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I think I've changed my stance on compulsory voting over the years. My old view was that voting should be as easy as possible (advance polling days, no advance
by Sanzig 5y ago
I think I've changed my stance on compulsory voting over the years.
My old view was that voting should be as easy as possible (advance polling days, no advance registration requirement, mail-in ballot options), but at the same time it shouldn't be mandatory. I used to view compulsory voting as an impediment to the democratic process: if you aren't motivated enough to vote, why should you get to weigh in?
These days, I think compulsory voting may have a whole lot of value as an effective countermeasure to polarization. Political campaigns would be forced to shift from whipping up furor among existing supporters to reaching across partisan divides in order to convince independents and persuadable individuals in the other camps to vote for you.
Have there been any studies done in this regard?