I think that this is a great public forum topic: it relates to a current event that will educate students on some of the nuanc
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Lesson 4.2 Day 3
| 13NFL1-Compulsory Voting Page 98 of 163 www.victorybriefs.com AT VIOLATES FREEDOM COMPULSORY VOTING IS NOT AN INFRINGEMENT ON AUTONOMY. Bart Engelen 07, Research Assistant of the Fund for Scientific Research]"Why Compulsory Voting Can Enhance Democracy, Acta Politica, 2007, 42, (23-39). Most opponents of compulsory voting argue that it is principally illegitimateand undemocratic, because freedom of choice in a democracy must include thefreedom not to choose (Sear and Strickland, 2003, 8). This libertarianargument holds that compulsory voting infringes on individual freedom,something all proponents of democracy (should) value highly. The fact that itenhances participation, equality and representativeness does not justify theimplied violation of liberty (Lijphart, 1998, 10). The argument basically boilsdown to the claim that a government should not compel its citizens to dosomething they do not freely want to do.A first way of countering this is to show that absolute freedom of choice is infact illusory. The fact that less educated citizens abstain systematically more than others reveals that they encounter greater obstacles, preventing them from participating. As someone’s knowledge of and interest in politics is influencedby structural factors such as his received education, his decision whether or notto vote cannot be wholly ascribed to freedom of choice, which can thereforenot be used to justify freedom of participation through voluntary voting.Second, there is nothing inherently undemocratic about compelling citizensto do something, which not all of them want to do voluntarily. Any democraticregime can legitimately enforce laws, even if these are not agreed upon by all ofits subjects. Indeed, no democracy can or should be expected to completely freeits citizens from obligations and duties. Also, according to the EuropeanCommission for Human Rights and contrary to what opponents often claim,compulsory voting does not violate any human right (Vanmaercke, 1993, Third, it is not voting that is compulsory, but attendance at the pollingstation. As shown above, the secrecy of the ballot guarantees that citizensalways have the possibility of leaving their ballots blank or spoiling them(Keaney and Rogers, 2006, 30). This forms an institutional answer to so-called ‘conscientious objectors and to those who are and want to remainindifferent.12 However, opponents of compulsory voting are not so easilyfobbed off and claim that no government may oblige its citizens to attendelections. This argument functions as some kind of rock-bottom: I opposecompulsory voting because it infringes on my freedom by which I may wellprefer to stay at home. Download 2 Mb. Share with your friends:
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