In a democracy, voting ought to be compulsory

Encyclopedia Britannica says that "Whether made compulsory in law or through social pressure, it is doubtful that high voter turnout is a beneficial indication of an electorate"s capability for intelligent social choice." America"s first amendment is for the freedom of speech, which then also gives you the right not to speak. Compulsory voting is taking away this very important right. This is why I stand in firm negation in today"s resolution: "In a democracy, voting ought to be compulsory." "First I would like to clarify some terms in today's resolution: Democracy: A government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and is directly by them or by their or elected agents under a free electoral system. "Dictionary.com" Ought: Expressing obligation Compulsory: Required, or mandatory. Obligatory "I would now like to turn to my value for today's debate: Value; Freedom of Speech. 1: The right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference. My value applies to today"s debate because our first amendment right is the freedom to speak. With the freedom to speak also comes the right not to speak. A democracy is all about freedom. With compulsory voting, the government would be restricting our freedoms, by forcing citizens to take a position. "My value criterion is: Protecting Rights Definition of Value Criterion and how it applies to the debate: By enforcing compulsory voting, you would be violating the freedom of speech, the freedom that all citizens have. Making a law that directly affects our rights would be counter to the tenants of democracy. Contention I: Cite 1: Stoilov, Vassia. "No, Compulsory Voting Laws in the United States Would Not Work." Points of View Reference Center. EBSCOHost, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. Compulsory voting interferes with individual liberty and violates the principle of free elections. Compulsory voting violates the U.S. constitutional "right to refrain from speaking" famously set forth in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, which is widely held to be the classic statement of the belief that the First Amendment encompasses both the right to speak and the right not to speak. Contention II: Cite 1: Piero Moraro, PhD Professor of Philosophy in New South Wales, Winter 2012, "Why Compulsory Voting Undermines Democracy," Living Ethics, Issue 88, http://www.ethics.org.au... (accessed 8/15/13) compulsory voting does not guarantee a better democracy. Australia is one of the 19 countries in the world that legally enforces the vote. For Australian citizens voting is not merely a right, but also a duty. First introduced in Queensland in 1915, extended to the whole country in 1924, compulsory voting is a salient feature of the Australian electoral system. But is it democratic? The main argument in defense of compulsory voting is the importance of raising citizens" participation in elections. Australia"s turn out rate has never fallen below 90% since 1924, in striking comparison with most Western countries that struggle to reach 60%. These are nevertheless, merely quantitative considerations: the fact that more people go to vote is not a better thing for democracy. In fact, it could be argued that compulsory voting is likely to do more damage than good, by reducing the quality of the electoral outcome. Forcing everyone to vote means that the voice of those with no interest in politics will influence the decision about who rules the country. This generates what author Jason Brennan calls "pollution of the polls" in his book The ethics of voting, and is one of the main causes of the actual crisis of democracy worldwide: incompetent politicians winning elections through media control (the recent case of Italy under Silvio Berlusconi epitomizes this phenomenon). If one is to assume that compulsory voting will create a better democracy, there is no evidence to illustrate that this is true. Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights that a citizen withholds in a democracy. Compulsory voting stands in violation of this right by making voting a must, rather than a choice. In a democracy no law may be created that violates a citizens inalienable rights. Therefore compulsory voting cannot and should not be used in a democracy.