by Eric J Taylor

Created on: February 15, 2009

The assumption that compulsory voting will undermine democracy is one of the greatest fallacies of the free world.

Australia, one of the few countries on Earth with compulsory voting, is acknowledged as one of the best countries in which to live and raise a family. Before we proceed, however, we should clarify one point that is often misunderstood. Under the voting system for the Australian Federal government and the various state governments, all citizens aged 18 years and over are required to have their name placed on the electoral roles. Once on those electoral roles, they are required attend a polling booth on Election Day, unless they have lodged an absentee vote. The law does not mention the casting of the vote.

Once your attendance at the polling booth is recorded, each eligible voter is given the necessary ballot papers. They are then able to cast their vote in secret. How the citizen then casts their vote is their own choice. If the voter believes that all candidates are incompetent, they have the right to vote for none of them and place a blank ballot paper into the box. As a citizen who takes my right to vote seriously, I have occasionally selected this option, but statistics do show that the number of electors who do this is minimal.

From time to time, various parties within the Australian political system argue for the abandonment of the compulsory voting system that we have. This is always promoted by the party that believes that they will retain more of the public who vote for them that the other major party will retain. They use the argument of freedom of choice, but it is always shown that their underlying reasoning is an attempt to gain more power.

Many in Australia often take an interest in overseas elections, particularly those in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. During the most recent United States Presidential election, the lunacy of voluntary voting was highlighted by ridiculous amounts of money wasted by both major parties attempting to inspire the population to participate. Had voting been compulsory, the efforts of both parties would have directed to why the population should vote for them, rather than if.

The level of involvement in a democracy can grow through various levels. Initially voting was granted to a selection of the population, initially the "landed gentry" and later to only males. At this level, voting was a privilege. As democracy matured and voting was granted to all, it is often deemed to be a right.

In our societies, we have many responsibilities that are compulsory. We have no choice in paying taxes set by the governments to provide us with the services that we require. We must obey the laws of the country we are in. If we wish to drive a car, we must obtain the necessary licence. There are many other compulsory requirements in our life.

In a true democracy, voting must reflect the will of all citizens. It is neither a privilege nor a right. Voting in a true democracy is a duty.

The one thing that has and always will undermine true democracy is voluntary voting.

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