Voting Responsibility
The citizens of Alberta will vote in a Provincial and a Federal election in a six month time span. This current political activity has sparked much discussion regarding low voter turnout, how it impacts the outcome of elections, and how to encourage greater participation in the democratic process. The countries of Australia and Bolivia have turned to compulsory voting in an attempt to increase voter participation. Mandatory voting in these countries carry penalties that include monetary fines, including possible jail sentences, and frozen bank accounts (Compulsory Voting, 2015). The recent federal election saw a 68.5% voter turn-out, compared to 93.23% in Australia (2013), and 87.45% in Bolivia (2014) according to the …show more content…
First, political parties would be free to focus on the issues within the riding, not convincing voters of the need to vote. Campaign offices dedicate valuable time and energy to GOTV (Get Out The Vote), which is a strategy that is specifically designed to inform and persuade citizens of the need to vote. Secondly, the increased numbers of votes cast would significantly influence the outcome of any election. Many people feel that their vote doesn 't matter, and low voter turnout is a result of that indifference, yet many ridings are won by slim margins. Thirdly, a mandatory vote would ideally encourage a higher level of voter education regarding candidates and the issues that affect voters directly, while consequences would provide the incentive for increased civic involvement. It would be toilsome and costly to initiate and enforce a system of mandatory voting, and opponents contend that it would clog up the courts and other government agencies enforcing penalties. But the expense of time and money must be weighed against the benefits of having a government elected by the entire eligible
The citizens of Alberta will vote in a Provincial and a Federal election in a six month time span. This current political activity has sparked much discussion regarding low voter turnout, how it impacts the outcome of elections, and how to encourage greater participation in the democratic process. The countries of Australia and Bolivia have turned to compulsory voting in an attempt to increase voter participation. Mandatory voting in these countries carry penalties that include monetary fines, including possible jail sentences, and frozen bank accounts (Compulsory Voting, 2015). The recent federal election saw a 68.5% voter turn-out, compared to 93.23% in Australia (2013), and 87.45% in Bolivia (2014) according to the …show more content…
First, political parties would be free to focus on the issues within the riding, not convincing voters of the need to vote. Campaign offices dedicate valuable time and energy to GOTV (Get Out The Vote), which is a strategy that is specifically designed to inform and persuade citizens of the need to vote. Secondly, the increased numbers of votes cast would significantly influence the outcome of any election. Many people feel that their vote doesn 't matter, and low voter turnout is a result of that indifference, yet many ridings are won by slim margins. Thirdly, a mandatory vote would ideally encourage a higher level of voter education regarding candidates and the issues that affect voters directly, while consequences would provide the incentive for increased civic involvement. It would be toilsome and costly to initiate and enforce a system of mandatory voting, and opponents contend that it would clog up the courts and other government agencies enforcing penalties. But the expense of time and money must be weighed against the benefits of having a government elected by the entire eligible