Compulsory voting

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. The term "compulsory voting" is actually a misnomer: because of the secret ballot, a person can only be compelled to cast a ballot, whether they have voted or not. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, they may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or imprisonment.

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.

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 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.

Important in the argument for compulsory voting is the effect of externalities on the results. For example, political interference, lack of transport or poor weather can affect the voter turn-out in a particular region or population, skewing the vote significantly. Compulsory voting places a legal obligation to explain why a vote was not cast, and so reduces the influence of such externalities.

As an example, when black Americans were enfranchised against the wishes of many white voters and their politicians, measures were introduced to obstruct or discourage their access to the ballot. Their low attendance at the ballot box was explained away as laziness or indifference to the democratic system.

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.

Polical leaders of compulsory systems may claim greater political legitimacy than can those of non-compulsory systems with lower voter turnout.

Where 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 repressed.

In Australia, the initial reason for instituting compulsory voting was due to the immense losses suffered during World War I. Since 60,000 Australians had died in World War I, it was argued that Australians had a duty to use those freedoms so dearly bought. Voter turnout has not dropped below 94% since the general election in 1955 (when it was approximately 88%).

Arguments against compulsory voting

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.

Countries with compulsory voting

Countries that have some form of compulsory voting:

Argentina
Australia (see Australian electoral system)
Austria (presidential elections only)
Belgium (see Belgian electoral system)
Bolivia
Brazil (non-compulsory for 16 to 18 year olds and those over 70)
Chile (registration is optional, once registered voting is then required)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Costa Rica
Cyprus
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Fiji
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Libya
Luxembourg
Mexico (not enforced)
Nauru
Panama
Paraguay (ages 75 and older voluntary)
Peru (ages 70 and older voluntary)
Singapore
Some parts of Switzerland
Thailand
Turkey (not enforced)
Uruguay
Venezuela (not enforced)
Massachusetts - Article LXI of the Massachusetts Constitution, ratified on November 5, 1918, states that, "The general court shall have authority to provide for compulsory voting at elections, but the right of secret voting shall be preserved." The authority is not currently exercised.

Countries that previously had compulsory voting, but have abolished it:

Austria
The Netherlands

In some countries, eligible voters are required to register, but voting itself is voluntary.

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.

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 their salary for three months.