Agreed. Even though I think voting is the right thing to do, forcing people to vote is an infringement on their freedom and I don’t think it’s justified.
I’m being put in a difficult situation here because I’m gonna have to go ahead and defend the American “snowflakes.” When it comes to interpreting the phrase “free elections” I think all democracies or close enough to that (which therefore includes the US) chose to say free means you’re also free not to participate. Except for the Aussies. And while I’m not an American snowflake, I’m still a snowflake because I agree with that interpretation. It wouldn’t just ruffle feathers in the US if mandatory election participation was prescribed. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. Horse = voter, drink = vote. And I don’t think the Aussie governments of the last two decades have proven to be superior because they’re backed by a larger voter base. Remember the guy who ate raw onions?
LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
When I think of the cost of that freedom it doesn’t seem too steep.
People want all the benefits but none of the responsibility, IMO.
I definitely see your viewpoint though.
otp@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
You don’t actually have to fill out the ballot. You can tell the voting officer that you decline it, you can write profanity on it, or you can vote for your dog.
It’s a minor civic duty. Much less onerous than jury duty, lol
gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
And you should be free to do that by not having to interact with someone
your options are shite and I refuse them all is a valid vote, why make it harder for someone to choose that than necessary?
otp@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
The only way that’s communicated is by officially declining the ballot. And I agree with the other commenter that it should be easier to do this.
By not voting, you’re communicating “They’re all fine; I can’t be assed to pick”.
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 hours ago
Ironically, that’s THE main reason for people not voting.
I never miss a chance to vote and I don’t advocate for others not to vote, but I understand how some people would balk at overcoming a shitload of hurdles (including but not limited to several hours in lines surrounded by too many people, difficulties getting a valid ID etc) in order to vote for the lesser evil, which is still an evil.
If you make it easier to vote, including without having to have onerous interactions with people, mandatory voting isn’t such a hassle and neither is voluntary voting.