Should Voting Be Compulsory?

Choosing not to vote is still a vote. It says "none of the above.". If some one cared which candidate won they would vote, if they can't get motivated about anyone, they won't bother showing up.

My rite to say no is just as valid as your oppionion of your candidate and should be protected.

Great Question V!

I can't help but jump into this one.

In my humble opinion voting is both.

Its a duty because I feel any citizen of a truly democratic republic/nation should feel duty-bound to preserve the freedoms/benefits/rights afforded by one's government to oneself and one's fellow citizens. Voting, in a true democratic system, is one way to do this.

It is a right because no one should be forced to show support for a government they don't agree with for one reason or another. Voting is also a way to do this.

Unfortunately, not all citizens feel the same sense of duty in regard to voting and many have come to feel (at least in my country) that voting no longer makes a difference.

When I look around and see people doing the things they're doing around the world and in my own "backyard" I see anticipation. I don't know how much I buy into the whole Mayan prophecy thing, (or any "end times" prophecy, for that matter) but I do feel like something big is coming. It isn't for me to guess when or what, but I doubt this "age" is going to end quietly. *Shrug* If anything big is coming I doubt any single person would be enough to stop it.

But, I digress... Sorry V, got on a tangent there! *sweat drop*

Anyway, voting is a duty as well as a right and shouldn't, imo, be forced upon the demoi of a given democratic nation.

Fox News would have the time of their life in this country.

Made my day

Voting is an act of freedom and should therefore not be forced upon anyone...to do so robs it of the freedom of choice...


Having said that...american democracy is dying and the uber-conservative republicans are killing it with all their "voter purges" and special id requirements...all so they can ensure that the rich can continue to subjegate the poor

Speaking of not voting, I read this today.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/not-voting-the-koch-broth_b_1786481.html

Not Voting? The Koch Brothers Thank You

I don't know what's worse: Is it that a party would deliberately seek to deny American citizens the right to vote knowing full well the extraordinary sacrifices that went into securing those rights? Or is it that there are so many Americans who - with that same knowledge of sacrifice and for whatever unsatisfactory reason -- decide to give in to apathy and simply choose not to vote?

I do know this: our history demands we do better.

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found that an estimated 90 million people won't vote this fall. That's more than a quarter of the population of the United States.

You -- or someone you know -- may be one of those 90 million choosing not to vote. Voting is not compulsory. America is a free country. A free country honored by 1.3 million soldiers who've died since 1775 defending our nation and our precious right to vote.

Continued at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-m-granholm/not-voting-the-koch-broth_b_1786481.html with video.

Since I turned 18 I've been pretty guilty of not voting. I think I've voted about twice. The problem is that I never really want any of the options available. So why should I give them my vote?

This is the thing that troubles me about it though:

You -- or someone you know -- may be one of those 90 million choosing not to vote. Voting is not compulsory. America is a free country. A free country honored by 1.3 million soldiers who've died since 1775 defending our nation and our precious right to vote.

Obviously for me it's the UK and the figures and dates will be different, but it's the same principle. It's the thought that history isn't a movie where you know they aren't really getting hurt...people have died so that we can vote. Like...actually died.

I think that perhaps we have a duty to consider all the options, properly and thoroughly. As though even if we decide we don't want to vote, we still have to go and tick a box that says 'no vote'. I'm sure that plenty of people do consider all the options properly before deciding not to vote, but I'm sure that there are just as many who just can't be bothered to put the time and thought into it.

RyuJin wrote: Voting is an act of freedom and should therefore not be forced upon anyone...to do so robs it of the freedom of choice...


Having said that...american democracy is dying and the uber-conservative republicans are killing it with all their "voter purges" and special id requirements...all so they can ensure that the rich can continue to subjegate the poor

Yeah...it's just the "uber-conservative republicans" doing it. Sure. :whistle:

Yeah...it's just the "uber-conservative republicans" doing it. Sure.

'Yeah -- everyone knows that the 'non-uber-conservative republicans' are doing it, too.' Tom put in, grinning, even when Jack karate chopped him over the head.

"In all seriousness, we just had Br. John-sempai post links to articles citing evidence. And there are plenty of other bits of evidence pointing to the culprits behind voter i.d laws and so forth. Maybe they're not the only ones doing it -- I have no idea, what with not being omniscient and all -- but at least provide some evidence to support that claim."

'Wow, Miss Author.' Tom blinked at her. Jack turned back to him, 'You almost sound like you READ those things.'

"Oh, shut up."

Metsu Desal wrote: It's a right, I shouldn't have to pick sides in my opinion.

Plus to be punished for not voting is shocking (What if i was seriously ill during the voting period?)

I live in Australia where voting is compulsory. You can in fact opt out of voting but this means filling out a few forms and its far easier to show up at a polling booth and spend 2 minutes getting it out of the way, they have methods of voting for people who are sick, overseas etc...

I personally don't see the point of voting in a two party system where they are both as bad as each other, the lesser of two evils is still evil! I generally vote Green and trust them to allocate my vote accordingly. Were voting optional I wouldn't bother unless there was someone worth voting for.

Wendaline wrote:

RyuJin wrote: Voting is an act of freedom and should therefore not be forced upon anyone...to do so robs it of the freedom of choice...


Having said that...american democracy is dying and the uber-conservative republicans are killing it with all their "voter purges" and special id requirements...all so they can ensure that the rich can continue to subjegate the poor

Yeah...it's just the "uber-conservative republicans" doing it. Sure. :whistle:

Thanks, Wendaline, for pointing that out. No, I don't think only the "uber-conservative republicans" are the ones interfering with the votings, Senior Knight Ryujin. I think that both parties have done wrong.

But let's not contaminate this respectful Temple by throwing political attacks on each other. We are all brothers and sisters of the same Jedi party, in my opinion.