ipl-logo

Should Americans Be Required To Vote Essay

444 Words2 Pages

The United States of America uses a system of democracy to govern the country. In a democratic government, citizens have the right to voice their opinion regarding who will run their country and their tactics in doing so. American citizens should not be required to vote because mandating voting would take away from the overall meaning of a democracy. Democracy is about freedom and by making voting compulsory, the freedom of citizens is limited (Text 4, line 11). A democratic government is established with the intention of giving more rights and power to its citizens. Just because rights are allotted to people, does not mean that they have to be exercised. In this way, the right to vote is also the right not to vote and mandatory voting …show more content…

Just because everyone in America would vote if it were to be compulsory, does not mean that each vote would be casted with the utmost quality. If penalties and fines were issued for those not voting, more people who originally did not wish to vote, would then simply vote to avoid the consequences without thinking about what they are voting for. With this, compulsory voting would not truly compile the honest feelings of Americans, but just some random opinions to avoid consequence (Text 3, lines 31-32). In order for a democracy to be considered healthy and actually fulfill its obligations, it is about the quality as opposed to the quantity of votes acquired (Text 4, lines 46-47). American citizens should not be required to vote and making voting compulsory would take away from the unique principles of democracy that separate it from other forms of government. The rights and freedoms given to the citizens of America are privileges, meaning citizens have the right to practice or not to practice them. The freedom and rights of citizens would be infringed upon if voting became compulsory, and a more flexible form of democracy would be used to govern

Show More
Related

  • Voting Should Be Abolished Dbq Essay

    509 Words  | 3 Pages

    The argument for compulsory voting is basically undemocratic because the first amendment talks about how you have freedom. The freedom of choice must include the freedom not to choose. Democracy deeply values individual freedom which means if compulsory voting was mandatory, It is a clear violation of liberty and the first amendment. I argue that voting should not be mandatory in America because first, non-voters are uninformed, it doesn’t improve the democratic climate, and it requires a national database. American is one of the most powerful and big countries in the world.

    Read More

  • Electoral College Should Be Abolished Dbq Essay

    675 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States of America Prides itself on its extensive democracy--it is one of the most free places in the world--so why is it that a citizen has the right to vote, and is expected to exercise it, when it could be potentially pointless to cast a ballot? The answer, is the Electoral College. The Electoral College was established because our founding fathers dictated that their citizenry was incapable of making informed decisions, and they thought it best that the central figurehead of the nation be decided by men like them. That is false now--the Electoral College is an antiquated system that needs to be abolished because it is an inaccurate representation of what the people want, it forces people to throw away their vote, and most importantly,

    Read More

  • Required To Vote Dbq

    353 Words  | 2 Pages

    I believe that Americans should be required to vote. Compulsory voting allows everyone to have a say about who they think is fit in the government. It allows the polls to be more accurate and the number of votes increase. Required voting allows those who can 't or don 't have time to make it the day or time off work. Requiring people to vote is like a boss requiring his employees to get to work on time, it 's short and easy but also important and effective.

    Read More

  • Discuss The Pros And Cons Of The Debate Over Suffrage During The Age Of Jackson

    580 Words  | 3 Pages

    In document 3, it states that when Alexis de Tocqueville arrived to the United States he said “I was surprised to find so much distinguished talent among the subjects, and so little among the heads of the government.” This states that having common people vote would make sense, and benefit the government. With more people it would also be a benefit because the elections would have a better turnout.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Point Abolishing The Electoral College

    1603 Words  | 7 Pages

    Benjamin Bolinger, the author of, “Point: Abolishing the Electoral College,” believes that America was founded on the idea of majority rule. He asserts that the Electoral College defies these ideals through the winner-take-all system, which has allowed candidates to lose the popular vote but still earn a ticket to the white house. The author believes that the President should be chosen the same way as every other elected official, by a popular vote. In a popular vote, the majority would rule and every person’s voice would matter (179). In addition, the author points out that America was also founded on the phrase, “no taxation without representation,” and yet four million United States citizens are excluded entirely from voting in the election.

    Read More

  • Americans Should Be Allowed To Vote Essay

    1404 Words  | 6 Pages

    America, known as “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” is a country recognized for it’s freedom and rights. As a country, at almost every turn, America has shown it’s responsibility and priority towards it citizens. Specifically, with the opportunity to vote. Being able to vote for presidents, senators, and governors is a very strong right that Americans hold in their hand and for many others in neighboring countries, this can be a sheer dream. Recently, Ohio passed a new law, stating that citizens who did not regularly vote for four years and were unresponsive to any kind of sent notice, would be removed from voting rolls; therefore, the name, “Use it or Lose it.”

    Read More

  • Personal Reflection On Voting In Canada

    754 Words  | 4 Pages

    However after various discussions, my opinion is changed. I now believe that it would not be beneficial to make voting mandatory,

    Read More

  • Compulsory Voting Dbq

    573 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mandatory voting makes large numbers of people vote, which will make the country run more efficiently because the election was based on the hopes and aspiration of the people for the future leader. Voting should be made compulsory because its positive effects exceeds its negative

    Read More

  • Essay On Voter Fraud

    1025 Words  | 5 Pages

    Others argue that it helps to protect everyone’s right to vote and ensure that no one takes someone else’s right. There is a way to make sure everyone is able to vote but their vote is also protected from

    Read More

  • Dbq Electoral College

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1787 there was a constitutional convention which composed a new structure for our American government. (Study.com 2003) During the convention the delegates weren’t able to decide whether the people or congress should elect the president, thus creating the Electoral College. (Study.com 2003) The Electoral College is an arrangement between the majority vote of Congress and qualified citizens for the election of the president.

    Read More

  • Essay On Why Americans Should Be Required To Vote

    529 Words  | 3 Pages

    Evidence of this is in ”Unequal Participation: Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma, American Political Science Review, Vol.91 No.1” by an Australian supporter of compulsory voting, this states that by compelling people to vote, we are likely to arouse them with an intelligent interest and to give them a political knowledge that they do hold at present process. This evidence helps explain why Americans should be required to vote because, if people don't vote, nothing will get fixed, for example: schools, offices, and, libraries. Although, it is possible to understand why some people might think that Americans should not be required to vote. They could say that people are dishonest and have the right to choose, or how compulsory voting is a restriction.

    Read More

  • Should Electoral College Be Abolished Essay

    796 Words  | 4 Pages

    No longer should we stand for this we have to insure that votes are actually making a difference in our country. What is the point not voting if we are just ignored and tossed aside? The Electoral College is the sole reason why some people just do not care about voting, because they feel like they don't make a difference in the matter, and that is correct in some degree because the Electoral College makes it that

    Read More

  • Essay On Low Voter Turnout

    1151 Words  | 5 Pages

    However, one of the key characteristics of a healthy democracy is a high voter-turnout. If people do not turn up on Election Day, it is likely that they do not see the point of holding elections or the conditions are not suitable for them to vote. People vote because they believe that their vote has the power to make changes in the country. Voter apathy often develops when voters do not see voting as a way of voicing their concerns. America therefore continues to tread on risky ground, if a way of increasing voter turnout is not found.

    Read More

  • Should People Be Required To Vote Essay

    692 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the recent years the majority of the able voting population are exercising their privilege to vote. Even during the presidential elections the voter turnout rate was 50% or less than that. The act of voting should be a personal responsibility of every citizen meaning it should be a obligation. But to specify on this statement, it should not lawfully required to vote because people also have the right not to vote too (and it would be weakening personal liberties) , but it should be a personal responsibility for citizens if they are to complain about how the government run rather than every citizen. A personal responsibility is when we are the cause of our own actions.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Voter Id Laws

    417 Words  | 2 Pages

    The right to vote was a privilege given to only a particular group of people in the past. The right to participate in the judicial system to some is an honor. This process allows people to voice and chose who they want in office or what issue they want to support. Voter Id laws are incorporated into our society as a form of control in order to keep people silent. Voter id laws are under controversy because the law is viewed as being discriminatory against minorities.

    Read More

More about Should Americans Be Required To Vote Essay

Open Document