Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Voting	chekhovToo	05/12/04
Should voting be compulsory or not?
Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 05/14/04 8:02 am: In a free country it is a basic right to be left alone; to be allowed to live one's own life within the law but otherwise unmolested, and to take no interest in policies at all except by choice. A person should be free to participate in the electoral and political process whenever he or she wishes to, and to ignore it equally without having to account to government or courts.In the U.S itwould be a violation of the First Amendment to make voting compulsory in my opinion. Freedom of speech allows Americans to not speak at all in favor of any candidate,or an issue .By not showing they are making a statement. You have a right to franchise ,not a duty to exercise it. I am more interested in hearing how a democratic supposedly free country can even justify making it mandantory .For what purpose? To make it easier on the candidates during an election cycle ;knowing that they do not have to persuade the electorate because many of them vote straight party line ?
Answered By		Answered On
tomder55		05/12/04
no , I do not see the benifit in mandatory voting . Many a dictatorship boasts of high voter turn out. It seems to me that complacency often means contentment;where-as a high voter turn out in a true democratic system often means that they needed to be mobilized in opposition of a candidate,issue or a proposal.

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