IAP Political Forum

As a non-voter it is unsettling that many reasonable people declare I have a duty to vote. I am fuzzy on the reasoning behind the duty. Any help understanding would be appreciated.

Well for starters, people are free to vote in my opinion. If you force people to vote then something isn't right.

I guess, well your living and working in a democracy where the people decide. Without the people voting the system doesn't work and can for example lead that a minority of the people can basically decide what is happening in a country. If one person doesn't do it its not a big deal but if masses of people decide not to vote it can have a certain impact.

Second some people claim it is because some of our ancestors died/suffered/protested we have been given the right to determine what is right instead of a certain Despot. Basicly not voting would men for them the ignoring of the sacrifice some people took.

Thirdly, one I heard recently, if you don't vote you basically demonstrate you don't care how your country is driven and basicly you don't have the right to complain either. (Strange thinking, but it has some logic).

Finally some people could want you to vote when there is basicly no choice so it seems that a certain candidate has a larger support of the people then he actually has. Last one would happen in a more rigged democracy.

Nonetheless, in my country there has been a Dut/requirement to vote which was set in law. This has only been changed for several decades. In my opinion our free to vote, not voting, or voting blanco has no effect but in large enough numbers demonstrates to the people/parties in power that the voters see there is no choice. Nonetheless I would still encourage people to vote, mostly because some people just vote because they are lazy or just don't want to make time for it.

It is good to vote not only as civic duty but also because democracy cannot function without citizen involvement. If you have any understanding of political issues it should be easy to form an opinion on candidates.

Speaking of here in the U.S., people should vote just as they should brush their teeth and take baths regularly. Making people do any of these and other noble things would be next to impossible.

OswaldTheOsprey

I'm not aware of any law, statute or regulation that obliges you to vote.

As far as I understand the matter, voting in the USA is entirely a voluntary privilege.

Thank you for your help.

I don't fear this unless the minority organizes itself, which I don't see happening.

This is not how I view my (USA) founding father's actions, I see them as an example that even once government has gone too far it is not too late to change it. There is some room here for a duty to posterity but I'd be hard pressed to turn that into a specific duty to vote.

hmm I'm not sure how either of these imply a duty to vote.

I think this implies a duty the other way.

gommi; I have opinions, but I'm not sure why you should say it's bad for me not to use them to effect government.
OswaldTheOsprey; I don't understand voting as hygiene.
Dormouse; my question is not whether people have voted about the duty, it's a question of how I should vote in such a contest.

What troubles me is you called yourself a "non-voter". That doesn't imply you haven't voted sometimes or don't vote for certain things, but that you refuse to vote.

I'm curious to why that is.

I don't vote because I've never had a desire to, refuse is a strong word for my position.

Care to elaborate on why?

It's a negitive position, I don't think there is a deeper why without taking apart my consciousness.

Okay. I'll exit this thread now.

I would say the number one reason why people don't vote in the US is because most are happy and content with their lives...people tend to be galvanized and vote when they are mad at something.

#2 reason is the person is an extreme realist and uses statistics based reasoning....your vote doesn't count.  The chance that your vote would statistically count is less than the chance of winning the lottery...a lot less

Well, to the "our ancestors died for it thing" its more a European thing I guess. Only since the beginning of the previous century the "lower" classes can vote after protests and/or the thread of a Communist Revolution.

I thought the OP question was "why is it a duty to vote?" (or why some people hold that it is a duty).

Now it seems you are asking a different question. 

Your original answer was not in line with the information I am seeking. I changed the question to try and get your next answer to quench my curiosity.



Actually I've reconsidered this argument, and think it has a lot more merit than I originally gave it credit for. Clearly other people interpret leaders' work differently, and that my interpretation does not lead me to a duty to vote is no proof against others finding it there. I know some Americans hold this view too and it was purely arrogance for me to dismiss it. This is definitely ground for reasonable disagreement.



I'm interested in other answers if anyone is willing to share why they hold there is a duty to vote.

Theoretically speaking, one might perceive or counsel a 'duty to vote', but this is likely contingent upon an unstated assumption of a preference for liberty.

That is to say, if you have a preference for liberty, then you ought to vote.  My justification for this would be Kant's categorical imperative that one ought to "act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." 

It if no one actually votes, then our democracy will fail and we will be ruled by a dictatorship soon enough.  Ergo, if one values liberty, and one claims to be rational, then one is obliged to vote.

Note: I am of course assuming that liberty is only generally or widely available under a democratic ruled state.

I don't agree all the way, I think there is middle ground between desiring a universal law for something and a universal law against it. On liberty I'd use a looser categorical imperative like "If one desires liberty one should defend it" leaving room for voting to preserve the right, but not putting undue weight on the one mode.

But this is my first introduction to Kant so it'll be a while before I have intelligent opinions about his thoughts.