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Step One to fix democracy would be for the US to have something approaching a representative democracy. Which means 100% voter participation, and substantial go
by XorNot 4y ago
Step One to fix democracy would be for the US to have something approaching a representative democracy. Which means 100% voter participation, and substantial government interest in why voters do not participate.
This does not mean forcing you to vote for anyone in particular, but it does mean forcing people to turn up and indicate some type of preference - even if that preference is "no one here".
Mandatory voting is common elsewhere [1], and the sell is simple: voting is compulsory for all citizens unless a valid reason is provided (which isn't a high bar for most valid reasons) or a nominal fine is imposed (in Australia - $20 [2]). This fine isn't significant in anyway, it just has to exist because it does two things: asks people how much they seriously don't want to participate in the free thing which ensures their freedom, (2) forces the AEC to look into the matter - they have to try and collect the fine, and in turn ask why someone didn't vote, which means incidents are investigated, and (3) if a lot of people are getting fined the suddenly it's going to very much become a national issue as people make a fuss about it.
It's irrelevant to talk about anything else while substantial parts of the the American voting eligible public do not vote, and no one is responsible for investigating why and ensuring that it was a personal decision and not a problem of lack of access, time or intimidation. You can't run a democracy when the one defining characteristic of a democracy is handled so flippantly.
[1] https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Completed_Inquiries/em/elect04/appendixg https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joi...
[2] https://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/non-voters.htm https://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/non-voters.htm
- hirundo 4y agoForcing people to vote may give an election more legitimacy to a certain kind of mind set that I don't quite understand (I think the opposite). But is there some reason to think that it would tend to improve the decision making quality of the population? That when compulsary voters are included, there would be better choices made on laws and representatives? I can't think of one. On the contrary it would seem to compel the participation of a lot more people who don't care.
- XorNot 4y agoPretending that people aren't being disenfranchised from voting as a coordinated campaign in the US is to have blinkers on. It has a long and storied history that hasn't ended[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_Unite...
- thunky 4y agoI voted for the first time at 18. I had no clue who or what I was voting for, but I voted anyway because it was my "duty". Still regret it.
- landemva 4y agoLately I have voted the local issues and leave everything else blank. Locally I care what they do and can actually talk to city council.
- molotovh 4y agoI'm not saying I disagree with the idea of mandatory voting, per se. But in the U.S., a fine for not voting would quickly be labeled a "poll tax", which would immediately raise the connotation of being racist in nature. In a day or two, the whole idea would be scrapped on grounds of unfairly targeting minorities and the lawmaker who suggested it would be accused of secretly being affiliated with the KKK. I'm not saying it's right, but it is what would happen.
- XorNot 4y agoI do not see how you can possibly interpret a fine for not voting as a "poll tax". Especially since the jurisprudence on banning them is specifically aligned with ensuring people have access to voting.
- none_to_remain 4y agoI've usually voted but if they pulled this shit I would stay home and pay the fine.
- michaelmrose 4y agoIf you strongly felt that none of the choices were worth voting for why wouldn't you turn in a blank ballot instead?
- none_to_remain 4y agoThey don't necessarily mean the same thing to everyone. A blank ballot still endorses the system, I think
- michaelmrose 4y agoYou could literally write on it I don't endorse this system or deign to participate.