13NFL1-Compulsory Voting
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AT AUTONOMY
ABSTAINING FROM VOTING DOES NOT VIOLATE
ONE’S AUTONOMY.
Jason Brennan 09, Brown University, "Polluting the Polls When Citizens Should Not Vote, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 87, No. 4, pp. 535-549, December 2009. Abstention is not like relinquishing one’s right to rule. A fortiori,abstention can be away of voting indirectly. Suppose we are deciding on arestaurant. I am not indi
ff
erent to the outcome I prefer that we eat at thebest place. However, I know that you know more than I about whichrestaurants are good. Despite your greater knowledge, a concern for fairprocedure entails that we should each get an equal vote. You do not havethe right to tell me whereto eat. You know better, but no one made youboss. Yet, since I want to pick the best restaurant, I can choose to abstain. Icould vote directly fora specific restaurant. But, since I don’t know which isbest, I could also say, I vote for the best restaurant, but I do not knowwhich one that is. Since the rest of you know better, I vote that my vote reflects your collective wisdom I then abstain, but in e
ff
ect vote indirectly.Some might see abstention as a violation of autonomy, perhaps evenslave-like, but this seems mistaken. So long as I have an equal right to vote,choosing not to vote can bean autonomous act, away of expressing my willthat the best outcome be achieved. Since I retain aright to vote, I am anequal citizen and the democratic decision-making procedure remainsgenerally acceptable.
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