Compulsory Voting: For and Against

Cambridge University Press (2014)
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Abstract

In many democracies, voter turnout is low and getting lower. If the people choose not to govern themselves, should they be forced to do so? For Jason Brennan, compulsory voting is unjust and a petty violation of citizens' liberty. The median non-voter is less informed and rational, as well as more biased, than the median voter. According to Lisa Hill, compulsory voting is a reasonable imposition on personal liberty. Hill points to the discernible benefits of compulsory voting and argues that high turnout elections are more democratically legitimate. The authors - both well-known for their work on voting and civic engagement - debate questions such as: • Do citizens have a duty to vote, and is it an enforceable duty? • Does compulsory voting violate citizens' liberty? If so, is this sufficient grounds to oppose it? Or is it a justifiable violation? Might it instead promote liberty on the whole? • Is low turnout a problem or a blessing?

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Author's Profile

Jason Brennan
Georgetown University

Citations of this work

What is the Point of Political Equality?Daniel Wodak - 2024 - Philosophical Review 133 (4):367-413.
Giving epistocracy a Fair Hearing.Jason Brennan - 2022 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 65 (1):35-49.
Confucian Meritocratic Democracy over Democracy for Minority Interests and Rights.John J. Park - 2024 - Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 23 (1):25-38.

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