Hi there,
Let’s play a game: Imagine you live in a country where voting is mandatory. Imagine you have to vote in every single election. How would this affect you and those you know? Would you be having the same conversations — and conflicts — about voting?
In Peru, where I come from, there is no voluntary voting system. If you don’t vote, you get a fine: $23 if you live in a district classified as “not poor,” $12 if “poor”, and $6 if “extremely poor”. Since at least 30% of Peru’s 33 million people is poor, this could be a legitimate reason for making voting voluntary. However, required voting is not something that people question. It is an issue that does not enter the public debate.
The fact is that many other issues arise front and center by eliminating the variable of convincing people to vote. People from different backgrounds describe feeling empowered by required voting: candidates must appeal to all communities and regions, realizing that every vote counts. Voting day is always on a Sunday, to make it easier for people to vote. For me, the day flows like a massive celebration of democracy, no matter the results… and polling station members get the next Monday off from work!
Of course, the system could be much better. Many other factors compound its several flaws. Yet still, this comparison makes me wonder what would happen if voting in the US — a country that often considers itself the oldest democracy* — was compulsory (check out these experts’ take on how much it would help, courtesy of the Brennan Center).
I hope that in this election, US citizens can reflect on how voting is an action that — whether voluntary or mandatory — gives people real power to shape a collective future. And how it is up to every citizen not only to seize this opportunity but to make sure others have it too.
Happy Election Day,
