Penalty for Not Voting?

by Diana Zhao

     

As a leading role model of democracy among the nations, America is very protective towards people’s freedom and rights. Civic engagement is, with no doubt, a crucial factor in shaping the politics of the nation and spreading democracy. However, when civic engagement, in this case, voting, is forced upon citizens, and interferes with their freedom of choice, as demonstrated in Norman Ornstein’s article, The U.S. Should Require All Citizens to Vote, it might backfire and negatively affect the outcomes of election.

 Ornstein stands for mandatory attendance at the polls for registered voters and a small penalty for failure to show up unless voters write a letter of legitimate excuses, which is currently adopted by Australian voting system. But due to the differences in political structure, what works for one nation does not necessarily work for another. Who will sit in front of the mail box to read all the letters and determine the legitimacy? And who will pay for this, state government or federal government? In America, voting is an issue of state sovereignty, where states decides whether voting should take place in multiple days, or whether voting ID is required. Therefore, a set federal mandate on voting policies might incur undesirable disputes in the nation. Meanwhile, regarding voting as a civic right rather than an obligation, Americans are inculcated with the idea of protecting individual rights and mandatory voting is just unpractical in America, as Ornstein realizes himself. It’s a potential disturbance and threat to current political stability. Also, forced voting might end up with people voting for wrong reasons and casting random votes. This is not what we expect to happen. As a nation of democracy, we should encourage eligible citizens to use their rights properly to support the government.

However, I do agree with Ornstein’s proposal of voting incentives. Civic engagement in politics, in general, helps citizens know better of their government and current political situation to make the right choices. While Mega Millions lottery appeals to me on the first sight, it’s not the only solution. First, it might encourage gambling in some way by offering people lotteries as a reward for their participation in voting. Furthermore, people might be misled by the incentives and end up voting for wrong reasons.

When people register, they should not feel obligated in any way to show up and vote. Instead, the government and candidates have the responsibility to offer convenient information sessions or basic knowledge lectures to attract the voters. Incentive strategies to encourage voting could be considered, but must be used with caution.