Compulsory voting is that system of voting in elections where voters are forced to attend to a polling place or obliged to vote in elections. In the event that an eligible voter does not vote on the elections day or does not attend the police place, he/she may be subjected to punitive measures like community services or fines or even imprisonment. The main logic behind compulsory voting is to ensure that there is large voter turnout during elections. This will be an indication that the winning candidates during the population should clearly represent a majority of the population and not only a politically motivated people who vote without the requirement. This will also ensure that the government does not neglect particular sections of the society who may be less active in the political process. Victorious political leaders due to compulsory voting principle will also claim a high degree of political legitimacy as compared those of non-compulsory systems that are characterized by low voter turnout. Political writers such as Arend Lijphart have argued that compulsory voting enhances voting during elections, especially during elections (Boundless 2013).
Voting has been made to be compulsory in various jurisdictions such as Belgium, Bolivia, Australia and Brazil. In a country like Australia, failure to vote is always punishable by fines or imprisonment. In other countries, for example, failure to vote will attract sanctions that can include withholding of services or benefits. Compulsory voting, however affects individual freedom of voters and the action of imposing fine on recalcitrant non-voters impacts on potential recalcitrant voters. Voting should be considered as a civic right and not as a civic duty and while the people are free to exercise their civic rights, and they should not be compelled to do so. Furthermore, it has been argued that compulsory voting infringes on the rights of other individual. There are some denominations and religious sects which have the believe that they don’t participate in political activities and hence forcing them to vote will deny them the freedom of religious practice (Massicotte, André Band Antoine 2004)
Australia is the only democracy that has made voting be mandatory. In my considered opinion, voting should not be made compulsory; this is because abstention from voting is taken as a democratic right and denying an individual the right to vote is considered as dictatorial just like denying him the right to support or to oppose or just as the right to enjoy his fundamental rights and freedoms. The right to vote should be balanced with the right to abstention. The right of an individual to refrain from voting should be considered as a statement of disenfranchisement and forcing those who are disenfranchised with the political process to go into a voting place to spoil the voting paper is considered as a waste of time and resources (Sather 2013).
Ina advanced democracies; the proposal to have compulsory voting implemented have not gained any support because voting is taken to be an individual right, as opposed to an institutional duty or public trust. Furthermore, the citizens should have the right to vote but no one whether government or individual should not compel, induce or encourage an individual to vote. This is a stand that contrasts with the perspective of classic liberalists such as John Stuart Mill with their line of argument that voting is not a right, but a trust because it involves the exercising of power over other people and the voter should not be blamed for exercising it. By recognizing that every individual has the right to vote, the citizens also have the right not to vote. Critics, however, argue that compulsory voting undermines individual responsibility. Compulsory voting removes the opportunity for an individual to exercise their responsibility (Thompson 2004).
Compulsory voting involves obligating voters to participate in elections or to attend voting places. Though high voter turnout cannot solve the problem of electoral participation; this is because forcing everyone to take part in voting will make the electorate misinformed and irrational. It should be understood that voters always have a noble intention but when they vote, they make bad choices and get what they choose. It is assumed that median voters are considered incompetent in making political decisions and the citizens abstaining are also considered incompetent, and if they are forced to vote, then they are prone to making misinformed and irrational decision. The result was that a worse candidate will have a better ability to win and furthermore worse candidates are likely to make it at the ballot. It is often believed when many people vote, they do so because a better and quality government caused by higher voter turnout. It is not, however, a guarantee that higher quality government is as a result of higher voter turnout (Sidlow and Beth 2013).
Any champion for compulsory voting affects the freedom of the individual, scholars consider it as a compelled speech action and forcing them to vote is a violation of their freedom of speech. There are a lot of people who are totally against compulsory voting; this is especially for those people who do not have a lot of interest in politics or those who do not have enough knowledge about the candidates contesting in the elections. There may be those voters who may be very much informed about the candidates, but which may have no preference for certain particular candidates and hence they may have no intention to support the existing political system. Making voting a mandatory practice will only force the voters to vote randomly because it is just a legal requirement; this is what is referred to as donkey vote and which account for several votes during an election. This will have a negative effect on the overall electoral process. Compulsory voting makes the voters to vote even with an utter absence of knowledge of the candidates or to they may be forced to intentionally skew the polling process or even may disrupt the election process. For those people who support voluntary voting, their argument is that a low participation in an election that is voluntary is considered only as the expression is not considered as an expression of mere dissatisfaction for certain candidate or political party but may be simply considered as the expression of the general voter’s political will. This is an indication of the general satisfaction with the existing political establishment during elections (Hirst 2010).
Even in a country like Australia, where voting is compulsory; there has never been a 100 percent turnout during the elections. Leaders have been championing for the government to avoid its firm stand to compulsory voting, and there have been several arguments that voters should not be slapped with a fine, or they should not be threatened with a potential fine in case they do not vote. The fruitless product of compulsory voting was witnessed during the 2013 election in Australia, where, despite the threat of a fine of up to $170; still the voter turnout was not optimal as only 92% voter turnout was recorded, and of these voters, 6 % of the voters lodged blank or informal ballot papers. Compulsory voting system has been accused of undermining voter entitlement to make reach choices and not forced choices and to enable them make an informed decision on whomever they should vote for (Caramani 2014).
Compulsory voting, however, makes elections be truly valid, and it also helps in the protection of the integrity of any elections by making a reflection of the general will of all eligible voters. Compulsory voting is considered as a reflection of the general lack of faith in the process of democracy. Others may, however, argue that increasing the number of voters who are uninformed will result to a worse policymaking. This presumes the assumption that policy making sets a high water enlightenment activity. Forcing voters to take part in an election devalues the vote itself while, at the same time, voters who are compelled have a likelihood of voting carelessly. In a country like Australia where voting is mandatory, there have been always several cases of marginal issue. The existence of mandatory voting policy makes voting a meaningful exercise with a lot of shared experience. It is assumed that mandatory voting does not have any relationship with the advancement in a democratic process, but it concerns the redeeming of central promise of citizen duty because several people and generations protested, marched and died in the quest for their right to vote and hence it should be treated just a right and a responsibility (Newman, Sather, Trevor and Woolgar 2013).
There has been a decline in voter turnout during elections in Canada. This is of great concern to people taking part in the elections and to those who are interested in the political process. To address this problem in Canada, there have been calls that this should be addressed by putting a system of compulsory voting in place. Opponents of compulsory voting in Canada have argued that it stifles political freedoms of an individual while threatening basic democratic principles. Voting is an obligation that has to be positively accepted, and it should be made a duty of every citizen; this is because it is instrumental in maintaining the country’s democratic system and the benefits that come with it. Making voting compulsory may not be effective after all. This is because of the idea of a secret ballot; this implies that citizens will not be compelled to mark their ballot papers with their right choice of a political party or candidate. This duty will only make them appear on the polling station, get issued with a ballot paper and deposit it; no one will, however, confirm that the ballot paper will be marked or unmarked. This is one tragedy of making voting compulsory. In Canada, people have quickly to accept all their responsibilities as positive duties that they owe to the Canadian democracy such as reporting for jury duty, paying taxes, attending school until the age of 16 and paying of taxes. There is therefore, the need, to consider the responsibility to vote as any other duty in line with the right to vote. Compulsory voting is not an option in Canada due to the trend of youth participation during elections that are getting low with each electoral year (Sawer 2001.
Making voting mandatory is not, however, the suggestion that people should be forced to vote in a certain manner or an indication that voting ballot should be spoiled. It is an indication that they should show up in their polls if indeed they desire to express their displeasure with the political system or certain candidates. It has been argued that there is something wrong with a democratic system that forces its citizens to freely take part in a democratic process. The depressing aspect of making voting mandatory is that of uninformed voters determining political decisions or electoral outcomes. There are those who argue that it is utterly repugnant, and people are entitled to free will in making decisions (Sawer 2001).
There is the thought that compelling voters to vote in a liberal democracy is considered as very offensive but at the same time, forcing them to take part in the voting process is argued to be an infringement of their fundamental freedoms. It is argued that making voting compulsory for citizens taking part in a first election will make them develop some engagement and create awareness on importance of the electoral process. Making voting compulsory will enable the young Canadians to value and appreciate their right to vote and to enable them have a strong say in the formation of a government. In Canada, voting is considered to be an integral part of their democratic process and in the event that they choose not to take part in the process, it will be assumed that they have forfeited their civic duty. This makes people get a government that they never wanted or one they don’t deserve. Due to this, absence of compulsory voting will result in the reflection of only the wishes of certain a segment of the society in policy prescription and government (Courtney 2004).
References
Boundless. 2013. Political science. New York, NY: Boundless.
Caramani, Daniele. 2014. Comparative politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Courtney, John C. 2004. Elections. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Farrell, David M., and Ian MacAllister. 2006. The Australian electoral system: origins, variations, and consequences. Sydney: UNSW Press.
Hirst, J. B. 2010. Looking for Australia. Melbourne, Vic: Black Inc.
Massicotte, Louis, André Blais, and Antoine Yoshinaka. 2004. Establishing the rules of the game: election laws in democracies. Toronto [u.a.]: Univ. of Toronto Press.
Newman, Debbie, Sather, Trevor and Woolgar, Ben. 2013. Pros and Cons: A debaters handbook. New York, NY: Routledge.
Sawer, Marian. 2001. Elections: full, free & fair. Annandale, NSW: Federation Press.
Sidlow, Edward, and Beth Henschen. 2013. Govt: student edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Thompson, Dennis F. 2004. Just elections: creating a fair electoral process in the United States. Chicago, Ill: University of Chicago Press.
