On Compulsory Voting

A Twitter Essaylet On Compulsory Voting:

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

I believe that voting in elections for representatives and on policy initiatives should be compulsory for all citizens. 1

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Part of the reason why is because we need to recognize the voter is much more like a juror than an organizer or protester. 2

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

I think we have come mistakenly to conceive and frame voting as if it were a form of personal expression or public assembly. 3

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

This mistaken conception distorts our grasp of the actual role and pragmatics of voting in representative politics. 4

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

But it also impoverishes our grasp of the role and potential promise of organization and assembly in democratic politics. 5

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Voting is indispensable to citizenship, but there is much more to democracy than voting: compulsory voting would clarify this. 6

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Central to my understanding of the value of compulsory voting is that I do not agree "None of the Above" should be an option. 7

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

It is a trivialization of representation when voting is treated as an identification with or blanket endorsement of a candidate. 8

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Judging which is the best candidate actually on offer when few to none ever perfectly reflect our interests, educates all citizens. 9

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

And the best, only truly engaged way to vote "None of the Above" is to become a candidate or help organize a better candidacy. 10

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Although there is evidence that progressive politics benefit more the higher the participation rate, I do not assume that must be true. 11

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

If voting were compulsory I do not doubt that reactionary politics would adapt its organizing and messaging to that reality. 12

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Even so, the need to appeal to the diversity of citizens rather than demoralizing or dividing them would be transformative. 13

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

I advocate compulsory voting because I think it would refigure citizenship in ways that could invigorate democratic politics. 14

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

A terrain transformed by compulsory voting might open a space for organizing for public financing, instant run-offs, multi-parties. 15

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015

Organizing, activism, criticism, expression are all be required: A changed conception of the citizen-juror-voter could facilitate this. 16

— Dale Carrico (@dalecarrico) December 7, 2015