Should Voting in Elections Be Mandatory?

Political participation is regarded by many as a civic duty. However, around 40% of the UK’s electorate did not vote in the 2024 general election. Introducing mandatory voting would ensure greater representation, less polarisation in political views and enhanced democratic legitimacy for those elected.

Representation - Compulsory voting in elections allows for a complete representation of a country’s views. Generally, election turnout is lowest amongst the working classes, younger generations and ethnic minorities. This can lead to the election of politicians who may not completely represent the population's views. In the last UK general election, fewer than half of 18-24-year-olds exercised their right to vote, whereas three-quarters of those aged 65+ voted, leading to a huge imbalance in views represented.

Introducing compulsory voting would mitigate the right versus left polarisation that exists in many countries

Less Polarisation - Those with stronger views are most likely to vote in elections so in turn, extreme views are more likely to be heard and represented. However, 26% of the UK electorate have no political affiliation and are amongst one of the hardest groups to encourage to participate. Nevertheless, these voters are essential to democracy because they provide a more centrist perspective. In this way, introducing compulsory voting would mitigate the right versus left polarisation that exists in many countries.

Enhanced Democratic Legitimacy - The legitimacy of governments elected via compulsory voting is higher due to the inevitable higher voter turnout. Australia has been using mandatory voting for over a century and averages a 94% voter turnout. In comparison, in 2024, the UK had a 60% turnout and the US had a 64% turnout. Countries with lower turnout and close election results often face the lingering question of what might have happened if more people voted, such as if more young people had voted in the UK’s Brexit referendum. Australia, on the other hand, garners results with almost complete legitimacy because of compulsory voting.

Although compulsory voting seems attractive in theory, it has many issues such as the restriction of people’s freedom to choose not to vote, an increase in uneducated and random voting and the use of unjust punishments.

Freedom Not to Vote - People choose not to vote for a variety of reasons, such as distrust of politicians and the political system. Therefore, they should be able to exercise their freedom to make this choice. In March 2024, research found that 63% of the UK electorate had little to no confidence that they have a genuine say in elections, meaning that when the electorate refuses to vote, it shows politicians that they need to gain voter trust and confidence. Compulsory voting would remove people’s ability to make a political statement by not voting, denying them the opportunity to express a legitimate view.

Compulsory voting would remove people’s ability to make a political statement by not voting, denying them the opportunity to express a legitimate view

Uneducated and Uninformed Voting - Studies have found that 44% of people in the UK have little to no confidence in their ability to participate in politics. This is often due to a lack of political education. Making voting compulsory in places where there is inadequate political education could lead to uninformed, random voting. Research has found that in Brazil, where compulsory voting is in place, 13.4% of the electorate admitted to voting randomly. Compulsory voting could lead to outcomes made by random decision-making, which is not a good thing for democracy.

Unjust Punishments - To uphold compulsory voting, often a punishment is in place. In Australia, this is a $20 fine and in Greece, you can even be imprisoned for not voting. A system that punishes people for not voting seems to infringe too much on people’s right to freedom of choice and arguably fails to uphold political liberty and the idea that participation is voluntary. Forcing people to vote and enforcing this through punishments will cause groups to become further disillusioned with the system, rather than encouraging them to participate.