Compulsory voting

Compulsory voting

• System requiring eligible citizens to vote

• Common in some countries yet debated in the UK.

Number of countries w/compulsory voting (CIA world fact book)

• 22, 11 of which actively enforce it

• Australia, Argentina

• Belgium, Brazil

• Mexico

Country example: Australia

• Voting mandatory since 1924

  • Although several failed attempts to abolish it

• Actively enforces it

  • fines for not voting (20AUD / 11GBP)

  • Court action if fine not paid

• High turnout

  • 95% of those eligible are registered

  • Turnout is 94-95%, when it was 60% in 1924

  • However, some say the electorate is not especially politically engaged

• Ballot spoiling allowed

Civic duty

• Voting seen as a duty of citizenship

• Reinforces engagement and responsibility.

Cosmetic democracy

• Superficial boosts to turnout without solving deeper engagement problems

For CV: democratic legitimacy

• Increases democratic legitimacy of those elected

• Ensures turnout which means those who win will have won on a true majority

• This has never happened in a UK GE

  • 2005 - Labour’s support only 22% of total electorate (voting and non-voting)

For CV: participation

• Enforces better participation in democratic process, especially for those with a low participation rate

• Australia example

For CV: civic duty

• Voting is a civic duty (like jury service), so should be followed

• By not requiring citisens to fulfil this duty, it undermines the integrity of democracy

• The more people who participate in politics, the more they think/act as full citizens and members of a political community

For CV: informed electorate

• Encourages voters to politically inform themselves

For CV: social justice

• Ensures genuine political equality to ensure views of most marginalised represented

• Usually: interests of M/C and educated represented at cost of those who are not

• Traditionally disengaged people vote (benefiting left parties)

Against CV: democratic legitimacy

• A govt cannot be claimed as democratically legitimate as votes of those disengaged/random voting carries less weight than those who truly wish to vote

Against CV: civil liberties

• Violates civil liberties - CV is coercion

  • Forcing the public to vote for a choice they disagree with is an infringment of civic rights

• We should have the freedom to not vote if we so choose, as that in itself is an expression of political views

  • Not voting shows dissatisfaction with the candidates/process

    • 2021 PCC elections - 33.2% tunrout shows voters see it as insignificant

• Voting is a civic right, not a duty like paying taxes or jury service

Against CV: cosmetic democracy

• Increase in participation rate ≠ voters being better/more engaged in democratic process

• Addresses symptoms but not cause of problem

Against CV: cost

• Significant administrative costs

Against CV: politician’s engagement with the electorate

• Choosing to vote is important, and politicans feel incentivised to engage with the electorate in order to give them a reason to vote

• CV = no reason to engage with the electorate

Against CV: extension of the power of the state

• CV represents the extension of state power over individuals, which limits our right to act how we wish

• British state typically intervenes as little as possible in personal liberties - National Citizen Service is not compulsory

Against CV: political apathy

• Forcing those sceptical about politics to participate would intensify their negativity and push them to extremist/anti-establishment parties