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 31 of 163 www.victorybriefs.com Similarly, the collective interest in having open trials prevents a defendant from turning his right to a public trial into the inverse right to a private trial. The idea being that citizens have rights for both private and public purposes should be a useful framework for debaters on this question. As many debaters will want to argue that the freedoms of speech include the right not to participate in elections and values individual autonomy, however, using a lens like the one described by the Supreme Court decision in Singer, may allow debaters to mitigate concerns over such freedom by weighing the competing value of the collective interest against such personal freedoms. The offensive ground for the affirmative should extend beyond just voter turnout. In fact, civic engagement itself is a possible benefit as would be forced changes to poor political practices, possibly lowering the money spent on campaigns, and even changes in national political culture. The Harvard Law Review summarizes the benefits Compulsory voting thus has the potential overtime to alleviate some of the very causes of the current low levels of voter turnout. By triggering a shift in political discourse, compulsory voting would create a virtuous cycle that would alleviate the underlying causes of voter apathy. First, as already mentioned, compulsory voting will reduce the negative tone of campaigns that discourages some potential voters. n Second, compulsory voting can make politics less partisan and divisive, since currently the voting population is much more partisan than the electorate at large. n If the entire population votes, there will be a more balanced representation of the political spectrum. Finally, compulsory voting can lead to increased government relevance. By bringing in groups that are underrepresented among those who are currently likely to vote, compulsory voting will force politicians to shift their focus to different sets of issues. People who are brought into the democratic process will increasingly find that the government agenda addresses their interests, and this recognition could lead to a greater [*598] appreciation of the importance of democratic government. This may increase the utility people get from fulfilling their civic duty to vote, which would in turn lead more people to see their rational choice as voting, rather than staying at home on Election Day. n 19 See note 1. |