Topic 5: 26th Amendment - Right to Vote at 18
Voting is a right
Side Score: 5
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Voting is a Responsibility
Side Score: 11
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If voting becomes a responsibility or even worse mandatory then this would inherently defeat the purpose of a free nation, by forcing people to spend their time on voting. Therefore mandatory voting is subversive to the very idea of democracy that it tries to support. Side: Voting is a right
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What you are claiming does make sense but, A democratic government means that it respects basic human freedoms and rights. By having voting a responsibility it would make people and Candidates take elections more seriously. It is important that everybody votes so that the people would all have a part in the future president. Side: Voting is a Responsibility
How does a government maintain a compulsory vote? They wither spends millions on the tracking of every citizen and the punishment of people not attending the vote, essentially making an authoritarian government, or they start a massive propaganda campaign where they convince the citizens themselves to condemn non conformists and subvert the essence of a free state. Side: Voting is a right
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Forcing a man to do something leads to malice and apathy. The hateful who cry out against the system will concur onto themselves any punishments that abstinence from voting causes to rebel against the oppression that they see. While the apathetic pick any candidate on their list and normally the first one, making the results less and less accurate as the candidate with a name at the top of the ballot gets hundreds of thousands of inaccurate votes. These two kinds of people without forcing them to vote may very well vote and educate themselves on politics causing the system to become less representative after implementation. Side: Voting is a right
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That may very well be true however there is also a vast amount of people who because of this system would resent elections and avoid education on the political parties. There is a much simpler solution to educating citizens about politics then forcing them to vote hoping they would care enough to learn, teach them directly while they are in school. The school system should be completely unbiased and simply educate the next generation on what the political parties believe in. This is a much simpler solution which does not require the restricting of people's freedom. Side: Voting is a right
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If the whole population had to vote, they will want to make the most out of their vote. with that, the people would learn more about the candidates to make sure they are choosing the right person. Therefore, better-educated voters will be able to see unrealistic plans, ensuring better decisions in the future. Side: Voting is a Responsibility
You might me correct, but you would still have to educate yourself on the newer candidates and they're history. As teaching these skills in school might be a very good idea I don't think that it will happen in the near future according to our president, Donald Trump. Side: Voting is a Responsibility
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Throughout all of recorded history people have spoken out against oppression. If speaking out did not work they would turn to violent means. A people with personal freedom and agency do not instigate a coup against their government. The introduction of compulsory voting would take that freedom away. You claim that a society with higher voter turnout is more stable and peaceful. However the very act of taking away a person's freedom would cause hate, loss of respect for the government and riots. The riots cause the people who believe in compulsory voting to become more entrenched in their beliefs. Afterwards if the riots don't cause the government to change the people will grow more hateful until a possible civil war. Compulsory voting does not make for a peaceful state it makes for a divided one. Side: Voting is a right
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