From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting
nal factors may have on an individual’s capacity to vote
such as the weather, transport, or restrictive employers.
If everybody must vote, then restrictions on voting are
easily identified and steps are taken to remove them. It is
a measure to prevent disenfranchisement of the socially
disadvantaged. Countries with compulsory voting gener-
ally hold elections on a Saturday or Sunday as evidenced
in nations such as Australia, to ensure that working peo-
ple can fulfill their duty to cast their vote. Postal and
pre-poll voting is provided to people who cannot vote on
Compulsory voting, enforced.
Compulsory voting, not enforced. polling day, and mobile voting booths may also be taken
Compulsory voting, enforced (only men). to old age homes and hospitals to cater for immobilized
Compulsory voting, not enforced (only men). citizens.
Historical: the country had compulsory voting in the past. If voters do not want to support any given choice,
they may cast spoilt votes or blank votes. According to
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are compulsory voting supporters, this is preferred to not
obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting at all because it ensures there is no possibility that
voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling the person has been intimidated or prevented from vot-
place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such ing should they wish. In certain jurisdictions, voters have
as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if the option to vote none of the above if they do not sup-
fines are unpaid or community service not performed. port any of the candidates to indicate clear dissatisfac-
tion with the candidate list rather than simple apathy at
the whole process.
History Compulsory voting may encourage voters to research
Athenian democracy held that it was every citizen’s duty the candidates’ political positions more thoroughly.
to participate in decision making, but attendance at the Since they are voting anyway they may take more of an
assembly was voluntary. Sometimes there was some form interest into the nature of the politicians they may vote
of social opprobrium to those not participating. For ex- for, rather than simply opting out. This means candidates
ample Aristophanes’s comedy Acharnians 17–22, in the need to appeal to a more general audience, rather than a
5th century BC, shows public slaves herding citizens from small section of the community.
the agora into the assembly meeting place (pnyx) with a A result of this setup is that it is therefore more diffi-
red-stained rope. Those with red on their clothes were cult for extremist or special interest groups to vote them-
fined.[1] selves into power or to influence mainstream candidates.
Under a non-compulsory voting system, if fewer people
Arguments in favour vote then it is easier for smaller sectional interests and
lobby groups to motivate a small section of the people to
Compulsory voting ensures a large voter turnout. This the polls and thereby control the outcome of the political
means a victorious candidate or party clearly represents process. The outcome of a election where voting is com-
a majority of the population, not just the politically mo- pulsory reflects more of the will of the people (Who do I
tivated individuals who would vote without compulsion. want to lead the country?) rather than reflecting who was
This helps ensure that governments do not neglect sec- more able to convince people to take time out of their
tions of society that are less active politically. Victorious day to cast a vote (Do I even want to vote today?).
political leaders of compulsory systems may claim a Political scientist Arend Lijphart writes that compul-
higher degree of political legitimacy than those of non- sory voting has been found to increase voting by 7–16%
compulsory systems with lower voter turnout. in national elections, and by even more in local and
Another important benefit is that compulsory voting provincial elections and elections to the European Par-
prevents interference with access to the vote. In a similar liament. The large increases in turnout are found even
way that the secret ballot is designed to prevent inter- where the penalties for not voting are extremely low. He
ference with the votes actually cast, compelling voters to argues that other civic duties also exist, like paying taxes,
the polls for an election mitigates the impact that exter- attending school and, in some democracies, military con-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Compulsory voting
scription and jury duty. All of these obligations require political will, indicating satisfaction with the political es-
far more time and effort than voting does, thus compul- tablishment in an electorate. Former Australian opposi-
sory voting can be seen as constituting a much smaller tion leader, Mark Latham, urged Australians to hand in
intrusion of freedom than many other activities. blank votes for the 2010 election. He stated the govern-
Apart from the increased turnout as a value in itself, ment should not force citizens to vote or threaten them
Lijphart lists other advantages to compulsory voting. with a fine.[3]
First, the increase in voting participation may stimulate
stronger participation and interest in other political ac-
tivities. Secondly, as no large campaign funds are needed
By countries
to goad votes to the polls, the role of money in politics
decreases. Thirdly, compulsory voting acts as a sort of Historical
civil education and political stimulation, which creates a • (U.S.) State of Georgia in 1777 (10 years before the
better informed population. Fourthly, high levels of par- Constitution of 1787 established the United States of
ticipation decreases the risk of political instability creat- America):
ed by crises or dangerous but charismatic leaders.[2] Every person absenting himself from an
election, and shall neglect to give in his or
their ballot at such election, shall be subject
Arguments against to a penalty not exceeding five pounds; the
Compulsory voting can be seen as infringing a basic free- mode of recovery and also the appropriation
dom of the citizen. Some consider the fining of recalci- thereof, to be pointed out and directed by act
trant voters to be more oppressive still. of the legislature: Provided, nevertheless,
Some believe that voting is not a civic duty, but That a reasonable excuse shall be admitted. [4]
rather a civil right. While citizens may exercise their civil
rights (free speech, marriage, etc.) they are not com- • Austria (introduced 1929 for presidential elections
pelled to. Furthermore, compulsory voting may infringe and 1949 in some states for parliamentary elections,
other rights. For example, most Jehovah’s Witnesses be- abolished step by step between 1982 and 2004)
lieve that they should not participate in political events. • Netherlands (introduced 1917 along with universal
Forcing them to vote explicitly denies them their free- suffrage, abolished 1970)
dom of religious practice. In some countries with com- • Spain (1907–1923, but not enforced)
pulsory voting, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others may be • Venezuela (removed in 1993)[5]
excused on these grounds. If however they are forced to • Chile (removed from the Constitution and replaced
go to the polling place, they can still use a blank or in- with voluntary voting in 2009; voluntary voting was
valid vote. regulated and put into practice in 2012)
Some do not support the idea of compulsory voting,
particularly if they have no interest in politics or no Present day
knowledge of the candidates. Others may be well-in- There are currently 25 countries with compulsory vot-
formed, but have no preference for any particular candi- ing.[6] Of these, only 10 countries (and one Swiss canton)
date, and have no wish to give support to the incumbent enforce it. Of the 30 member states of the Organisation
political system. Such people may vote at random simply for Economic Co-operation and Development, 10 had
to fulfill legal requirements: the so called donkey-vote forms of compulsory voting.[7]
may account for 1-2% of votes in these systems, which
may affect the electoral process. Similarly, citizens may Enforced
vote with a complete absence of knowledge of any of the These are the 10 countries that enforce compulsory vot-
candidates, or deliberately skew their ballot to slow the ing:
polling process or disrupt the election. • Argentina (compulsory for citizens between 18 and
Another group opposed to compulsory voting are 70 years old, non-compulsory for those older than
principled nonvoters. They believe that the political 70. However in primaries, citizens under 70 may
process is inherently corrupt and violent, and prefer to refuse to vote, if they formally express their decision
minimize their personal involvement with it. If one ad- to the electoral authorities, at least 48 hours before
heres to Murray Rothbard’s view of the state as a "gang the election. This is valid only for the subsequent
of thieves writ large" then compulsory voting is a form of primary, and needs to be repeated every time the
conscription into the largest mob with the biggest guns. voter wishes not to participate.)
Supporters of voluntary voting assert that low voter • Australia – Compulsory enrollment and voting for
participation in a voluntary election is not necessarily an state and national elections for all eligible adults (18
expression of voter dissatisfaction or general political ap- and above). In some states local council elections are
athy. It may be simply an expression of the citizenry’s compulsory too.[8]
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Compulsory voting
• Brazil[9] (non-compulsory for citizens between 16 a copy of the eID card and their own on the actual elec-
and 18 years old, those older than 70 and illiterate tions.
people) States that sanction non-voters with fines generally
• Democratic Republic of the Congo impose small or nominal penalties. However, penalties
• Ecuador (compulsory for citizens between 18 and 65 for failing to vote are not limited to fines and legal sanc-
years old; non-compulsory for citizens aged 16–18, tions. Belgian voters who repeatedly fail to vote in elec-
illiterate people, and those older than 65 tions may be subject to disenfranchisement. Singapore
• Luxembourg (only for the regionals and if signed up) voters who fail to vote in an general election or presiden-
• Nauru tial election will be subjected to disenfranchisement un-
• Peru (compulsory for citizens between 18 and 70 til a valid reason or a fine is being paid. Goods and ser-
years old, non-compulsory for those older than 70) vices provided by public offices may be denied to those
• Singapore[10] (compulsory for citizens above 21 failing to vote in Peru and Greece. In Brazil, if a person
years old with effect from 1st January of the year of fails to vote in an election, they are barred from obtain-
election) ing a passport until after they have voted in the two most
• Uruguay recent elections. If a Bolivian voter fails to participate in
There is one region in Switzerland that enforces compul- an election, the citizen may be denied withdrawal of his
sory voting: or her salary from the bank for three months.[12]
• Schaffhausen In Turkey, according to a law passed by the parlia-
ment in 1986, if an eligible elector does not cast a vote in
Not enforced the elections, then they pay a fee of about 5 Turkish liras
Countries that have compulsory voting on the law books (about $8 US).
but do not enforce it: It has also been suggested that a payment to voters
• Belgium[11] could prove an incentive without penalising the poor by
• Bolivia means of a fine (such as £20 to those who vote or a free
• Costa Rica lottery ticket).[13]
• Cyprus
• Dominican Republic (members of the military and
national police cannot vote)
See Also
• Egypt (members of the military and national police • Religious rejection of politics
cannot vote) • Jehovah’s Witnesses and governments
• France
• Greece
• Honduras
References
• Lebanon (men only) [1] Malkopoulou, Anthoula, Compulsory Voting in
• Libya (technically compulsory) Greece: a history of concepts in motion, p. 4
• Mexico [2] Lijphart, Arend (1997) “Unequal Participation:
• Panama Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma”, The American
• Paraguay (compulsory for citizens between 18 and 75 Political Science Review 91(1): 8–11
years old, non-compulsory for those older than 75) [3] "Blank vote legitimate, Latham asserts".
• Thailand Watoday.com.au. http://www.watoday.com.au/
federal-election/blank-vote-legitimate-latham-
asserts-20100816-125xe.html?from=age_ft&autostart=1.
Measures to encourage voting Retrieved 2011-10-04.
Although voting in a country may be compulsory, penal- [4] "Constitution of Georgia, 5 February 1777". The
ties for failing to vote are not always strictly enforced. In Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
Australia, Brazil and Chile, providing a legitimate reason http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/
for not voting (such as being sick or outside the country) ga02.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
is accepted. In Argentina, those who were ill on voting [5] Elliot Frankal. "Compulsory voting around the
day or over 500 km away from their voting place are also world | Politics | guardian.co.uk".
excused, by requesting a doctor to prove their condition, Politics.guardian.co.uk.
in the first case or asking for a certificate at a police sta- http://politics.guardian.co.uk/apathy/story/
tion near where they are in the second case. Belgian vot- 0,,1521096,00.html. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
ers can vote in an embassy if they are abroad or can em- [6] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-
power another voter to cast the vote in their name, to do world-factbook/fields/2123.html#le
this the voter must give a "permission to vote" and carry
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Compulsory voting
[7] Evans, Tim. Compulsory Voting in Australia, Britain" (in English). History & Policy. United
Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved on Kingdom: History & Policy.
2007-01-01. http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-
[8] Australian Electoral Commission Site On Rules paper-01.html. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
Governing Compulsory Voting In Federal and State
Elections http://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/
Compulsory_Voting.htm
External links
[9] Timothy J. Power: Compulsory for Whom? • International Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Mandatory Voting and Electoral Participation in Assistance – Compulsory voting information
Brazil, 1986–2006, in: Journal of Politics in Latin • Suffrage – The CIA World Factbook
America. S. 97–122 • Compulsory Voting, Not
[10] "Constitucion Política Del Perú". Tc.gob.pe. • – Australian Electoral Commission – Electoral
http://www.tc.gob.pe/legconperu/ Backgrounder – Compulsory Voting
constitucion.html. Retrieved 2011-10-04. • – Australian Electoral Commission Australian Electoral
[11] Niet-stemmers riskeren geen straf (in Dutch) De Commission
Morgen 06/06/2009 • European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)
[12] Compulsory voting around the world, The Guardian, 4 Sessions of Workshops 2007, Workshop No.7:
July 2005 Compulsory Voting: Principle and Practice –
[13] Szreter, Simon (May 2002). "A central role for local academic conference papers on compulsory voting
government? The example of late Victorian
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compulsory_voting&oldid=474375933"
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