| >Assuming that it is illegal to prevent someone from voting, what problem is this compulsory voting meant to solve? Apathy and laziness. Plus in the us there have been quite a few states which try to pass laws for the sole purpose of making it more difficult for certain groups, usually minorities, to vote. Making voting voting compulsory would do a lot to solve that. >It feels like totalitarianism to me. I'm sorry, but that's just stupid. If anything it's forced democracy and not even remotely close to totalitarianism. There are tons of things citizens are forced to do, file taxes, sign up for selective service, serve on a jury which costs jurors money if they are chosen, etc. Forcing people to go to a voting place once every 4 years is pretty light comparatively. >What if I feel that a certain election is a sham, and prefer not to participate? What I've heard from Australians is that a common thing there is spoiling your ballet if you don't want to vote. >Too many people not wanting to vote should be taken as a signal that something is seriously wrong. That I heartily agree with. I personally don't vote because I live in Illinois so my vote means nothing. That's a serious problem caused by a horribly inefficient and outdated system. Right now a vast majority of Americans have no power in elections, it always comes down to a very small number of swing states, usually less than 15. Live in 70% of the states? Well tough shit, what you want doesn't matter at all. That imo is the fundamental problem. I think if we switch from possibly the worst voting method to just a straight democratic vote, ignoring all the superior voting methods just sticking with FPTP, we would see much greater turnout. |
So you only vote in presidential election years, and only fill out the ballot for the presidential candidate? I think you might be doing it wrong.