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Should voting in the US be changed from an optional right to a mandatory requirement?
In some 22 countries voting is a requirement rather than a right. In the US it is not required. In this CNN report, President Obama suggests it might be time to consider changing it to a requirement. Here are a few pros and cons, digested from this Wikipedia article:
Arguments for compulsory voting: Voting is a “civic duty”; it would confer a high degree of political legitimacy reflected by high voter turnout; it would prevent disenfranchisement of the socially disadvantaged or politically undesirable voter; it would become more difficult for extremist or special interest groups to get themselves into power or to influence mainstream candidates.
Arguments against compulsory voting: Voting is a “right”, not a duty; it would compel members of certain religious or moral beliefs to violate those beliefs; it would violate freedom of speech, because compelled speech is not necessarily free speech.
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