Is mandatory voting good idea ?

24

Comments

  • Godfather.
    Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    PJfanwillneverleave1 said:

    Godfather. said:

    Is mandatory voting a bad idea ?

    For what country?

    or is it just a question to all
    in the USA.

    Godfather.

  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    YES I would support a mandatory voting system
    Well, guess I hijacked your thread GF talking about Canada but your original question didn't specify.

    I'm clearly in the minority, but that's okay, I'm comfortable there :smile: . I've voted in every municipal, provincial and federal election that I've been eligible to vote in. I personally believe that voting should be considered a basic, bare minimum for accepting all the benefits of being a citizen here. People the world over are risking death to be able to vote.

    If you feel very strongly that the candidates on the ballot don't represent your interests or values, then spoiling your ballot is a stronger message than not showing up at the polls. However, in all the elections I've voted in there's always been at least someone that I could stomach voting for.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,771
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    never. first: it's unenforceable. second: those who don't turn out are largely from the lower ecomonic base. this will come across as punishing the poor. third: I don't want a shitload of uninformed voters just ticking off any old box. I'd rather low percentage informed than higher percentage uninformed.
    By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.




  • HesCalledDyer
    HesCalledDyer Maryland Posts: 16,498
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    ^What Hugh said.
    Star Lake 00 / Pittsburgh 03 / State College 03 / Bristow 03 / Cleveland 06 / Camden II 06 / DC 08 / Pittsburgh 13 / Baltimore 13 / Charlottesville 13 / Cincinnati 14 / St. Paul 14 / Hampton 16 / Wrigley I 16 / Wrigley II 16 / Baltimore 20 / Camden 22 / Baltimore 24 / Raleigh I 25 / Raleigh II 25 / Pittsburgh I 25
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,760
    edited March 2015
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    I do do think they need to figure out a secure way for people to vote online, which I believe is totally possible to do. I fell like old politicians who are still scared of computers must be preventing this from happening - the same guys who are against the legalozation if marijuana, lol. The voter "turnout" would skyrocket if they did that.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • HughFreakingDillon
    HughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 39,771
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    PJ_Soul said:

    I do do think they need to figure out a secure way for people to vote online, which I believe is totally possible to do. I fell like old politicians who are still scared of computers must be preventing this from happening - the same guys who are against the legalozation if marijuana, lol. The voter "turnout" would skyrocket if they did that.

    make it digital, you make it hackable. one guy with a Chloe Obrien at his disposal could win any election he wanted.

    By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.




  • Last-12-Exit
    Last-12-Exit Charleston, SC Posts: 8,661
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    HughFreakingDillon said:

    PJ_Soul said:

    I do do think they need to figure out a secure way for people to vote online, which I believe is totally possible to do. I fell like old politicians who are still scared of computers must be preventing this from happening - the same guys who are against the legalozation if marijuana, lol. The voter "turnout" would skyrocket if they did that.

    make it digital, you make it hackable. one guy with a Chloe Obrien at his disposal could win any election he wanted.

    Sweet 24 reference.
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,760
    edited March 2015
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    HughFreakingDillon said:

    PJ_Soul said:

    I do do think they need to figure out a secure way for people to vote online, which I believe is totally possible to do. I fell like old politicians who are still scared of computers must be preventing this from happening - the same guys who are against the legalozation if marijuana, lol. The voter "turnout" would skyrocket if they did that.

    make it digital, you make it hackable. one guy with a Chloe Obrien at his disposal could win any election he wanted.

    Not without getting caught. There are ways to do it if the government cared to, with no more risk to security than exists now. Probably less. There are all kinds of methods they could use to ensure one person, one vote was counted properly in an online system, and prevent hackers from fucking up the results.
    It's not like the current system is any good.
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • backseatLover12
    backseatLover12 Posts: 2,312
    Perhaps this idea comes out of the voter fraud going on in some states. If it was mandatory, perhaps that bogus voter fraud would come to an end, so minorities can actually vote.
  • jeffbr
    jeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    What specific voter fraud are you seeing that keeps minorities from voting? I haven't seen any real, credible documentation of systemic, or widespread voter fraud happening, and it is usually something conservatives tout when trying to scare up votes, so not sure what you're referencing.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • Last-12-Exit
    Last-12-Exit Charleston, SC Posts: 8,661
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    backseatLover12 said:

    Perhaps this idea comes out of the voter fraud going on in some states. If it was mandatory, perhaps that bogus voter fraud would come to an end, so minorities can actually vote.

    image
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    Last-12-Exit said:

    backseatLover12 said:

    Perhaps this idea comes out of the voter fraud going on in some states. If it was mandatory, perhaps that bogus voter fraud would come to an end, so minorities can actually vote.

    image
    I believe this is sarcasm...relating the lack of evidence that voter fraud actually occurs and the fact that republicans use this falsity to try to keep minorities (who typically vote democrat) from voting with new voter ID restrictions.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • jeffbr
    jeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    rgambs said:

    Last-12-Exit said:

    backseatLover12 said:

    Perhaps this idea comes out of the voter fraud going on in some states. If it was mandatory, perhaps that bogus voter fraud would come to an end, so minorities can actually vote.

    image
    I believe this is sarcasm...relating the lack of evidence that voter fraud actually occurs and the fact that republicans use this falsity to try to keep minorities (who typically vote democrat) from voting with new voter ID restrictions.
    Since Dems are typically against Voter ID restrictions, which probably do tend to lower minority voting numbers, how would we possibly implement a mandatory system? Wouldn't that mean that everyone would have to be accounted for somehow? Wouldn't that require either some sort of Voter ID or at least tracking of who voted based on some sort of unique identifier? I can't see either side really championing mandatory voting due to their own preconceived notions about current voting behavior. BTW Gambs, based on your poll vote I know you aren't a proponent, so I'm not specifically asking you how you'd champion mandatory voting, it was more of a general question. I just don't see how it would get a lot of traction on either side of the aisle.
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • backseatLover12
    backseatLover12 Posts: 2,312
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/hans-von-spakovsky-here-comes-the-2014-voter-fraud-1414450805

    http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2014/03/19/fraud-local-nbc-investigation-discovers-dozens-of-illegal-voters-in-florida-n1811547
  • jeffbr
    jeffbr Seattle Posts: 7,177
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/10/30/debunking-the-conservative-medias-2014-voter-fr/201382
    "I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    YES I would support a mandatory voting system
    I've been doing a bit of reading on this subject now that my interest has been piqued. I hadn't realized that voting has been mandatory in Australia since 1924 - I had assumed it was a more recent invention.

    Any discussion of the issue raises the points people have already made above. One point hasn't been raised here yet, though, is that when the state mandates people voting it also incurs an obligation to make voting as easy and accessible as possible (at least, it should, and the states that have mandatory voting do this). In practice that means that elections are on a weekend or holiday, people can vote in any riding, there are far more polling stations, and polls are brought to locations such as hospitals, nursing homes, etc. (It doesn't look like Australia has electronic voting.)

    As for how voters are registered, as asked above - all these other countries have managed it, so I'm sure the US could figure it out.

    And Australia only mandates that you show up at the poll. You can apparently feel free to put in a blank ballot, or one which you have spoiled in some way, once you have shown up.

    Yes, there is a cost in terms of enforcement. I haven't yet read any breakdown on this, or any major analysis as to how mandatory voting has affected policy, given that there is an assumption that those who are now relatively disenfranchised by poverty, disability, etc. would then be voting in much higher numbers.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    jeffbr said:

    rgambs said:

    Last-12-Exit said:

    backseatLover12 said:

    Perhaps this idea comes out of the voter fraud going on in some states. If it was mandatory, perhaps that bogus voter fraud would come to an end, so minorities can actually vote.

    image
    I believe this is sarcasm...relating the lack of evidence that voter fraud actually occurs and the fact that republicans use this falsity to try to keep minorities (who typically vote democrat) from voting with new voter ID restrictions.
    Since Dems are typically against Voter ID restrictions, which probably do tend to lower minority voting numbers, how would we possibly implement a mandatory system? Wouldn't that mean that everyone would have to be accounted for somehow? Wouldn't that require either some sort of Voter ID or at least tracking of who voted based on some sort of unique identifier? I can't see either side really championing mandatory voting due to their own preconceived notions about current voting behavior. BTW Gambs, based on your poll vote I know you aren't a proponent, so I'm not specifically asking you how you'd champion mandatory voting, it was more of a general question. I just don't see how it would get a lot of traction on either side of the aisle.
    With "conservative" Voter ID laws, the onus to comply falls entirely on the voter...I wouldn't be against them if the registration was compulsory and fairly administered. That would apply to compulsory voting as well.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    YES I would support a mandatory voting system
    I don't think you Americans have to worry about mandatory voting anyway; I just don't see it getting any traction in your country. Possibly Canada, but unlikely, particularly with Harper in power.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,760
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    How about handout free tote bags at the polls. Or maybe serve cookies. =)
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Last-12-Exit
    Last-12-Exit Charleston, SC Posts: 8,661
    edited March 2015
    NO I would not support a mandatory system
    How is it policed in other countries?

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