Voting should be Mantatory

[ChangeTheWorld]

Here is a simple suggestion, that would also bring in a large profit.

Australia, Belgium, and Luxembourg have made elections compulsary to those eligable.

Australia has issued 50 dollar fines to eligable non-voters.

As Canadians, we live in one of the nicest and safest. Voting is a simple way to ensure our liberies and freedoms that are often taken for granted.

In 2004, approximately 9 million registered voters did not vote, 60.9% of the eligable population.

http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/historical-turnout.html

If a elections were made mandatory and enforced by a 50 dollar fine, the 2004 election would have brought in 450 million dollars, that could go to a good cause. For those who do not favour any party, an undecided option could be made available

Think about it

[kimmy]

One thing to consider is that people who don't bother to vote are probably people who haven't bothered to pay much attention to the issues anyway. Perhaps it is just as well that these people don't bother to vote. I would imagine that in a close election, a voter who made every effort to research the issues would be annoyed to find his vote had been nullified by a voter who made his decision by picking the funniest name or some other completely random choice.

However, I think that if voting was made mandatory, an "undecided" option would be a good thing. (or, in many cases, a "don't care" or "all of these candidates are assholes!" option might be closer to the feelings of many "undecided" voters. )

-k

[PolyNewbie]

I think that non voters are really voting for despotism. In despotism, someone will be taxing you and you will get nothing in return.

If you live in a democracy then your responsibility is to vote. I don't think anyone can say the party they vote for perfectly suits their moral beliefs or is ideal for them economically.

[PocketRocket]

I think that non voters are really voting for despotism. In despotism, someone will be taxing you and you will get nothing in return.

IOW, our current status quo

If you live in a democracy then your responsibility is to vote. I don't think anyone can say the party they vote for perfectly suits their moral beliefs or is ideal for them economically.

I agree. But a responsibility that must be exercised voluntarily.

To force someone to vote would lead to results KIMMY has already pointed out.

[August1991]

One thing to consider is that people who don't bother to vote are probably people who haven't bothered to pay much attention to the issues anyway. Perhaps it is just as well that these people don't bother to vote. I would imagine that in a close election, a voter who made every effort to research the issues would be annoyed to find his vote had been nullified by a voter who made his decision by picking the funniest name or some other completely random choice.

However, I think that if voting was made mandatory, an "undecided" option would be a good thing. (or, in many cases, a "don't care" or "all of these candidates are assholes!" option might be closer to the feelings of many "undecided" voters. )

-k

We have that option now. Anyone is free to put a big X through their ballot, leave the ballot blank or even draw lewd stick figures beside candidates' names. Would that be illegal too?

And Kimmy, your vote is "nullified" now by an ignorant yahoo who probably knows as much about the candidates as I do about the characters on Lost.

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The Left frequently argues that corporations are beyond any control whereas democratic government is subject to the people's will through the ballot box. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You vote everyday in an election when you make your purchases. Your vote in a market is informed because you directly benefit from the research you put into deciding what to buy. You can be certain that coorporations pay very, very close attention to how you and many others vote in the market. Corporations are very much subject to the control of this kind of voting.

Political votes have no such rigour because no one directly benefits from their individual ballot vote. For the same reason, there is no point in researching the candidates. In any case, you only vote once every few years.

Our experience with ballot-box democracy is relatively new. I am certian it will change in the future because fewer and fewer people will stay informed and fewer and fewer will bother to vote. (I think it's fair to say however that people will be busy researching and buying homes and clothing in the centuries to come.)

Mandatory voting will not solve the ballot box problem, nor will PR.

[Riverwind]

Political votes have no such rigour because no one directly benefits from their individual ballot vote. For the same reason, there is no point in researching the candidates. In any case, you only vote once every few years.

It is a sad commentary on our society when voting becomes simply a matter of 'what's in it for me'. Used to be that people would vote because they felt a duty to support the institutions of the society that they belong to.

One thing that has pissed me off in the last few elections is how the media glamorize and justify the people who choose not to vote. Someone who does not vote is a most likely a self absorbed narcissist that could not care less about PR vs. FPP. If you change the system I am sure these people would come up with some other excuse not to vote.

I think mandatory voting would be useful because it would stigmatize people who do not vote just like people who drink and drive have been stigmatized by drinking and driving laws. This, in turn, would lead to a change in culture where it would no longer be socially acceptable to not vote.

I like Kimmy's suggestion of adding none of the above to the ballot.

[Canuck E Stan]

I like Kimmy's suggestion of adding none of the above to the ballot.

Australian voting system

In a Radio interview with an Aussie he stated that they are compelled to vote but have a "non of the above feature"

[tml12]

Here is a simple suggestion, that would also bring in a large profit.

Australia, Belgium, and Luxembourg have made elections compulsary to those eligable.

Australia has issued 50 dollar fines to eligable non-voters.

As Canadians, we live in one of the nicest and safest. Voting is a simple way to ensure our liberies and freedoms that are often taken for granted.

In 2004, approximately 9 million registered voters did not vote, 60.9% of the eligable population.

http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/historical-turnout.html

If a elections were made mandatory and enforced by a 50 dollar fine, the 2004 election would have brought in 450 million dollars, that could go to a good cause. For those who do not favour any party, an undecided option could be made available

Think about it

As a political science major and as one who reads a lot of political articles from some of the most brilliant political scientists (right and left-wing) I can say that this issue has been debated tirelessly.

As I recall, but I don't remember for sure, Austrailia made voting mandatory because of their population decreases after WWII (?)

Here in Canada, a lot of people don't vote because each vote benefits a political party in one way or another especially with our electoral finance laws. My personal view? Tough. I think that if we could pull off a respectable way of doing it, I'd support it.

But as I have said before, there are other areas, like senate reform, of the democratic deficit that I would support reforming first.