Obama: Mandatory voting in the United States [March 18, 2015 – Cleveland, Ohio]

2 Responses to Obama: Mandatory voting in the United States [March 18, 2015 – Cleveland, Ohio]

1. Bruce says:

   March 19, 2015 at 10:54 am

   With all due respect, I think that ‘mandatory voting’ in the U.S.A. would be a very bad law to enact:

   Compulsory Voting
   IDEA International

   Excerpt:

   http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm

   The leading argument against compulsory voting is that it is not consistent with the freedom associated with democracy. Voting is not an intrinsic obligation and the enforcement of the law would be an infringement of the citizens’ freedom associated with democratic elections. It may discourage the political education of the electorate because people forced to participate will react against the perceived source of oppression. Is a government really more legitimate if the high voter turnout is against the will of the voters? Many countries with limited financial capacity may not be able to justify the expenditures of maintaining and enforcing compulsory voting laws. It has been proved that forcing the population to vote results in an increased number of invalid and blank votes compared to countries that have no compulsory voting laws.

   Another consequence of mandatory voting is the possible high number of “random votes”. Voters who are voting against their free will may check off a candidate at random, particularly the top candidate on the ballot. The voter does not care whom they vote for as long as the government is satisfied that they fulfilled their civic duty. What effect does this immeasureable category of random votes have on the legitimacy of the democratically elected government?

   As Obama says (approximate) in the video at about the 6:31 minute mark in the video: “If everybody voted it would completely change the political map in this country” ie. mission accomplished!
2. Lucas Daniel Smith says:

   March 19, 2015 at 12:31 pm

   Bruce wrote:

   With all due respect, I think that ‘mandatory voting’ in the U.S.A. would be a very bad law to enact: ….

   @ Bruce:
   I see your point and I was thinking some of the same things listed in your citation.

   I’m just not sure yet what exactly to think. I’ve never thought of the idea of compulsory voting before. I need to look at this idea from all different points of view.

   I know that some people’s right to vote for president has been taken away by some states. For example, convicted felons aren’t allowed to vote in federal elections in some states.

   How can a state have the power to bar a citizen from voting in federal elections?

   We American’s are forced, by law, to do all kinds of stuff and we don’t seem to have a problem with it.

   1. Most males (when they turn age 18) are forced to register with the Selective Service.

   2. Car insurance (at least liability)

   3. Car emission test (in some states)

   4. Driver license

   5. Vehicle plate stickers (every year)

   6. State marriage license (we need it to get a marriage certificate)

   7. Property tax (in some places people pay 3 of these – city, county and state)

   The list probably could go on for a while.