It is compulsory in Australia (a democracy), and you get fined if you do not vote. My own opinion is that no, it should not be compulsory. If it was, I would vote for the None of the Above party!
Democracy is about everyone having a say and that includes the right to opt out of exercising that right. The only time I would consider not voting is if it became compulsory.
I didn't fancy any of the parties at the last election so if you didn't want to vote but it was compulsory, just write 'None of the above' across the ballot paper.
Good debate. Year on year the turnout for elections is declining and the engagement of younger people in politics is less and less. What is the answer ? Doing nothing could mean having a democracy is a futile gesture in this country.
I don't think that voting should be made compulsory but I think the ways we vote must become easier and more diverse so as to include as many people as possible.
But jury service is compulsory. Isn't that equally a civic duty?
Voting is a right. Jury service is a duty.
It could be argued that trial by jury is a right and to make that happen we need jury. But equally democracy is a right but to make that work we need voters to exercise their duty.
I think it voting should be compulsory and Reopen Nominations be an option on the ballot paper .If RON got over 50 per cent of the votes then the electoral process would start again.
That way it would be an active not passive abstention.
I think you would have to have a none of the above option. I like the RON idea, but it could mean elections going on forever. The lack of people voting should ring alarm bells with the members of the house, but as they drift further away from the real world they don't seem to care.
But jury service is compulsory. Isn't that equally a civic duty?
Voting is a right. Jury service is a duty.
It could be argued that trial by jury is a right and to make that happen we need jury. But equally democracy is a right but to make that work we need voters to exercise their duty.
Trial by jury is the right of the defendant, not the juror.
Is democracy a right? It just happens to be the system most of the western world uses at the moment - and it could be argued that, due to boundaries and demographics, it's hardly a democracy when only 100 out of 635 seats actually decide the outcome of an election.
What happens in the voting booth is secret (quite correctly) so as others have said the option to vote 'none of the above' or to spoil the ballot paper will apply to those who do not wish to register their vote. All compulsory voting will achieve is forcing people to have to go to the voting station - not to register a valid vote. Unless of course you want to be able to trace an actual ballot paper back to an individual - and I'm sure you wouldn't agree with that.
If voting is a right then surely freely choosing not to exercise that right is also a right?
Ok consider this ...if it hadnt been for the sacrifices that our forebears made for suffrage and freedom.(.and some paid with their lives) what kind of country or society would we live in today ? a far worse one surely .Did our forebears fight for the right not to vote? I think we should treasure our rights(other nations dont have that right to this day).Even if you turn up just to abstain you honour democracy and the far greater sacrifices that man has made to get us where we are today.
Maybe instead of making voting compulsory, candidates should do more to engage voters across all platforms. Look at the Obama campaign in the States. Regardless of what you think of his time in The Whitehouse, his team got people out voting, including younger age groups and ethnic minorities who had become disillusioned with politics. It's no wonder both the Tories and Labour have since employed two of the key strategists from his first campaign.
No because my missus works for the council in the election department (part time) and has been doing ridiculous hours lately and will be working from 8am to 4am on election day/night
For her benefit I like the fact that only about a third of the country can be arsed to vote.
No because my missus works for the council in the election department (part time) and has been doing ridiculous hours lately and will be working from 8am to 4am on election day/night
For her benefit I like the fact that only about a third of the country can be arsed to vote.
No because my missus works for the council in the election department (part time) and has been doing ridiculous hours lately and will be working from 8am to 4am on election day/night
For her benefit I like the fact that only about a third of the country can be arsed to vote.
Given that voting is often cited as a symbol of freedom making it compulsory seems somewhat contradictory and incongruous to me.
Democracy has become an illusion rather than a reality. The European Commision has the right to overrule the supposedly democratic European Parliament for instance and indeed Peter Mandelson, a former European Trade Commisioner, is on record as speaking about the post democratic age as representative democracy comes to an end.
British Governments have also shown contempt for Parliament, one Blair A being a good example with his attitude to Iraq. To balance this I will also mention that Ed Miliband deserves credit for forcing Cameron, against his preferred will, to consult Parliament over Syria.
All that said one hopes that the population is sufficiently educated to realise that many lives have been sacrificed for the right to vote and that individuals will therefore make a moral judgement of their own to vote even if, understandably as described above, they feel thoroughly disenfranchised.
We will continue to get the ineffectual, self serving politicians we deserve all the time people continue to blindly vote for the pig with the blue or red rosette depending on where they live and family tradition rather than proper analysis of the issues.
I will be voting for Mr Farage, even though he and UKIP have shortcomings, because the Establishment is playing the man rather than the ball and I want to make a statement against that Establishment.
However writing "None of the Above" or otherwise spoiling your ballot paper is equally valid if you prefer but please do something to engage with the process flawed as it is. It is all we have.
Given that voting is often cited as a symbol of freedom making it compulsory seems somewhat contradictory and incongruous to me.
Democracy has become an illusion rather than a reality. The European Commision has the right to overrule the supposedly democratic European Parliament for instance and indeed Peter Mandelson, a former European Trade Commisioner, is on record as speaking about the post democratic age as representative democracy comes to an end.
British Governments have also shown contempt for Parliament, one Blair A being a good example with his attitude to Iraq. To balance this I will also mention that Ed Miliband deserves credit for forcing Cameron, against his preferred will, to consult Parliament over Syria.
All that said one hopes that the population is sufficiently educated to realise that many lives have been sacrificed for the right to vote and that individuals will therefore make a moral judgement of their own to vote even if, understandably as described above, they feel thoroughly disenfranchised.
We will continue to get the ineffectual, self serving politicians we deserve all the time people continue to blindly vote for the pig with the blue or red rosette depending on where they live and family tradition rather than proper analysis of the issues.
I will be voting for Mr Farage, even though he and UKIP have shortcomings, because the Establishment is playing the man rather than the ball and I want to make a statement against that Establishment.
However writing "None of the Above" or otherwise spoiling your ballot paper is equally valid if you prefer but please do something to engage with the process flawed as it is. it is all we have.
Agreed with most of this until I saw the UKIP voting intention. There are other parties you could vote for outside of the big three if you wanted to protest vote.
Given that voting is often cited as a symbol of freedom making it compulsory seems somewhat contradictory and incongruous to me.
Democracy has become an illusion rather than a reality. The European Commision has the right to overrule the supposedly democratic European Parliament for instance and indeed Peter Mandelson, a former European Trade Commisioner, is on record as speaking about the post democratic age as representative democracy comes to an end.
British Governments have also shown contempt for Parliament, one Blair A being a good example with his attitude to Iraq. To balance this I will also mention that Ed Miliband deserves credit for forcing Cameron, against his preferred will, to consult Parliament over Syria.
All that said one hopes that the population is sufficiently educated to realise that many lives have been sacrificed for the right to vote and that individuals will therefore make a moral judgement of their own to vote even if, understandably as described above, they feel thoroughly disenfranchised.
We will continue to get the ineffectual, self serving politicians we deserve all the time people continue to blindly vote for the pig with the blue or red rosette depending on where they live and family tradition rather than proper analysis of the issues.
I will be voting for Mr Farage, even though he and UKIP have shortcomings, because the Establishment is playing the man rather than the ball and I want to make a statement against that Establishment.
However writing "None of the Above" or otherwise spoiling your ballot paper is equally valid if you prefer but please do something to engage with the process flawed as it is. it is all we have.
Agreed with most of this until I saw the UKIP voting intention. There are other parties you could vote for outside of the big three if you wanted to protest vote.
UKIP is the only anti EU party to the best of my knowledge and the EU is part of the Establishment I oppose.
I like your optimism Len in thinking that "the population are sufficiently educated to realise that many lives have been sacrificed for the right to vote" I doubt that they either know or care in enough numbers to make it reassuring.
To be fair Henry I think Len was highlighting that democracy had already been diminished in his view by the UK's membership of Europe. It's a view that many would agree with and I don't think his post detracts from the thrust of this thread.
Comments
Could be argued that it would be a more active democracy because everyone is involved.
Seriously though I think everyone should have to, but the voter should be able to register they do not want to vote for any candidates.
I don't think that voting should be made compulsory but I think the ways we vote must become easier and more diverse so as to include as many people as possible.
It's a worry.
That way it would be an active not passive abstention.
Is democracy a right? It just happens to be the system most of the western world uses at the moment - and it could be argued that, due to boundaries and demographics, it's hardly a democracy when only 100 out of 635 seats actually decide the outcome of an election.
What happens in the voting booth is secret (quite correctly) so as others have said the option to vote 'none of the above' or to spoil the ballot paper will apply to those who do not wish to register their vote. All compulsory voting will achieve is forcing people to have to go to the voting station - not to register a valid vote. Unless of course you want to be able to trace an actual ballot paper back to an individual - and I'm sure you wouldn't agree with that.
If voting is a right then surely freely choosing not to exercise that right is also a right?
are today.
Only joking, please don't bite. There's too much arguing & don't descend to my level :-)
For her benefit I like the fact that only about a third of the country can be arsed to vote.
Democracy has become an illusion rather than a reality. The European Commision has the right to overrule the supposedly democratic European Parliament for instance and indeed Peter Mandelson, a former European Trade Commisioner, is on record as speaking about the post democratic age as representative democracy comes to an end.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/douglascarswellmp/100259311/british-democracy-is-dying-replaced-by-a-smug-self-serving-technocracy/
British Governments have also shown contempt for Parliament, one Blair A being a good example with his attitude to Iraq. To balance this I will also mention that Ed Miliband deserves credit for forcing Cameron, against his preferred will, to consult Parliament over Syria.
All that said one hopes that the population is sufficiently educated to realise that many lives have been sacrificed for the right to vote and that individuals will therefore make a moral judgement of their own to vote even if, understandably as described above, they feel thoroughly disenfranchised.
We will continue to get the ineffectual, self serving politicians we deserve all the time people continue to blindly vote for the pig with the blue or red rosette depending on where they live and family tradition rather than proper analysis of the issues.
I will be voting for Mr Farage, even though he and UKIP have shortcomings, because the Establishment is playing the man rather than the ball and I want to make a statement against that Establishment.
However writing "None of the Above" or otherwise spoiling your ballot paper is equally valid if you prefer but please do something to engage with the process flawed as it is. It is all we have.
Sink
Sorry Oh Great And Mighty Thought Policeman for mentioning IN PASSING who I was going to vote for in a thread about voting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EDIT: Presumably I am not allowed to respond to Red Red Robin's comment on my post with an explanation??