How Do You Feel About Mandatory Voting?

[Roadrunner]

Bad idea. You'd get hordes just going through the motions, voting based on whatever bullshit fallacy advertising campaign got to them first.

We already have that now -- mandatory would just intensify it.

I think that if forced to vote, more people would actually take the time to educate themselves on the issues. I think it would be harder if each party had to do more than sway their core supporters.

No they wouldn't; there's no incentive to do so. All you've done is made it mandatory to cast a vote. You go in and vote for Zippy the Pinhead, literally or figuratively, and you've served that requirement. Doesn't require any education at all to do that.

That would be their right. However, I think that more people would automatically become more engaged in the process and would stop voting against their best interests.

You think the poor would vote themselves off the plantation?

Dream on.

Just because you are poor doesnt mean you cannot be educated. If you are voting for a system that keeps you poor you will stop doing so if you are educated on that.

I agree.

Thing is, you do not know the grief I suffered as a teacher, for teaching about our government, instead of having students dress up like fuckin' Egyptians for a "hands on experience".

That said, no kid who passed my Eight Grade Pre-Civics course ever failed Civics when they went to High School.

I was supposed to be teaching LA History for a year, but, always finished the book 9 weeks early, and then taught the 9th Grade Civics course from the same book they used at the High School.

It drove my affirmative action welfare statist principal mad, but, my Supervisor and Superintendent told her to shove it.

 

[Roadrunner]

You know, Obama could have brought Jesus to the White House and eliminated unemployment to 0% and I can guarantee you that the narrative the right would have in 2014 would be "fail". ...

Obumble had his chance. He muffed it. Starting with the 2010 mid-term 'shellacking' when he lost the House. And continuing into the present day and beyond.

A first-term rookie junior Senator and former community organizer with zero credentials in governance and leadership was not a good match for the Senior Varsity Team Captain, anyway, despite all the manufactured rock-star glitter.

Stop making excuses for him... it's over... although it will drag on until January 20, 2017, like some sort of B-string Zombie movie.

...You are a Mitch No-Chin McConnell tool.

Hardly. I merely hold a political viewpoint that differs from yours.

I find your attack-dog tactics to be symptomatic of The Left when it is facing the prospect of huge setbacks, and when it cannot admit to itself that it, alone, is responsible for its lackluster performance in recent years, after being entrusted with the reins of power and the public good.

Repeat after me: "We (The Left) blew it. We had it all, and we couldn't deliver as promised. The People are preparing to pass judgment upon us. We must now stand up, take our lumps like Men (and Women), and learn from our mistakes, and resolve to do much better in the future." - that should help you to survive tomorrow.

He could have addressed young black America at his inauguration, and told them it was time to get their shit together.

Stop shooting, stop having babies they have no intention of supporting, pull up their pants and get jobs, and, to the girls, get some decent clothes, quit shacking up with abusive men, and get a fuckin' job too.

 

[Pogo]

Bad idea. You'd get hordes just going through the motions, voting based on whatever bullshit fallacy advertising campaign got to them first.

We already have that now -- mandatory would just intensify it.

I think that if forced to vote, more people would actually take the time to educate themselves on the issues. I think it would be harder if each party had to do more than sway their core supporters.

No they wouldn't; there's no incentive to do so. All you've done is made it mandatory to cast a vote. You go in and vote for Zippy the Pinhead, literally or figuratively, and you've served that requirement. Doesn't require any education at all to do that.

That would be their right. However, I think that more people would automatically become more engaged in the process and would stop voting against their best interests.

Again -- there is no reason that should follow. To get more people to think more deeply, you'd have to pass some sort of -- something -- that requires people to think. You can't legislate that any more than you can legislate morality.

liberals would have the government dictate what people are allowed to think and punish anyone who dares not the think as the goverment tells them. Orwell and Rand saw it coming and wrote about it, their books were fiction, but their fiction is becoming fact.

Clearly you don't have the slightest inkling of an understanding of what Liberalism is.
As such, maybe you should be required to sit the vote out.

 

[Asclepias]

You know, Obama could have brought Jesus to the White House and eliminated unemployment to 0% and I can guarantee you that the narrative the right would have in 2014 would be "fail". ...

Obumble had his chance. He muffed it. Starting with the 2010 mid-term 'shellacking' when he lost the House. And continuing into the present day and beyond.

A first-term rookie junior Senator and former community organizer with zero credentials in governance and leadership was not a good match for the Senior Varsity Team Captain, anyway, despite all the manufactured rock-star glitter.

Stop making excuses for him... it's over... although it will drag on until January 20, 2017, like some sort of B-string Zombie movie.

...You are a Mitch No-Chin McConnell tool.

Hardly. I merely hold a political viewpoint that differs from yours.

I find your attack-dog tactics to be symptomatic of The Left when it is facing the prospect of huge setbacks, and when it cannot admit to itself that it, alone, is responsible for its lackluster performance in recent years, after being entrusted with the reins of power and the public good.

Repeat after me: "We (The Left) blew it. We had it all, and we couldn't deliver as promised. The People are preparing to pass judgment upon us. We must now stand up, take our lumps like Men (and Women), and learn from our mistakes, and resolve to do much better in the future." - that should help you to survive tomorrow.

He could have addressed young black America at his inauguration, and told them it was time to get their shit together.

Stop shooting, stop having babies they have no intention of supporting, pull up their pants and get jobs, and, to the girls, get some decent clothes, quit shacking up with abusive men, and get a fuckin' job too.

White people get mad if he mentions race.

 

[SwimExpert]

They can make voting mandatory providing worth while candidates becomes mandatory.

 

[Asclepias]

They can make voting mandatory providing worth while candidates becomes mandatory.

Worth while is a subjective term. Lets be realistic.

 

[Ernie S.]

They can make voting mandatory providing worth while candidates becomes mandatory.

Worth while is a subjective term. Lets be realistic.

It is.

Let me know when the Left puts up a worthwhile candidate, OK?

 

[Asclepias]

They can make voting mandatory providing worth while candidates becomes mandatory.

Worth while is a subjective term. Lets be realistic.

It is.

Let me know when the Left puts up a worthwhile candidate, OK?

Worthwhile to whom?

 

[Katzndogz]

People can't be forced to seriously vote. Put an unwilling person in the voting booth and they will write in Toaster Strudel as their candidate or cast a vote for every one running. People who might otherwise cast a well considered vote could easily rebel and cast a nonsense vote. Totalitarianism only goes so far.

 

[Little-Acorn]

Interesting opinion piece on CNN discussing the merits of mandatory voting. I liken it to jury duty. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Midterms Should Americans be forced to vote Opinion - CNN.com

A ridiculous notion.

People who don't bother to vote, are clearly not interested in government or the outcome of elections.

Those are the LAST people I want deciding who my government should be.

That said, I strongly support giving them every chance to vote, by having polling places within a few blocks of their homes, freely open to them, with plenty of information available for the taking and reading.

If they choose not to take advantage of it, that's just Darwin in action: the weakest and least qualified taking themselves out of the fight to survive.

 

[Asclepias]

If people are too lazy to go to the polls once a year, I don't WANT them voting.

Youre only one person. If forced to vote then they would also be forced to actually take a look at what they are voting on. The idea has some merit.

The idea has no merit. It is my right to vote or not to vote. The Gov't has no right to force you to vote, even though socialist libtards hate it.

You must be against requiring ID to vote then?

 

[Asclepias]

Interesting opinion piece on CNN discussing the merits of mandatory voting. I liken it to jury duty. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Midterms Should Americans be forced to vote Opinion - CNN.com

A ridiculous notion.

People who don't bother to vote, are clearly not interested in government or the outcome of elections.

Those are the LAST people I want deciding who my government should be.

That said, I strongly support giving them every chance to vote, by having polling places within a few blocks of their homes, freely open to them, with plenty of information available for the taking and reading.

If they choose not to take advantage of it, that's just Darwin in action: the weakest and least qualified taking themselves out of the fight to survive.

Dont you think it would be in the best interest of the country to get them interested in the process? After all their non action also effects the results.

 

[JoeNormal]

I'd support a 10 random question test as part of each ballot to see if the participant knew ANYTHING about the election. If they didn't pass the test, their ballot wouldn't be counted.

 

[JWBooth]

As an advocate for jury nullification, I look forward to the day somebody is fool enough to put me in a jury pool.

I wonder if the op, or anybody else can explain how liberties or freedom can be advanced with compulsory voting?

 

[Asclepias]

As an advocate for jury nullification, I look forward to the day somebody is cool enough to put me in a jury pool.

I wonder if the op, or anybody else can explain how liberties or freedom can be advanced with compulsory voting?

Liberties or freedoms are not the issue. The issue in the OP is finding out if forcing people to vote or pay a fine is a good thing or bad thing.

 

[Ernie S.]

They can make voting mandatory providing worth while candidates becomes mandatory.

Worth while is a subjective term. Lets be realistic.

It is.

Let me know when the Left puts up a worthwhile candidate, OK?

Worthwhile to whom?

Exactly.

 

[Asclepias]

They can make voting mandatory providing worth while candidates becomes mandatory.

Worth while is a subjective term. Lets be realistic.

It is.

Let me know when the Left puts up a worthwhile candidate, OK?

Worthwhile to whom?

Exactly.

Exactly what?

 

[Asclepias]

I'd support a 10 random question test as part of each ballot to see if the participant knew ANYTHING about the election. If they didn't pass the test, their ballot wouldn't be counted.

Sounds like Jim Crow politics. However, the discussion is on if it would be a good idea to force people to vote or pay some fine.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Interesting opinion piece on CNN discussing the merits of mandatory voting. I liken it to jury duty. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Midterms Should Americans be forced to vote Opinion - CNN.com

For Republicans a bad thing.

 

[Katzndogz]

As an advocate for jury nullification, I look forward to the day somebody is fool enough to put me in a jury pool.

I wonder if the op, or anybody else can explain how liberties or freedom can be advanced with compulsory voting?

As a member of a jury advocating among jurors for jury nullification would surely result in a mistrial and another untainted trial.

Freedom and liberty is certainly not advanced with mandatory voting. The very term mandatory is coercive. No one can tell you who to vote for. Make voting mandatory and the entire election process would become snarled in gobbelty gook.