Duty To Vote

My blog on voting references voting as a civil responsibility and even a moral duty. The Duty to Vote by Julia Maskivker spells out the latter argument without a legal mandate, which some countries have with limited enforcement. 

I don't think a legal mandate is necessary though if it was in place, it seems to me likely to be an extremely mild burden. It is not likely to be enforced and the result would likely be a minor fine unless (maybe) the person is a constant scofflaw.  

What is the responsibility of a citizen? Non-citizens have to follow the law. Citizens might have to occasionally go to jury duty. 

Residents with some basic connection to the community can be liable for treason, which is largely academic in the current days anyway. Citizens traditionally had militia duties, which currently again is largely academic without a draft. 

We can consider moral duties to include some overall concern about the community. A citizen would have a duty to be aware of public events in some basic fashion. They should have some minimal education. They should engage with fellow citizens with minimal respect. Mandatory education laws exist. We do not fine people for simply being an asshole. 

We live in a republican democracy where the people select our leaders. Many people do not vote. The most notable result occurs in primary elections where there is more of a likelihood that highly motivated partisans will vote. This is likely to skewer the general election candidates. 

If we honor equality, we should also try to promote an equal role for citizens in who leads them. The ultimate choice here is elections.  

What is the concern? Does it violate libertarian values? The minimal requirement here is trivial compared to many other requirements, including daily use of seatbelts in cars or the inability to purchase various drugs. A blank vote would provide someone the ability to avoid supporting an ideological choice. 

A moral requirement to vote -- which again need not be legally mandated -- could be fulfilled by submitting a blank vote. If you do not like either candidate, there is a third option. The same applies if you are not sure about ballot measures. "Neither" can be an option. Write-ins can also be available.  

A blank ballot might register on the voting machine to ensure that it is not by mistake. A blank ballot was also a way to protest the Palestinian situation during the primary this year.  You can avoid that by making it a separate choice, which would keep things private.  

I do not see much of a libertarian burden here even philosophically. A blank vote is akin to a non-vote. A person can be sent a self-addressed, postage-paid postcard to send back if all you want to do is submit a blank ballot.  

We might be concerned about requiring the uninformed and apathetic voters to submit a ballot. First off, the two are not the same. People do not vote for a variety of reasons. Often they would vote if mildly pressed to do so, such as given a ballot at the post office. Second, the blank vote option provides such voters a path of least resistance. 

Finally, it is unclear to me what the net result would be if we have some additional pressure for such people to vote. Many people who vote are ill-informed. Are these people much different?  

Second, if we do more to pressure people to vote, we should also do more to educate them. Net, we might come out the same, or even improve the situation.  

We often hear PSAs and so forth encouraging us to vote. Overall, the assumption often is that voting will lean a certain way. It will in some areas. Having more people vote in heavily blue or red districts very well might not. It still can be a useful civic enterprise.

Citizenship is often seen as almost a sacred thing though it often doesn't truly mean much. Voting is one case of citizenship meaning something. For non-citizens or those too young or otherwise unable to vote, they too can get involved. For instance, they can be informed, discuss the issues, and petition. 

We should consider ourselves bound as citizens to have a duty to vote. Again, if you honestly think you are too uninformed to make an informed choice, there are options to not choose unwisely.  

I do not think the arguments against this are sound.