Mandatory voting would raise participation
Mandatory voting will, fundamentally, increase political engagement.
(1 of 3)
Next argument >
The Argument
In democracies around the world, a significant portion of the electorate continues to opt out of voting in regular elections. On average a third of adults eligible to vote in the last few general elections in the UK have stayed at home.
At the very least making voting mandatory would increase participation in elections and increase the size of the electorate who participate in national political life.
Counter arguments
Mandatory voting is a magic bullet when it comes to maintaining a continuous high turnout.
Even in a country like Australia that already has mandatory voting, with the threat of a fine for not voting, turnout in elections has markedly declined from a decade ago.
Premises
[P1] As it stands, most people do not participate in elections.
[P2] By making voting mandatory, we fix this and increase political participation.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P2] Making voting mandatory will not fix all of these problems.