Voting, like Jury Duty, Should be a Compulsory Civic Duty to Enhance Democracy, Participation and Political Awareness?

How many are of the opinion that voting should be a legal citizen obligation and "civic duty" under the law?

As individuals, we already have consented to laws that are more onerous, time-consuming and intrusive than a citizen’s occasional mandatory trip to a polling station.

Therefore voting like jury duty, compulsory schooling, driver’s licenses and paying our taxes should become another legal obligation and civic duty that is required under our laws.

Citizens failing to attend polling stations on Election Day would forfeit their right and ability to obtain certain services like social assistance, unemployment, welfare benefits, driver’s licenses, passports or health cards from governments?

This would be the fastest most effective way to raise the level of participation in our municipal, provincial and federal elections of minority and majority groups according to statistics?

3 days ago

http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm

Implementing mandatory voting as a legal obligation and civic duty, like jury duty, compulsory schooling, driver's licenses, and paying taxes, would require changes to existing laws.

Voting is a fundamental aspect of citizenship and it's important to ensure that everyone participates in the democratic process. Other legal obligations, such as paying taxes and serving on juries, are already widely accepted as necessary for a functioning society. Therefore, mandatory voting should be treated similarly.

Opponents of this idea argue that voting is a personal choice and that forcing people to vote could lead to unengaged and uneducated voters. Additionally, they argue that punitive measures for not voting, such as denying certain government services, could be unfair to those who are unable to vote due to legitimate reasons, such as illness or lack of access to polling stations.

Overall, whether or not mandatory voting should become a legal obligation and civic duty is an issue that requires careful consideration of the potential benefits and drawbacks. It's up to policymakers and society as a whole to decide whether or not mandatory voting is the best approach to promoting a healthy and representative democracy.