Compulsory Voting
English Composition 2
SUNY Empire State College
Final paper
16.5.2013
Compulsory Voting
1
Topic of the paper
Democracy is built on freedom to vote and have your political say, but the majority of people in the world’s ‘greatest’ democracies never vote at all. Is compulsory participation in the political system the answer? Investigate countries which make voting compulsory – weigh the advantages and disadvantages – then argue for or against this policy.
Abstract
Compulsory voting solves the problem of low political participation during elections; therefore, winning politicians and political parties cannot be considered non-legitimate in mandatory voting. On the other hand, mandatory voting has more disadvantages than advantages. Firstly, it is against the freedom of individuals, because people already do not have a right to vote, but it is their duty. It is also against freedom of speech, because part of freedom of speech is freedom not to speak, which is denied by mandatory voting. Also, there are many people who are not interested in politics, or in certain elections, especially elections to European Parliament. Such a people do not need to express their opinion in elections, or they do not feel directly influenced by politics. This paper was written after research of several academic sources and small personal survey in streets of New York.
2
Outline
I. Introduction to controversy
II. Countries using compulsory voting
A. Belgium
B. Cyprus
C. Italy
III. Advantages of compulsory voting
A. High political participation
B. Political legitimacy
C. Higher political interest among people
D. Increasing efficiency of politicians
IV. Disadvantages of compulsory voting
A. Individual freedom
B. Freedom of speech
C. Conflict with religious groups
D. Lack of knowledge and interest
E. Small percentage of punishments
V. Personal survey
VI. Conclusion
A. Summary of advantages and disadvantages
B. Last word on the
SUNY Empire State College
Final paper
16.5.2013
Compulsory Voting
1
Topic of the paper
Democracy is built on freedom to vote and have your political say, but the majority of people in the world’s ‘greatest’ democracies never vote at all. Is compulsory participation in the political system the answer? Investigate countries which make voting compulsory – weigh the advantages and disadvantages – then argue for or against this policy.
Abstract
Compulsory voting solves the problem of low political participation during elections; therefore, winning politicians and political parties cannot be considered non-legitimate in mandatory voting. On the other hand, mandatory voting has more disadvantages than advantages. Firstly, it is against the freedom of individuals, because people already do not have a right to vote, but it is their duty. It is also against freedom of speech, because part of freedom of speech is freedom not to speak, which is denied by mandatory voting. Also, there are many people who are not interested in politics, or in certain elections, especially elections to European Parliament. Such a people do not need to express their opinion in elections, or they do not feel directly influenced by politics. This paper was written after research of several academic sources and small personal survey in streets of New York.
2
Outline
I. Introduction to controversy
II. Countries using compulsory voting
A. Belgium
B. Cyprus
C. Italy
III. Advantages of compulsory voting
A. High political participation
B. Political legitimacy
C. Higher political interest among people
D. Increasing efficiency of politicians
IV. Disadvantages of compulsory voting
A. Individual freedom
B. Freedom of speech
C. Conflict with religious groups
D. Lack of knowledge and interest
E. Small percentage of punishments
V. Personal survey
VI. Conclusion
A. Summary of advantages and disadvantages
B. Last word on the