Compulsory Voting In The United States

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Voting is truly one of the most important parts of citizens’ rights in that it allows people to choose who creates laws and rules for them to follow and live by. Although this is one of the most important rights, it is simply that; a right. Government should not require citizens to use their voting rights to pick a political leader or any other important matter that would require a vote if a citizen does not wish to vote. I believe Compulsory voting should not be enforced in any nation because this would result in a decrease of freedom of speech due to the requirement to select a side on an issue, an increase in tensions between a government and citizens due to the requirement of voting by all citizens, and a decrease in the amount of accurate …show more content…
Many people have different opinions or point of views that conflict with a topic or person being voted on, which is a main reason people do not wish to vote in some elections. For example, the previous United States of America Presidential Election of 2016 put Hillary Clinton as the representative of the Democratic Party, and Donald Trump as the head of the Republican Party. The Democratic and Republican parties are the two largest political parties in the United States, so the ostensible winner would come from one of these parties. From previous observations and conversations, I have learned that many people who are eligible to vote did not like either political candidate, so they saw it in their best nature to not vote at all in this election. The United States does not institute a compulsory voting policy, but if the nation did require all eligible citizens to vote, the freedom of speech of citizens to openly say their disapproval of the candidates would have been violated because they would have to choose a candidate they did not agree with. All in all, compulsory voting can strip human beings of the natural right of freedom of speech, and the act of compulsory voting can lead to tensions between the government and the citizens of a …show more content…
Citizens want to do what they believe is best for them and best for their country in nearly anything they do, including voting. Citizens may believe the best future, in their eyes, could be one where they do not vote upon an issue. If citizens are forced to vote, they are going against their own personal interests for how they believe their lives and nation should be run, leading to their questioning and lack of trust in a nation’s government. If the tensions between citizens and government of one nation are not in order or of good sprits, citizens could question the form of government as a whole. As shown throughout world history in situations like the French Revolution and the American Revolution, the citizens have great power and can change the layout and structure of their government if they so please. The way a government is setup and organized for any given country is setup in this way because it is believed by the leaders of the government, as well as the citizens, that this is the best strategy for the good of the nation. When government and citizens have increased tensions, the tensions can keep growing and growing until there is rebellion of the government by the citizens. A simple action like requiring voting by all citizens who are eligible to vote can lead to tensions growing between government and citizens, which