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98. Journal .......................................................................................................................... 73
Compulsory voting is often suggested as a solution to the problem of decli ning turn out. But how
are individuals and countries affected by compulsory voting beyond boosting electoral
participation? Shane Singh investigates the social, economic, and political consequences of
compelling citizens to vote.
There has been a lot of discussion about compulsory voting these days. In the United Kingdom, in
particular, as voter turnout rates have declined, many commentators and politicians have begun
advocating for mandatory electoral participation. Those infavour of compulsory voting often adduce
the importance of participation among all segments of society. Citizens of democracies are forced to do
many things in the interest of the public good, they maintain, including serving on juries and
educati ng their children, and full participation serves the country as whole. Those opposed to
compulsory voting often argue that, from a democratic theory perspective , the right to vote implicitly
includes a right notto vote. Such a righ t
Regardlessofwhetheroneofthesesetsofargumentsismorepersuasivethantheother,compulsoryvotingis
commonlyusedaroundtheworld.SeveralEuropeandemocraciesmandatevoting,asdoAustraliaandmos
tofthecountriesinLatinAmerica.Byevaluating
resultsfromthesecountries,itispossibletoassessthemechanicsandeffectsofcompulsoryvoting.
:In thefaceofsteadydeclineofturnout,thedebatesofcompulsoryvotingareputforwardontheg
roundsofitsconsequencesatsocial,economic,andpoliticallevels,andassessmentsofcountrieswhich
adoptedthemandatevotingasanalternativetoassessitseffects.(46words)