For those of you who refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils, take comfort in knowing that you're in the majority. Politicians are always claiming their wins indicate that "the people have spoken." But, as with everything else politicians say, it's just not true. Most people don't vote. Why is that? Would society be better-off if everyone voted? There are twelve countries that enforce compulsory voting. Should people be punished if they are eligible to vote and don't? What are the implications to society when a majority of the people don't vote? What do you think would change if everyone were required to vote?
FTA:
According to the Associated Press, 90 million Americans - only 42% of registered voters - pulled the lever for a congressional candidate on Tuesday. That's just a hair under 29% of the US population of 310.6 million.
"So much for the consent of the governed," says Thomas L. Knapp of the fledgling X2012 Project. "In a typical district, the next US Representative was chosen by, at most, one out of four or five registered voters and less than one in six of his or her alleged constituents."
"A majority of those who could have voted refused to. A supermajority either chose not to vote or weren't allowed to vote," says the edgy and contemplative media coordinator and senior news analyst for the Center for a Stateless Society. "Yet for the next two years, that politician will claim to 'represent,' and to possess legitimate authority to rule, all of them."
Only 29% of US Population (42% of registered voters) Participated in 2010 Mid-Term Elections
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Nov 13, 2010 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=380
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