ipl-logo

Essay On Why Americans Should Not Be Required To Vote

511 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Write an essay explaining whether voting should be made compulsory or not

American citizens should not be required to vote, because mandatory voting contradicts the purpose of democracy itself. When you think of democracy, the word freedom will often come to mind. This freedom is linked to a democratic society, and it includes the right to vote, but it also includes the right not to vote or voice opinion.

If people were required by law to cast their vote, a great deal of problems would arise that could potentially compromise the foundations of the voting system itself, along with the freedoms that many citizens often take for granted. Although this policy is successful in other countries, compulsory voting in the United States would only be problematic because of the American people 's belief in the freedom to …show more content…

Mandating voting made "discourage the political education of the electorate" (text 2, line 20) by forcing some voters to "choose candidates arbitrarily or for the wrong reasons because they do not want to be find or punished for not doing their hypothetical duty" (text 3, lines 31-32). Random voters do not legitimize a democracy and its ideals, but rather contradict it, for their participation was forced and insincere. If voter turnout is in decline as it is stated in text four, then what difference do careless votes make just to simply avoid penalty? It all comes down to the politicians themselves. "It is much more likely politicians will fight for the welfare of the poor and uneducated if they have to go out and seek their vote" (text 4, lines 24-25). If a person wants to vote for a politician that represents their opinion, then they certainly have the option to and can legally do so. But if no one has an opinion on the matter what good is their vote? "Voting should be carried out by those who care, but had those who wants to vote" (text 4, line 46). Granted, there are some upsides to mandatory voting. In text one, an argument is made that lists out the reasons to introduce compulsory voting, and one of these reasons is that it would voice the opinion of all citizens so that the country as a whole can decide on elections or issues. However, "it should never be used to avoid tackling The route of political disengagement" (text 3, line 37). The current system of voting is fully functional and it provides a basis for true democracy by giving people the right to or not to

Show More
Related
353 Words | 2 Pages

I believe that Americans should be required to vote. Compulsory voting allows everyone to have a say about who they think is fit in the government. It allows the polls to be more accurate and the number of votes increase. Required voting allows those who can 't or don 't have time to make it the day or time off work. Requiring people to vote is like a boss requiring his employees to get to work on time, it 's short and easy but also important and effective.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

In document 3, it states that when Alexis de Tocqueville arrived to the United States he said “I was surprised to find so much distinguished talent among the subjects, and so little among the heads of the government.” This states that having common people vote would make sense, and benefit the government. With more people it would also be a benefit because the elections would have a better turnout.

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

The United States of America Prides itself on its extensive democracy--it is one of the most free places in the world--so why is it that a citizen has the right to vote, and is expected to exercise it, when it could be potentially pointless to cast a ballot? The answer, is the Electoral College. The Electoral College was established because our founding fathers dictated that their citizenry was incapable of making informed decisions, and they thought it best that the central figurehead of the nation be decided by men like them. That is false now--the Electoral College is an antiquated system that needs to be abolished because it is an inaccurate representation of what the people want, it forces people to throw away their vote, and most importantly,

Read More
509 Words | 3 Pages

The argument for compulsory voting is basically undemocratic because the first amendment talks about how you have freedom. The freedom of choice must include the freedom not to choose. Democracy deeply values individual freedom which means if compulsory voting was mandatory, It is a clear violation of liberty and the first amendment. I argue that voting should not be mandatory in America because first, non-voters are uninformed, it doesn’t improve the democratic climate, and it requires a national database. American is one of the most powerful and big countries in the world.

Read More
1747 Words | 7 Pages

“The right to vote gives every eligible American a voice in our electoral politics. There's too much at stake to stay silent as this right is eroded. ”(Martin O'Malley).Voting is supposed to be a guaranteed right to all but in reality, this is not the case. It is to be expected that the political parties running for office enjoy the process behind the Electoral College. The political parties influence the American citizens to vote for their candidate as the next President in order to benefit from the candidate's power.

Read More
529 Words | 3 Pages

Evidence of this is in ”Unequal Participation: Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma, American Political Science Review, Vol.91 No.1” by an Australian supporter of compulsory voting, this states that by compelling people to vote, we are likely to arouse them with an intelligent interest and to give them a political knowledge that they do hold at present process. This evidence helps explain why Americans should be required to vote because, if people don't vote, nothing will get fixed, for example: schools, offices, and, libraries. Although, it is possible to understand why some people might think that Americans should not be required to vote. They could say that people are dishonest and have the right to choose, or how compulsory voting is a restriction.

Read More
429 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion voting is not something that is required for citizens, but is giving to the people so they can interact. Once stated by Hilary Clinton “Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process”. As an African American female, and being able to vote in my first election. I could voice my opinion by voting for someone who I feel could do great things to help our country. I’m pleased to say that I’m able to vote because I know in history women has went through disfranchisement as well to allow me and women in American the opportunity to be able to voice their opinion.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

If thousands of such people don’t vote then elections truly cannot be considered to be fair. Also if people don’t show trust in the very system that elects their leaders then it should be the priority of the institution to correct its flaws and regain the lost trust. Statistically, several variables show that in government certain races, age groups, etc are over-represented and others are underrepresented, one of the solutions to those problems could be if more people vote and trust that the system works for them. The Electoral College has received certain amounts of disapproval due to the question of whether or not the Electoral College promotes direct democracy. True democracy involves each individual having a say in all political matters, and the Electoral College can be seen as something that limits direct political involvement.

Read More
754 Words | 4 Pages

However after various discussions, my opinion is changed. I now believe that it would not be beneficial to make voting mandatory,

Read More
940 Words | 4 Pages

The United States currently faces a severe problem with one of their governmental processes. In the democratic system of the United States, politicians are elected by voting from the citizens, in most cases. The problem the United States is facing is that people are no longer voting in elections for officials. This problem is discussed in the article, “In praise of low voter turnout”, written by Charles Krauthammer. The main idea behind this article is that voters are no longer interested in politics, as they were in previous generations.

Read More
692 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the recent years the majority of the able voting population are exercising their privilege to vote. Even during the presidential elections the voter turnout rate was 50% or less than that. The act of voting should be a personal responsibility of every citizen meaning it should be a obligation. But to specify on this statement, it should not lawfully required to vote because people also have the right not to vote too (and it would be weakening personal liberties) , but it should be a personal responsibility for citizens if they are to complain about how the government run rather than every citizen. A personal responsibility is when we are the cause of our own actions.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Have you ever asked yourself "how would the world be if there was no structure to allow people to vote for the person who is leading their country?". How about "Does my vote really count ?" or "does the opinion and choice of me, one person, really make a difference?". These questions aren't simply answered but should be seriously thought of by anybody who is a citizen of a country which has an established government and truly cares about the wellbeing and future of the country that they live in. I will be focused on the importance of voting for the president themselves is important. Individuals whom are over the age 18 and have a vailidated citisenship of the country they wish to vote on, have the opretunitiy to vote on several different ascepts of the government.

Read More
490 Words | 2 Pages

These are heavy obligations with their own challenges that adults have no problem taking on, so why shouldn’t the younger citizens that are undertaking these responsibilities be able to vote? If they are thought to be responsible enough

Read More
736 Words | 3 Pages

Everyone has the right to vote, but many don’t take that opportunity. In the article “Should Voting Be Mandatory?” Eric Liu tells us that “mandatory voting would prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices;” people usually never pay attention to their choices, and then complain about it later when everything has already happened. (Par 5). Mandatory voting means that every citizen of the age of 18 and above that has a right to vote must vote.

Read More
1456 Words | 6 Pages

Many people believe that the election plays the most important role in democracy. Because a free and fair election holds the government responsible and forces it to behave on voter's interest. However, some scholars find evidence that election itself is not enough to hold politicians responsible if the institutions are not shaping incentives in a correct way. In other words, the role of the election on democracy, whether it helps to serve the interest of the public or specific groups, depends on other political institutions. I

Read More

More about Essay On Why Americans Should Not Be Required To Vote

Related Topics

Open Document