Should you have a legal obligation to vote? Have you heard about Universal Civic Voting? I wrote about it two years ago ( https://civicsandcitizenship.org/common-sense-applied-3/). Connecticut did not pass this bill, but there is still interest in potentially reaching 100% voter participation in Connecticut by 2030.
The Push for Voter Participation
It seems the COVID pandemic and mail-in voting have led some states to consider making this arrangement permanent. In my state, I received a mailed questionnaire asking whether I wanted to vote by mail-in ballot permanently. I would then receive a ballot automatically by mail every year.
Mail-In Ballot: Convenience and Concerns
One problem is that if I died, the ballots could keep coming indefinitely. Of course, I gave a resounding “NO!” to this idea. However, I talked to a man whose relative doesn’t want to go out to vote and thinks mail-in ballots are a great idea. I proposed using an absentee ballot (more reliable than mail-in ballots), but convenience was the issue here. In other words, “Let the government do the footwork for me, if they want me to vote.”
Legal Obligations and Penalties for Not Voting
Another problem is proposed penalties for non-participation. In other words, if government at any level passes a law, you are expected to follow it, so there’s always a penalty for not obeying the law. Usually, fines are the first consequence of disobeying a law. What other incremental penalties might a state attach to such a law? Think about it.
Addressing Voter Apathy: Is Mandated Participation the Solution?
Then there is this, from a concerned American who has had enough. This person writes, “I have a friend (in another state) who has been saying for years that what we need is “new” voters. I can see how we have become very lazy in choosing who our leaders are, and we are paying the price. I have checked out for the most part because of the mess…”
Are our elected officials capitalizing on Americans’ apathy? Is mandated voter participation the answer to apathy?
Weighing Freedom of Choice vs. Civic Duty
If we have the freedom to vote, should we also have the freedom to choose not to vote? Should we be compelled to vote, or else have the state track us down and fine us? I think it’s best to realize that someone will win and subsequently make the laws we have to follow. If we don’t participate in elections, we will get a worse “mess” than the one we fear.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. 🇺🇸
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