Mandatory Voting Essay, Research Paper

Political Science

Mr. Costello

11-18-00

Mandatory Voting

Imagine a country where the voter turnout rate was one hundred percent. A country where all of the people of the nation came together to choose their future leaders. Unfortunately, this ideal is impossible without government intervention. Legislation should be created to enforce the act of mandatory voting in the United States.

Making voting mandatory would give politicians an opportunity to be honest and truthful during their campaigns. Because they would not have a certain group of people to appease, candidates would be able to focus on issues they found significant. In doing this, the voters would have a clear image of what and who the candidate is. This in turn would make it easier to choose the right candidate for each individual person.

Second, the population of our country would be better represented if everyone were forced to vote. Candidates would be compelled to focus on the issues of the entire race of Americans. For instance, it is true that highly educated white males are most likely to vote. In result, candidates make it their interest to please this group of people. Yet, if every person were forced to vote, representatives could center mainly on the classes that most populate the country or region in which they are running for.

In order to force every citizen of the United States to vote a consequence must take place if someone chooses not to vote. This penalty should consist of a small fine less than $75. This would force most people to participate in the election of representatives, yet still not hurt a household if something should come up where an individual cannot vote.

In order to bring out the honor and prosperity of America, it is imperative that the country unites and chooses their representatives. This is necessary because it will help our minority groups become better represented. Yet, if the government does not intervene and force our country to vote, little progress can be made. We need to keep our candidates honest and our issues clear. This is only possible if voting is made mandatory.