With less than 70 days until ‘Brexit’ – it got me thinking if we had all voted what the result would have been? There was a national turnout of 72% (according to the BBC’s website) - this is not even 3 quarters. In the boroughs near me (Merton and Wandsworth) voter turnout also was less than 75% (according to the Government’s website).
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, who is the Labour MP for Balham, Earlsfield, Furzedown and Tooting, wrote a letter this week to her constituents stating that she “voted down the disastrous deal” and wants a “push for a public vote”. With what could be another vote coming up - should the government consider making it compulsory?
Compulsory voting is something to be considered in this society which is full of huge decisions and debates. This means everyone eligible to vote has to cast a vote. In my opinion, I believe compulsory voting would make voting better for society.
It can be done. Australia is part of a small minority of just 23 countries with mandatory voting laws. Only 10 of those enforce them. Registering to vote and going to the polls are legal duties in Australia for citizens aged 18 and over, and failing to do so can result in a fine and potentially a day in court. Australia boasts some of the highest civic participation in the world, with a reported 94% voter turnout (data is from the Australian Electoral Commission) in the last federal election, compared with about 65% (according to UK Political.Info) in the UK's 2010 general election and an estimated 57% in the 2012 US presidential election. In Brazil, another country with compulsory voting, if a person doesn’t vote, they are required to provide a reason; if they do not provide a reason after a certain period of time they are fined; if they fail to pay the fine, then they are prohibited from obtaining civil service or government employment, denied application for a passport or in some cases prohibited from traveling abroad. In Bolivia, a citizen may be denied withdrawal of their salary from the bank for three months for failing to cast a vote; and in Turkey citizens are fined directly for not voting. Mandatory voting broadens representation and legitimacy. Voting is an integral part of democracy, without this process we go back to a time where only a few number of people decide; the idea of democracy is to avoid this. The Telegraph states “96 per cent of black Americans voted for Barack Obama”. In 2016, polling shows that Trump support increases among older sections of society - with 49 per cent of over-65s supporting him, compared to 29 per cent of 18 to 39-year-olds (from the BBC website). As president Obama once told a crowd, “It would be completely transformative if everybody voted.”
In my opinion, those that don’t vote have no right to moan, no right to complain about the state of the country. They gave up that right, the day they didn’t bother. With decisions being made on whether we should have another vote on Brexit – should those who are able to, have to?
