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Why Compulsory Voting is Wrong
November 4, 2008 - 3:09pm
We often hear that voting is a ‘civic duty’, but it is more accurate to say that voting is a ‘civic right’ and no free and independent people such as Atlantic Canadians should ever allow a government to force them to exercise their rights no matter how wonderful the goal. Put simply, it is no ones business but the individual whether they vote or not.
People should be free not to participate if they believe not voting is important. Jehovah Witnesses, for instance, believe that any form of political involvement is wrong so they typically do not vote. Not voting is also a valid method of dissent against governance and is why totalitarian states that maintain a veneer of democracy are always careful to manufacture near 100% turnouts. Any government that interferes in that freedom is acting the tyrant.
Coercing citizens to vote only masks the real problem. Our declining voter turnout indicates growing dissent with a political system that needs reforms; separation of powers with an independent and effective Legislature, fair elections, direct election of our leaders, recall, Citizen’s Initiative. Introducing compulsory voting will only paper over the defects and delay needed reforms.
At least with forced voting the scrutineers and Elections Canada people on election night would be assured of some very humorous things written on the ballots.
Kropotkin is turning in his grave! [img]smile.gif" border="0[/img]
Unfortunately federal ballots all black save for where you put your "x" so no humour for the EC staffers and scrutineers.
But seriously, I don't feel like I should be forced to vote. If I don't want to vote and have no confidence in the electoral system, why should I be forced to participate in it? And what is the difference between spoiling my ballot and not voting, anyways? It's not like I ever hear some talking head on CBC saying "you know, there are a lot of spoiled ballots this election. Maybe if we smashed capitalism and created a workers paradise based on workers councils, these people wouldn't be so pissed off."
Now, about penaltys and incentives.
How do we get people to vote?
How about little pins and emblems. "I voted for Canada" and so forth?
He made an excellent point that a large part of modern negative campaigning involves depressing turnout of the opponent and compulsory voting eliminates that strategy.
Parties target those voters they can win over with the least cost (in terms of lost support from compromise on some issues). Traditional non-voters can do just as well as traditional voters, if not better, in getting their agenda focused on BY NOT VOTING, so long as politicians believe said people might potentially vote in some cases.
Spoiled ballots are no different in this regard from non-voting. Moreover, spoiled ballots lose their meaning WHEN YOU FORCE PEOPLE TO VOTE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Why? Well a spoiled ballot is a powerful message now because they are rare and require effort by the voter. If voting was mandatory it would reflect the message that a lot of the people you are forcing to vote aren't that keen on the candidates - something you would know anyway from their non-voting.
Thirdly I am going to make a pitch for some sort of just society. Democracy gives everybody one vote, but the difficulty of voting (it isn't that hard but it requires some investment of time, at the very least) creates obstacles. Relatively non-discriminatory obstacles to voting are a great thing. Why? People have different utility functions - it makes more sense from a utility-maxiization point of view that those with strong preferences vote more frequently than those who could care less.
Oh and the real argument that will surely convince you all... Mandatory voting in Australia did not make it a more progressive country, actually it may well have had the opposite effect. eg. In the first election since the policy was enacted, the National party swept into power.
How would I try to increase voter turnout?
Give everyone who votes a tax credit to be used at Income Tax time to reduce their taxable income!
Oh yes, let's not make voting compulsory, but lets punish people who don't vote by denying them access to social programs.
And using a guaranteed annual income as the punishment. So lets punish only poor people.
And what about the people who are turned away, who generally just "happen to be" the most vulnerable in society? Admittedly that is more of a problem in the US, but it is a problem here, especially for students.
Seriously, penalties for not voting are just about as ridiculous as penalties for not voting Conservative. Not voting is a choice and a valid one.
Quite a lot actually. If you spoil your ballot it is a sign of protest and dissent at the whole political system. if you just don't show up - it can easily be interpreted as meaning that you are so content with the status quo that you are indifferent as to who wins.
Maybe, but that sign of protest and dissent never registers, and could be interpreted as someone not knowing how to vote or screwing up somehow. When was the last time you heard talking heads complain about spoiled ballots and come to the conclusion that a lot of people are pissed off at the system?
I strongly believe that we should have the freedom to not participate in the process if we do not believe in it, and that includes not being forced by penalty of fines or denial of social programs to head over to the polling place just to spoil our ballot.
[ 05 November 2008: Message edited by: genstrike ]
Fuck that shit. Oh yeah, its also illegal to spoil your ballot in Australia.
If I don't want to get up in the morning to vote your dumb-assed election. That is my right.
What is this, "We"?
I think this actually makes some sense. Although what is to be done if 'NONE OF THE ABOVE' wins?
Notably in the U.S., where I am now, voter participation has been on a significant upswing over the past 3 election cycles. We don't have mandatory voting here, its just that people have felt they had something important to vote about.
Is that true? With a secret ballot, I don't see how such a law could be enforced.
A citation from the relevant legislation would clarify this. Now if the law indeed says it's illegal to spoil your ballot, then I'd agree that the law is wrong (as well as stupid and unenforceable) but I'm skeptical as to whether that claim is accurate.
I'd agree that the GAI incentive would probably be too extreme (partly because it seems wrong that a GAI should only apply to citizens) but a tax credit wouldn't be too extreme, I don't think. The analogy between penalties for not voting and penalties for not voting Conservative, though, is a faulty one -- one of these is enforceable, the other is not (thanks again to the secret ballot).
One proposal (championed by Jello Biafra, among others) is that if 'NONE OF THE ABOVE' wins, there would have to be a byelection, with all new candidates. In practice, though, this is unlikely to arise.
[ 05 November 2008: Message edited by: Agent 204 ]
The whole idea that forcing people to vote is some kind of democratic act is non-sensical. Its blatantly fascist.
[ 05 November 2008: Message edited by: Cueball ]
australia has one of the highest levels of spoiled or informal ballots among established democracies.
- It is our duty.
- Abstention makes it look as if (insert whatever)
- It generally helps the left.
I think the point of compulsory voting is to create legitimacy for whomever has or takes power.
Does anyone know if there is a country where elections - or referenda - are invalid under a certain treshold of participation? Something like a quorum where it is acknowledged that the system is a failure if it fails to attract enough YEAs.
Compulsory voting is fundamentally right. Compulsory voting would be wrong if the concept of natural right would mean something. But no right is natural; all rights are instituted by a collective will. Forcing people to vote is simply forcing people to acknowledge that no institution is without a cost. Jehovah Witnesses have no good reason not to vote: God doesn’t speak to them in a more direct fashion that He is speaking to us. Not voting is not a method of dissent at all unless it is done publicly and done in a political system where not voting is illegal. Not voting is simply passivity and passivity is hardly a method for achieving anything except if one is able persuasively to argue that his action of voting would involve a pollution that should be avoided.
Damn straight! I was so wrong. It not illegal to vote "informally" in Australia. Its just illegal for me to advocate for voting informally.
Victoria Election Commission
Albert Langer
The only groundless claim being forwarded here is the idea that you are an Anarchist.
[ 05 November 2008: Message edited by: Cueball ]