Have you ever been persuaded into voting? Well, you should have your own say on where your opinion goes. Voting is a right that every citizen in America over the age of 18 can do. Many people have become aware of the fact that the number of voters had reached its all time low. But as the newest voting season comes closer, we should still have a voice and the freedom to decide what we do. Which is, take a step against making America a compulsory voting country, because it proves unnecessary and there are other alternatives than mandatory voting. Many people just don't want to waste time on politics because it doesn't affect them as much as others. In the November 23rd, 2015, issue of Junior Scholastic Magazine, Professor Jason Brenna shared …show more content…
Lisa Hill a professor at the University of Adelaide who spreads the yes, in mandatory voting, “If voting were mandatory in the U.S., people would be inspired to pay more attention to campaigns... ” (Junior Scholastic). Many might think their vote doesn't count, so government should express how it does and not make it a unpleasurable activity by making it mandatory. However much, there is truth in that point, an election simplifies down to one person over another other. My point still stands that unwanted force is never good and America should not accept that. It is human nature to show displeasure to forced activities that weren't done by will before hand. It isn't convenient for some citizens, and if registering for voting was much easier that there might be a higher voter turnout (Scholastic Magazine).If the government wants a higher turnout, than people shouldn't be making time for the government, the government should make more time for the people and not stripping us of our freedom. Compulsory voting, is strictly an unruly act that should not be upheld in America. As voting developed throughout the years it has been maintained as a right not a (forced activity). The next election will dwindle down to a few weeks in due time but for that election and the ones to come we should still have a voice and the freedom to decide what
Recently, only 60% of registered voters have actually voted in presidential elections. This brings up the question: should Americans be required to vote? This question receives very mixed answers. Many Americans believe that they should have the choice and the freedom to vote or not; many Americans also believe that mandatory, or required, voting is simply a civic duty. Currently, American citizens are not required to vote. Citizens seem to like this system, but because voting is not mandatory, the amount of citizens that vote in elections is rather low. Americans should not be required to vote because it forces people to vote that are uninterested, makes citizens unhappy, and damages other people’s votes.
Should America have compulsory voting? In my opinion, compulsory voting is a good way to increase the voting turnout. People currently don't like to vote because they don't have the time, or are just too lazy. If the government gives them an incentive then they will be happy to take time off to vote. Also, a reason to fear not to vote should be installed, like an annoying fine. When only a few people vote, the voter satisfaction is low. But when everyone puts their idea in, the satisfaction rises because the actual majority will win.
The most critiqued argument is that mandating voting is just un-American. The con side argues that forcing people to vote violates our freedom of speech. But they don’t feel that the requirement to pay taxes and serve as a jure are unjust. This seems contradictory. The second argument is that requiring all citizens to vote would result in many uninformed and carelessly voters. They continue this argument by stating many people would cast “donkey votes” which are votes for a random candidate because they are required to vote by law. There are many arguments for and against compulsory voting but it comes down to what makes something
Without mandatory voting, some people chose not to vote because they do not care, or are uninformed. Forcing these people to vote could lead to random choices when voters do not take responsibility to study the candidate's position on specific topics. "It may increase the number of informal votes, ballot papers which are not marked according to the rules for voting," _ Matt Rosenberg_. Compulsory voting may lead many people to not truly vote, but to put their name on a ballot and turn it in. While this is possible, a greater number of potentially interested people would also vote. If people are required to vote, the country will obtain every eligible voters’ opinions. Some of the citizens may not care who is elected, but they still can have a say if they want to. Without mandatory voting, the people who do not want to vote, do not and went about with their life. "Because a majority of the voters are turning out to cast ballots, the formation of the government can be a more accurate reflection of what the population of any nation wants," _Asia-Pacific Economics_. In a government with two different parties, the majority of the citizens decide how they want the government to be formed till the next election.
There is a way that is already put in use to increase voter turnout in Australia is to make voting mandatory. People in Australia are forced to vote or they will be fined, or even jailed if they do not vote repeatedly. It is very effective in term of improving voter turnout; however, there is still some argument against it. One of them being people would only vote because they have to, so they are ignorantly voting for the candidates just to be done with it. I completely agree with this idea. The voter turnout can be really high, but it would be meaningless if the people just vote to escape from the punishments. Yale Law School Professor Stephen Carter also suggested that, instead of punishing people do not vote, we should reward people who vote. It is the same with the mandatory voting. I think it will only be effective in increasing the voter turnout, but the results will not. People should vote voluntarily for the best and fair outcome. To have more people voting, I believe we should take a look at why people do not vote. We must assure people that if everybody thinks their vote does not count, then no one would vote. We should be able to change their attitude about their own votes. If people cannot vote because they are busy with work or schools, we should have a national day off on the election day. By doing so, much more people will be able to participate in voting. There should also be
Adding restrictions of voting such as implementing fines will utterly change the prevalence of our nature in our country. In source #1 (“Telling Americans to Vote , or Else) by William A. Galston, mandatory voting is straightforwardly civic. A democracy can’t be strong if its citizenship is weak. And right now American citizenship is attenuated-strong on rights, weak on responsibilities. In 1924, Australia adopted mandatory voting and required costly fines if individuals didn’t participate to vote but why pay a fine that is equal to a traffic ticket than to not register a simple vote. As Abraham Lincoln states, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish
Although it is possible to understand why some people might think that Americans should be required to vote. They could say that it gives non-voters political knowledge and the election turns out more accurate. However, the argument on the other side is stronger. Would you rather have an average size group of people who want to vote honestly, or a very large group made up of some people who want to vote honestly and some people who are angry about being compelled to vote? Well, no matter what side you’re on, Americans still should not be required to vote, because some people will not vote
On the contrary, citizens should be required to vote. For example, text 1 line 20 states "A democracy can't be strong, if its citizenship is weak"; therefore when being forced to vote against our own will, it is to strengthen our nation. In addition, if the turnout rates are high, then political parties reaches out to the citizens. As a result, the voices of the less educated and the poorer Americans will be heard and not ignored. Not to mention, William A. Galston states that voting evens out the inequalities stemming from income, education, and age in text 1. Most importantly, mandatory voting only benefits us a nation and individually. Clearly, compulsory voting should be enforced.
... who are eligible of voting should get out there and vote. We fought to expand suffrage, and now we must show the government we are capable of voting.
Moreover, numerous countries in the world; China, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia, do not offer their citizens such liberal democratic opportunities. For these reasons, I believe as Americans, we should feel indebted and vote, because of our enlightened Founding Fathers; George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, etc. Not only did these great men risk their lives to form this great country, but they are also largely responsible for our generations being able to enjoy these freedoms and privileges. As one could conclude furthermore, voting makes Americans feel increasingly patriotic. Because of these reason, I will continue to advocate for Americans to get registered to vote. Not only do I view voting as a privilege, but I also understand that it’s my patriotic
In addition, if citizens tend to have a lack of trust in the government, which causes them to conclude that their vote does not matter. If the government forces the issue of mandatory voting, the percentage of voter turnout will increase massively. Also, there will be an accurate reflection of the United States as a whole. Therefore, if voting on the federal level becomes mandatory a national holiday should be declared for the Americans who have work schedules that create conflicting issues with them exercising their right to speak.
The United States of America was founded on freedom. Freedom from the British, freedom of speech and many more. Today, one of America’s many freedoms is the right to or not to vote, and enforcing mandatory voting would infringe on this very freedom. Compulsory voting requires money, encourages politicians to be vague and is unethical. It should not be considered for the United States.
About 13% of countries have compulsory voting laws. This means everyone is required to vote and it is every citizen's responsibility to elect their representatives. Some countries even go as far as to have sanctions for those that don't vote. However most countries believe that voting is a right of citizenship and not a required duty. For the U.S. to enforce compulsory voting laws would be considered unconstitutional and greatly decrease the accuracy of our electoral polls.
Voting is something we should take under consideration for what is the right age to be called an adult. The legal voting age now is 18 but should that still be the correct age ? There are a lot of benefits to voting at the age 16 or 17 like in the community .”Sixteen- and 17-year-old deserve the right to vote on issues that affect them on the local level” (vote 16 USA) .If we don’t have a say in our community while were younger when we get to 18 we’re
Voting is important for our country, it's how we choose who is going to lead us. But compared to other countries, not that many people participate. In my opinion, the best way to fix this issue is by lowering the voting age from 18, to 16. Many other countries have done it, so why not ours, too?