Should compulsory voting be introduced in the UK?
Democracies have a long history of fighting for the right for all people to vote. Enfranchising people has the power to give everyone a voice and enable them to participate in society. On the one hand, critics arguing for compulsory voting cite the need to ensure a legitimate government that is represented by all its people. However, this essay will argue against this proposed statement on the bases that higher voter turnout does not necessarily translate into a more legitimate government and may actually work against a democratic government.
To begin with, voting should not be made compulsory in the UK because making it compulsory would go against its commitment to individual freedoms and rights. A strong tenet in democracies are the fundamental human freedoms that each individual possesses. Making voting compulsory would go against these very individual freedoms. Just like a business would not make it compulsory that all its customers are active in electing its board members, a government should not necessitate the need for all citizens to participate in voting procedures.
Additionally, compulsory voting can lead to people randomly checking off a candidate on the ballot because they are uneducated about the parties. That is not to say that their voices are unimportant, but instead that their true voice is not being represented. For example, if a citizen had decided that they disliked all the candidates present on the ballot, it would be dishonest and inauthentic to make them choose which candidate “they liked the least.” Not voting in itself can represent an individual’s voice in a democracy.
Lastly, enacting compulsory voting is more representative of an oppressive regime in which citizens face legal repercussions for not participating in politics. In a country where legal systems are already faced with a barricade of time and resource constraints, enacting legal repercussions on those who choose not to vote would place a further burden on all legal forces. In other words, compulsory voting gives way to practical implementation challenges. Instead of using government resources on bigger offenses, resources would have to be expended on non-violent, more insignificant (would be) crimes. This alone could have a democracy facing serious distress, overwhelming services that are needed to keep it functioning.
Conversely, proponents of compulsory voting argue that voting is a civic responsibility and can be used to increase democratic legitimacy. However, this does not take into account that not voting in itself is an alternative form of political expression. By choosing not to vote, citizens may express their discontent with the current state of the political system. An enforcement of compulsory voting measures would instead counteract democratic legitimacy by distorting the true references of its citizens.
To conclude, this essay reaffirms its position that voting should not be compulsory in the UK. Not only does it go against the UK’s democratic principles of freedom to enforce obligatory voting, it can also obstruct other democratic proceedings. In the end, compulsory voting only serves to work against the very thing it hopes to achieve, that is a representative and legitimate democracy.
