Compulsory voting
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Compulsory voting is a practice that requires citizens to vote in elections or to attend a polling place to get their name crossed off the electoral roll. Because of the secret ballot, people can only be compelled to cast ballots, whether they have voted formally or not. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he/she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or imprisonment.
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[edit] History
The idea that it is every citizen's duty to participate in the decision making dates back to the foundation of democracy itself, the Athenian democracy. Attendance at the assembly was in fact voluntary, however, as is sourced from Aristophanes's comedy Acharnians 17-22, in the 5th century BC, public slaves forming a cordon with a red-stained rope herded citizens from the agora into the assembly meeting place (pnyx), with a fine for those who got the red on their clothes. This cannot compare with the compulsory voting schemes of some modern democracies being rather an immediate measure to get enough people rapidly in place, like an aggressive form of ushering.
[edit] Arguments in favor of compulsory voting
The most commonly cited reason for compulsory voting is to guarantee that the government represents the will of the majority of the whole population, not merely those individuals who choose to vote. This helps ensure that governments are not neglecting those sections of society that are less active politically.
It is also argued that voting is a "civic duty", much like paying taxes, and that it is important for the continued functioning of the nation. People are required to pay taxes and sit on juries for the good of society; some feel that voting is another duty that all citizens should be required to perform.
Increased voter turnout reduces the cost of campaigning, and tends to reduce the influence of those who donate money to political parties.
Declining voter turnout in much of the Western world has led to an increased interest in compulsory voting to compensate for the apathy of the electorate. Apathy presents a potential danger to democracy, and governmental instability may result.
Without a need to mobilize their support bases, politicians in compulsory systems may focus on attracting swinging voters and thus adopt more centrist policies. Swinging voters have a greater incentive to stay abreast of political issues than those who always vote the same way because of, for example, family tradition.
In compulsory systems the socially-advantaged may have a greater interest in investing in broad public education, as the socially-disadvantaged have a greater influence on public policy. This will tend to lift the standard of public education and create a greater sense of national solidarity.
Political leaders of compulsory systems may claim greater political legitimacy than can those of non-compulsory systems with lower voter turnout.
Whilst the secret ballot is designed to prevent interference with the votes actually cast, compulsory voting aims to prevent interference with access to the vote. It is a measure to prevent disenfranchisement of the socially disadvantaged.
[edit] Arguments against compulsory voting
One argument against compulsory voting denies that voting is a civic duty, but instead should be construed as a civil right. While a citizen may choose to exercise his legal rights (free speech, voting, etc.) he need not necessarily avail himself of those rights if he does not wish to do so. Following this logic, compulsory voting can be seen as a serious infringement on the basic freedoms of the citizen.
For example, many nations provide free basic health care to its citizens, but few (if any) actually require their citizens to see health professionals. Additionally, nations which guarantee citizens the right to freedom of speech do not require that citizens express their opinions publicly.
Compulsory voting may also infringe on other basic rights. For example, most Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that they should participate in earthly political processes. State coercion to force them to do so then explicitly denies them their right to freedom of religious practice.
Some individuals resent the idea of being coerced into voting, particularly if they have no interest in politics or have no knowledge of the individual candidates. Others may be well-informed, but do not have a true preference for any particular candidate. Such people may vote at random simply to fulfill legal requirements. This so called donkey-vote may account for 1-2% of votes cast in a compulsory voting system. This could possibly be eliminated by simply including a "No Preference" option, but few jurisdictions have chosen to do so.
Libertarians and others argue that compulsory voting is a violation of personal liberties, and that individuals should be free to decide for themselves whether they wish to vote. These people believe compulsory voting contradicts democracy. Penalizing people who choose not to vote can be seen as oppressive. Some groups assert that low voter participation in a voluntary election shows dissatisfaction with the political establishment in a country.
An Australian news report says compulsory voting may skew the focus of a campaign towards swinging voters, with candidates and political parties trying to win the votes of the undecided, rather than motivating their "base" supporters to the polls. Forcing people who are less knowledgeable about politics to vote has the potential to degrade political campaigns to more populist or superficial levels.
Compulsory voting may also lead to an increase in the amount of invalid ballot papers which are not marked according to the rules of voting (either through deliberate spoiling or returning a blank ballot) as a form of protest against mandatory voting, and also that there would be a large amount of resources expended on questioning and fining non-participants.
[edit] Countries with compulsory voting
There are currently 32 countries with compulsory voting. Of these, 19 enforce it. Only 10 members of the OECD have forms of compulsory voting.[1]
Countries that enforce compulsory voting:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria (presidential elections only)
- Belgium
- Brazil (non-compulsory for 16 & 17 year olds and those over 70)
- Chile (enrollment voluntary)
- Cyprus
- Ecuador
- Fiji
- Greece
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Mexico
- Nauru
- Peru
- Singapore
- Switzerland (Schaffhausen)
- Turkey
- Uruguay
Countries that do not enforce compulsory voting:
- Bolivia
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt (men only)
- France (Senate elections only)
- Gabon
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Paraguay
- Philippines
- Thailand
Countries that have abolished compulsory voting:
[edit] Punitive measures
Although voting in a country may be compulsory, penalties for failing to vote are not always strictly enforced. Sometimes this lack of enforcement is due to insufficient resources, as is the case in Argentina. In Australia and Brazil, providing a legitimate reason for not voting may prevent the levying of a fine. If a non-voter is sanctioned with a fine, the amount is often very small or nominal in countries like Australia or Brazil. The current fine for not voting in Australia is a mere $20 (maximum $100), with 21 days to pay it. (Because of this small fine, there are some voters that refuse to vote, and merely pay the fine routinely after an election. The fine is not even routinely enforced, as it requires action by the DPP.)
Penalties for failing to vote are not limited to fines and legal sanctions. Belgian voters who repeatedly fail to vote in elections may be subject to disenfranchising. Goods and services provided by public offices may be denied to those failing to vote in Peru and Greece. If a Bolivian voter fails to participate in an election, the citizen may be denied withdrawal of their salary from the bank for three months.[2]
[edit] Compulsory voting in non-democracies
Very rarely, compulsory voting occurs in states that attempt to create the illusion of democracy, while not actually being representative. Nations such as Iraq under former dictator Saddam Hussein or the Communist states of Eastern Europe during the Cold War could hold elections and plebiscites, and mandate voting by the populace. These states could advertise near-100%, universal turnout in these elections. However in almost all cases, the countries that require voting from all their citizens are western democracies (see the list above).
[edit] Compulsory voting in Austria
The mandatory voting for the elections to the Austrian National Council was abolished in 1992. Until then, each province was entitled to regulate mandatory voting in the respective provincial election laws. Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg were the last provinces to exercise compulsory voting. They did so until 1992. As for the presidential elections, a nation-wide duty to vote existed until 1982. Subsequently it was up to the provinces whether or not they required the exercise of the voting right. During the elections to the office of Federal President in 2004, only the province of Tyrol still had a provision governing compulsory voting. However, said provision was abolished in the same year, shortly after the elections. (Source: Federal Ministry of the Interior website http://www.bmi.gv.at/wahlen/elections_compulsorey_voting.asp)
[edit] External links
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance - Compulsory voting information
- Suffrage - The CIA World Factbook
[edit] Notes
- ^ Evans, Tim. Compulsory Voting in Australia, Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ The Guardian Compulsory voting around the world
