1 What is compulsory voting

2 History behind compulsory voting 

3 Cons of having compulsory voting 

4 Pros of having compulsory voting 

5 Types of different voting styles 

Many people believe compulsory voting would harm U.S. elections and citizens. Forcing people to vote, they argue it would hamper freedom of speech and religion. Compulsory voting would also encourage voters to learn more about elections in general. On the other hand, critics think it could have the opposite effect. They say the mandate could make uneducated voters more apathetic. They worry disinterested voters may cast random votes just to abide by the law. 

I personally believe that the problem is not whether we should have mandatory voting or not I think the problem is in our voting system. I personally do not like the electoral college because it does not pick a winner. In other words, u can have the most votes but still lose an election because of the points won in the electoral college it also crates even more confusion.

Did you know only 56 percent of the eligible Americans voted in the 2016 presidential campaign! With the 2024 presidential election coming up we question yourself should voting be mandatory? Many people believe that the upcoming election will have an outrageously low turnout. This is for many reasons, number one being no one likes the two candidates running for president, they believe their vote doesn't count at the end of the day and lastly most of the US citizens aren't even informed about the current political world. That being said, compulsory voting would not help the V voting problem in the United States. This is because Americans argue that voting should remain a voluntary act preserving their freedom of choice, it would lead to a lot of uninformed voters and lastly it could decrease interest in the issues. 

Compulsory voting has a fascinating history in the United States, and its roots extended back to various periods. Even before the United States was officially established, the idea of compulsory voting emerged. Policies advocating for mandatory voting started to take shape. Debates around this concept gained lots of momentum in the progressive era. During this transformative period, eleven states and one city introduced compulsory voting laws. Six states considered constitutional amendments related to compulsory voting. While compulsory voting remained largely absent from mainstream American politics, recent years have seen a resurgence of interest. In the American 2020 Presidential election, 22 million more Americans voted compared to the 2016 election. Still, only about two-thirds of eligible voters voted. Usually, the number rests at about half of eligible voters. Local and midterm elections are worse. This shows how there are many factors that lead Americans to not vote.  

In the United States, citizens believe if they make voting mandatory that will infringe on their freedom of choice. The biggest compulsory voting con is perhaps that it eliminates the concept of having the freedom whether or not to cast your vote. Voting is certainly a privilege. Some would even call it a civic “right” or “responsibility.” According to Samuel Storm, The Compulsory Voting Debate, “In fact, the First Amendment protects your right not to speak. Critics say that making voting mandatory would infringe this right.” If any serious law wants to be passed regarding mandatory voting, it will never be passed. Many politicians and citizens would say that would be unconstitutional, making it almost impossible to pass a law like that. In the article, 13 Strongest Pros and Cons of Compulsory Voting,,  it states “However, it can be violated if voting is made mandatory because people would not have the freedom to not express their opinion.” In the United States people have the right to not express their civil duties and if they don't want to it is not up to the government to decide that.

Compulsory voting would lead to a higher voting rate but at what cost? Many people say that if the United States makes voting mandatory it will lead to votes that will throw away the election. In A century of compulsory voting in Australia, by Matteo Bonotti, it states “In principle those lacking a natural impulse to vote or a genuine interest in voting were considered unworthy of having their voices recorded, because they would be uninformed or ill-considered.” This explains how if someone doesn't want to vote and is forced to the vote will just be unworthy and no point in them even voting. According to Samuel Storm, “Forcing more uninformed people to vote would mean millions more ballots cast by people who haven't educated themselves on the candidates and the issues.” There are a lot of people who do not care about elections in the United States. Mandating them to vote is not a smart idea because they are not informing themselves about the politicians and what they are campaigning for. 

If voting is mandatory this could cause people to not pay attention to the issues and the politician campaigns because it could lead to random votes. In an article it says “This could push people to choose candidates randomly, forfeiting the purpose of an election, which is to place deserving people in key positions.” Having to vote will lead people to not care because they will feel like it's something that is being forced upon them. They won't take the time to educate themselves since it would feel like a chore. In another article it states “They worry disinterested voters may cast random votes just to abide by the law.”  American citizens would only be voting to follow the law and not because they want to. This will cause a false election because people will not take the time to learn what the issues are and what each politician is fighting for. 

There are a lot of pros in compulsory voting. Former president Barack Obama once stated, “it would encourage non-voters like young adults and minorities to make their presence felt at the polls. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made a similar argument.” Having compulsory voting would get more young American citizens to practice their civil duties. This is a good thing as if the new generation is voting the percentage of election turnout would increase eventually. Jason Brema stated, “Democracy is ruled by the people. But what if the people refuse to vote? Many people worry if we do not have government by the people, then we will not have government by the people.” The more people that vote the more voices would be heard. Although experts say compulsory voting works I would disagree with that because it would just lead to more problems. Compulsory voting would lead to Americans being forced to vote ending in a false election. 

Having compulsory voting in the United States will not help at all with the voting problem. There will be a lot of people defending their rights and first amendment that would make it nearly impossible for compulsory voting to pass. Making people vote will have lots of uninformed voters that will just throw away an election because they are not informed about the politicians. Having compulsory voting can also decrease the people's interest in voting because they will feel like they are forced into doing so, making them vote randomly. If compulsory voting does not work, what will fix the Problem? People say to change our current voting system which is the electoral college. People say this is too outdated and was implemented because of slavery to begin with. Keeping that in mind, What will the 2024 election turnout be?

Chief, E. in. (2020, October 5). 13 strongest pros and cons of compulsory voting. ConnectUS. https://connectusfund.org/13-strongest-pros-and-cons-of-compulsory-voting 

Gaille, L. (2020, November 22). 18 mandatory voting pros and cons. Vittana.org. https://vittana.org/10-mandatory-voting-pros-and-cons 

“Compulsory Voting.” Google Books, Google, www.google.com/books/edition/Compulsory_Voting/oOucAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=compulsory%2Bvoting&printsec=frontcover. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024. 

The Compulsory Voting Debate - Findlaw, www.findlaw.com/voting/how-u-s--elections-work/the-compulsory-voting-debate.html. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.