer 5

ASA ... No and yes. I feel that forcing those who won't or don't want to vote merely invites potentially bad election outcomes.

However, if all young adults were required to provide some kind of national service (not necessarily military service), this would broaden their mental horizons; I feel this is especially true for those who join the service. I'm not putting down the popular non-journalist commentators (Leno, Letterman, Stewart, and Mahr, to name just a few), but helping young adults to wise-up and learn about what's really important will actually inspire them to take a stand ... a much more informed stand ... and this will lead to greater voting participation, I feel.

No, I'm not suggesting we have compulsory national service for the purpose of increasing voter turn-out. I think we should have compulsory national service anyway. But I DO think that more votes and better votes would be a natural by-product.

Answer 6

No, compulsory voting is a terrible idea. The way it is now, people that have done some research or know the issues or at LEAST feel strongly about something do the voting. I won't say the majority of Americans are stupid or anything like that but they are not very well informed pollitically (most Americans learn EVERYTHING they know about politics from the TV).

Answer 7

No. People shouldn't be forced to vote.

Especially with some of the morons we have, I'd prefer if some of the people that did vote stayed home on Election Day.

Answer 8

Yes, election day should be a holiday. If you vote, you get paid for the day. If you don't vote, you better go to work.

Answer 9

in india it should be compulsory because when many people do not go to vote the result will not be correct.

Answer 10

In a free nation, how could you put this on each free person?
Do you want the nation next to tell you who to vote for in the campaign?
Or maybe you should wait in long line and wear red?