Mandatory voting in US?

[Hilander]

Asked how to offset the influence of big money in politics, President Barack Obama suggested it's time to make voting a requirement.

Obama: Maybe it's time for mandatory voting

I think this would be a big mistake. While I think you should vote you know people would just vote for whoever or whatever. Too many people have no idea what is going on or care.

Thoughts?

 

[dDave]

This is a really stupid idea. Again, unconstitutional.

Part of our freedom in America is the opportunity to vote, not the requirement, you only vote if you want to.

All of the stuff Dems seem to want for voting seems like complete bs to me. Blocking voter ID laws because they're apparently, "discriminatory". Mandatory voting also seems like a terrible idea. It all seems very corrupt to me (not that the Republicans aren't corrupt as well)

I also feel that this would further establish the two party system.

 

[The_Chameleon]

I think this would be a big mistake. While I think you should vote you know people would just vote for whoever or whatever. Too many people have no idea what is going on or care.

That's exactly what the Obama administration is counting on. It's how Obama got elected in the first place, people who don't know squat about politics voting based entirely on race or superficial impressions. As dDave pointed out, this would be unconstitutional, but since when did Obama ever give a crap about the constitution? Boy you guys are gonna have fun.


- Cham

 

[Major]

That's exactly what the Obama administration is counting on. It's how Obama got elected in the first place, people who don't know squat about politics voting based entirely on race or superficial impressions.

Right, because if McCain or Romney had been elected, it would have been entirely by people who are well-educated and politically informed.

Those damned Buddhists! (7:30)


Anyway, I think mandatory voting is a terrible idea.

 

[Hilander]

I don't think Obama is thinking this through. If people wanted to vote they would. If there was a candidate they thought was better than the other they would. Some people don't have the mental capacity to vote because of age or intelligence. Those I'm sure someone else will be telling them how to vote.

 

[Stego]

If one flavor of ice cream is poop and the other is dirt, forcing more people to choose what everyone must eat for four years isn't going to change the flavor. I feel the language is veiled and not face-value. It cannot be about the sheer volume of people voting, but I understand the idea behind it of getting people to better understand the political process.

Mandatory voting--historically--elicits bad behavior. Several South American countries have it and I think one year a write-in donkey ended up getting a massive amount of votes in somewhere like Chile because people were just upset with the charade.

 

[idisrsly]

LOL at Obama being a Muslim because his dad was a Muslim AND an Atheist, but he also went to a church for 20 years. People really crack me up with their politics.

Anyway, I agree that forcing people to vote is a terrible idea. People across the world, including the US, have fought for the RIGHT to vote. The right, not the obligation. I always tell everyone they have to go vote, even if they do vote for a goat (we don't actually have that here), but voting is important. Can't force it though.

 

[CaptainObvious]

To be fair, that's not what Cham said. One of the main reasons Obama got elected is because of how ill informed and uneducated the vast majority of our populace is. That doesn't mean those that voted for McCain or Romney are smarter. One doesn't negate the other. I can pull up silly, uninformed comments by Obama voters as well. Hell, there is a slew of people who still blame Bush for the recession no matter what the evidence shows.

This is a horrible idea, but to be fair I don't think that's quite what Obama was proposing. He did mention countries that have mandatory voting AND he spoke about how transformative it would be if everyone voted, but he did stop short at actually saying we should have mandatory voting. Honestly there are millions of people I would rather they not vote, and it would be unconstitutional anyway.

 

[Major]

Isn't that how anybody gets elected? They play to the majority of the electorate, which consists of a bunch of mindless sheep. The unwashed masses decide 100% of elections.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Sure, which makes Cham's post correct. What it doesn't do is conclude Cham implied if McCain or Romney got elected it would be by the informed and educated.