Do you think it should or shouldn't be compulsary to vote and why?

Question

It is compulsary in Australia

Answer 1

I like it being compulsory here in Australia. It's good because it's not a large country and the majority of the population are informed about the government and can be affected by the government. In USA, not as many people are informed about politics as there is a large population. I would not want to have compulsory voting in USA, as it is not necessary and only people who really care about politics and the government will vote in the US, but as in Australia much more people are affected and it is more necessary

Answer 2

No, of course it shouldn't be compulsory. As an Australian I'm constantly amazed at how they bang on about our 'right' to vote, when it's really an obligation. To not vote is to risk paying a fine or spending a night in jail.

The arguments for compulsory voting revolve around the fact that if not everyone votes, then the result is not representative of the whole population. However, as some people have already pointed out, to force voting upon people who don't care is actually just another way of making the result unrepresentative. A disturbingly large number of votes are (deliberately or otherwise) invalid, anyway.

If voting were optional in Australia, there would be a huge shake-up in our political system. It would no longer necessarily be a two-party system. Politicians would have to work harder to get your vote. It would be a vastly better system.

For what it's worth, a word to other Australians who feel the same - the new Liberty & Democracy Party (LDP) is opposed to compulsory voting & would lobby to make in optional. I know who I'll be voting for!

Answer 3

i assume you are asking this question from the U.S.A.,
if so, and this is the why i will answer, as i am not too familiar as to the way the other countries vote for their leaders.
we here feel it is everyone Right to vote ( a few exceptions, illegals,felons,etc). it is not compulsory for one to vote.
people that don't think that their vote doesn't count are wrong,
you can't make people vote in a free society, but they have the have that right. and it is all about freedom. you do at the time and place of what you want whiten the the law of what you want to be accomplished

Answer 4

Non-compulsory, though I would add the caveat that if less than 60% of the registered voters participate (a quorum), the whole election has to be redone within 30 days & none of the previous candidates are allowed to enter!
The why is simple, abstention from voting is a valid form of participation.

Answer 5

It should not be compulsary to vote. Besides, I wouldn't want that many uneducated sheeple coming to the polls.

Let the Conservatives and Liberals that give a damn fight at the polls. Leave the stupid out of it...

Answer 6

You can't live in a democracy and make voting compulsory. not everybody really cares what the government does in fact the polls that track Bushes popularity ask who you voted for and if the polling is correct Al Gore won by a landslide, with all the people that claim they voted for him against Bush. The secret is young people don't vote , old people vote and young people can't figure out how older peoples agendas are put through congress at the expense of everyone else's . Vote.

Answer 7

No. People who vote care since they are going out of their way to do so. Forcing people who don't care to vote violates their freedoms and will more than likely end up with a poor leader

Answer 8

No, I do not think voting should be mandatory. People who follow politics and who will cast a vote based on their beliefs will show up to the polls. Anyone who doesn't care enough to follow politics shouldn't be forced to vote because their votes will be ill considered.

Answer 9

It's a free country so you shouldn't try to force people to do anything except obey the laws.. Any way it wouldn't change the outcome of most elections.. The people who do vote are usually representative of all voters, but if they aren't, I would rather have elections deided by interested voters than by unwilling voters.

Answer 10

No, I don't think it's compulsory to vote, however, it should be the prerogative of a responsible citizen. Those who don't take the time or interest to vote, have no right to criticize the person who is elected to a public office, or his or her agenda.