Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Should voting in elections be mandatory?
Position‹2 of 2
Voting should not be mandatory
Argument‹2 of 3›

People should actively want to vote

People should want to vote, rather than being forced to do so.

The argument

Forcing people who are apathetic, uninformed, or disillusioned with politics to vote would not bring the positive gains the proponents of mandatory voting expect. In many cases, this sizeable group have elected not to participate in elections for good reasons. Forcing them to vote could lead to more votes and electoral gains for protest and populist parties. The country is better off if those who are disinclined to vote are not forced to participate in public affairs.

Premises

[P1]Forcing apathetic, uninformed, or disillusioned people to vote would not yield the gains proponents expect, as many abstain for good reasons. [P2] Compelling their participation could instead boost protest and populist parties, so the country is better off when the disinclined are not forced to vote. [C] Because people should actively want to vote, voting should not be mandatory.

Counter-arguments

Citizens of democracies are already forced to do things that they may not want to do but are in the public good. This includes allowing their children to be educated, paying tax, and serving on juries. All of these serve a greater societal good and reflect a broader social contract between the governors of society and the governed, which is a careful balance between a citizen’s rights and responsibilities. Voting is the responsibility of each citizen and making it compulsory would ensure that people see it as part of a broader social contract where full participation benefits society as a whole.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Just as the state makes people who may not want to serve on juries, they should be made to vote for the greater public good.