Compulsory Voting

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Compulsory Voting

• TOK Presentation
• Sasha Kramer

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Compulsory Voting

• Forces people to vote
• Fines
• Fines can be lenient

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Countries

• 32 countries
• 19 enforce it
• 13 do not

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Problems of Knowledge

• Should citizens be forced to do things?
• Who does a government represent?
• How legitimate is the government?
• Will everyone care?
• Conflict with religious rights
• Ethical issues

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Arguments for Compulsory Voting

• Voter turnout
• Voting can be seen as a duty
• Disenfranchisement
• Representation of Government

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Arguments against Compulsory Voting

• Voting can also be seen as a right
• Voters may not have information
• Religion
• Populism

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Compulsory Voting

• No Preference option
• Exemption for certain religions
• Does a government represent the majority of the
  people?
• Voter apathy

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My View

• I think compulsory voting is a good idea
• Having a No Preference option is a must
• Having a relatively small fine
• It would give the government a legitimacy