{"id":1846811,"date":"2023-02-14T13:20:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T18:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1846811"},"modified":"2023-02-14T13:24:15","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T18:24:15","slug":"the-case-against-mandatory-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-case-against-mandatory-voting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Case Against Mandatory Voting"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-case-against-mandatory-voting%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1846811&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47-->\n<p><span>Washington&#8217;s state legislature has a current mandatory voting proposal<\/span><a href=\"denied:about:blank\"><span>S.B. 5209<\/span><\/a><span>The proposal (known as ) is under consideration. It would require registered voters return their ballots for each election. Proponents attempt to reduce the coerciveness and ambiguity of the proposal (which is very questionable considering the First and Fourteenth Amendments), by saying that it would allow citizens the option to not register to vote or to file a form with election officials. In this case, citizens would be unable to vote, even if they chose to. This means that it wouldn&#8217;t take long before there are first allegations of voter suppression. You could also return a blank vote ballot. \u201cmeet their civic duty,\u201d According to <\/span><a href=\"denied:about:blank\"><span>Lead sponsor<\/span><\/a><span>Sen. Sam Hunt (D.Olympia), suggesting an extremely distorted notion of civic duty. There are no sanctions for non-compliance. However, one must wonder if this is the meaning of the word. \u201cyet\u201d Should be added to this claim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This is not the first time that mandatory voting has been proposed. However, the campaign has been much more visible in recent years. Last year, for example, the <\/span><span>Los Angeles Times<\/span><span>, published Mark Barabak\u2019s \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/politics\/story\/2022-04-12\/universal-voting-fixing-politics-boosting-democracy\"><span>What if every American were required&#8211;by law&#8211;to vote?<\/span><\/a><span>\u201dE.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport\u2019s book, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/40GgZLk\"><span>100% Democracy; The Case for Universal Voting<\/span><\/a><span>In favor of \u201cmandatory attendance at the polls.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As a way of focusing on specific issues, these writers are worthy of attention. Barabak began his article by claiming that mandatory voting would have a major advantage. \u201cNo lame excuses,\u201d Like \u201call politicians are the same,\u201d Or \u201cone persons\u2019 vote really doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d These aren&#8217;t weak claims. These are powerful claims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As for the first \u201clame excuse,\u201d It is clear that politicians are different in all aspects. But, name those politicians who don&#8217;t consider robbing Peter for Paul to be a significant part of their job. \u201cportfolio\u201d Their duties. I don&#8217;t see any way to vote for these people to represent me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I line up more with Leonard Read, The Foundation for Economic Education\u2019s founder, on this score. In his most famous book <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3IcTFh2\"><span>Anything That\u2019s Peaceful<\/span><\/a><span>He called them trimmers.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cA trimmer\u2026trims his personal idea of what is morally right\u2026Integrity is sacrificed to expediency.\u201d Many times, however, all options are trimmers. \u201cone candidate will stand for the coercive expropriation of the earned income of all citizens\u2026to those in groups A, B, and C\u2026his opponent differs from him only in advocating that the loot be given to those in groups X, Y, and Z.\u201d In this case, \u201cDoes responsible citizenship require casting a ballot for either of these political plunderers\u201d Which \u201cdoes as much as one can with a ballot to encourage other trimmers to run for office.\u201d In fact \u201cWhen one must choose between men who forsake integrity\u2026there is little relief at the polling level except as candidates of integrity may be encouraged by voters of integrity.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>You should also consider how ridiculous it would be to refuse that \u201cone person\u2019s vote really doesn\u2019t matter\u201d It really is. As Michael Barone <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aei.org\/articles\/a-very-few-votes-can-make-a-big-big-difference\/\"><span>Once wrote<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201cA very few votes can make a big, big difference.\u201d As proof, he cited a few close elections, the smallest margin being George W. Bush\u2019s 537-vote Florida margin in the Presidential election. Unfortunately, when the closest election that could be found was decided by more than 500 votes, that does not support the conclusion that any individual\u2019s choice of whether to vote or who to vote for makes a big difference. This implies that the reverse is true. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you voted for the winner or loser. It isn&#8217;t. \u201cone person\u2019s vote really doesn\u2019t matter\u201d That is not lame, but the smorgasbord of invalids. \u201cget out the vote\u201d Americans hear these assertions every even-numbered calendar year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Consider other common rejoinders to help you think about whether voting is really necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you don\u2019t vote, you don\u2019t have a voice in government.\u201d The fact is, casting your vote won\u2019t give you an effective voice in government any more than abstaining from voting refutes that claim.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you don\u2019t vote, you have no right to complain about government.\u201d The argument is flawed for the same reasons. It also overlooks that facing what are typically binary choices between candidates further degrades anyone\u2019s ability to clearly invoke their preferences by voting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you don\u2019t vote, you don\u2019t care about America.\u201d Again, this is unconvincing when your vote doesn\u2019t alter the outcome. In addition, not only has abstaining been common since America\u2019s foundation, but not voting is perhaps the most effective way to protest that \u201cnone of the above\u201d Consider what you consider acceptable. \u201cthe lesser of two evils\u201d Still voting for evil<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt is your duty to vote.\u201d It is not your social duty to do something that makes no difference, even if it would be beneficial for society. Uninformed voters are more likely to be derelictions of duty than fulfill them. As George Mason law professor Ilya Somin <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/volokh-conspiracy\/wp\/2015\/10\/03\/the-ongoing-debate-over-mandatory-voting\/\"><span>Write<\/span><\/a><span>, \u201cWhen relatively ignorant voters go to the polls, they aren\u2019t doing the rest of society a favor.\u201d It&#8217;s far from the truth. \u201cThey are instead inflicting harm on us by making poor choices and incentivizing politicians to cater to their ignorance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou must vote, because the electoral process would collapse if no one voted.\u201d This ignores that in addition to your individual vote not changing the outcome, virtually no one\u2019s else\u2019s individual choice of whether to and\/or how to vote alters an appreciable number of others\u2019 voting choices. (Politicians, who won\u2019t be taken seriously if they abstain from voting, may be an exception.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Barabak also commits unforced mistakes in favor of mandatory voting. He cites Dionne\u2019s \u201cfancy dinner party,\u201d An analogy can be used to argue for the obligation that only those who are eligible be rehabilitated. \u201chabitually inattentive\u201d All vote, even though their inattention almost eliminates the possibility that their votes would advance sensible policy for all Americans. This led to the claim that all voters would be attracted to parties. \u201cextremely healthy\u201d It is also important to remember that these appeals are made to people who lie and misrepresent more easily than current voters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It would require a more intrusive government to enforce the proposal than Americans face today. It would allow for expanded coercive powers, which could be extended to deciding who is guilty. \u201cgenuinely sincere reasons to refuse to vote,\u201d Inflicting fines or obligatory service is also possible, but this could open the door to future abuses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Do you think the fact that there are so many people is a good thing? \u201cyour vote is crucially important\u201d arguments are logically invalid imply you shouldn\u2019t vote? While it doesn\u2019t imply that you should be forced to vote, it doesn\u2019t require you to refrain from voting, either. But it doesn\u2019t justify voting on issues you are uninformed about, since that offers society additional ignorant white noise rather than benefits. Further, since your electorally insignificant vote won\u2019t change the outcome, it also means that trying to strategically vote to forcibly transfer others\u2019 wealth to you or your pet causes is ineffective, as well as morally objectionable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If such mistakes are avoided, voting can be a way to cheer for candidates and proposes that advance the goals of James Madison <\/span><a href=\"denied:about:blank\"><span>called<\/span><\/a><span> \u201cthe general and permanent good of the whole\u201d You can&#8217;t plunder others. Although logic and integrity are not required to vote, they do place limits on the types of people one can legitimately vote for. It would be better to recognize what we can do for ourselves than force us to vote for those in government.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington&#8217;s state legislature has a current mandatory voting proposalS.B. 5209The proposal (known as ) is under consideration. It would require registered voters return their ballots for each election. Proponents attempt to reduce the coerciveness and ambiguity of the proposal (which is very questionable considering the First and Fourteenth Amendments), by saying that it would allow &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[3986,4351],"class_list":["post-1846811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-mandatory","tag-voting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1846811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1846811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1846811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1846811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}