The voting reform that would be most beneficial to the American democracy is compulsory voting. For the past several decades, the United States has suffered from incredibly low voter turnout rates, which has in turn led to a less representative and a less representative democracy. Compulsory voting is a solution that several developed nations around the world, including Belgium and Australia, have enacted to combat the dilemma of low civic participation, to great benefit. Were the United States to implement similar measures, it would push new life into the democratic system, and improve the quality of life for Americans.
In the new millenia, voter turnout has stagnated around half of the voting age population for presidential elections, and even less for midterm years. (Pew Research, 2018) 2016 saw just 59.3% of the eligible population cast ballots, while 2012 was even lower at 57.5%, and slightly higher in 2008 at 62.3%. (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2012) Given the tight margins of the popular vote, this means that shockingly low percent of Americans actually voted for our last presidents. In 2008, Barack Obama won the popular vote with 53.68%. (270 to Win) Given the voter turnout of 62.3%, this means that just 33.44% of eligible voters selected Barack Obama for president. The numbers are even worse for Donald Trump, who won the presidency despite losing the popular vote in 2016. Trump received 45.9% of the popular vote. (The Washington Times, 2017) Given the turnout rate of 59.3%, Trump won the presidency with the support of only 27.21% of the eligible voting population.
This standard of support led to a populace that was extremely malcontent with their government. In January 2017, mere weeks after Trump first took office, his disapproval rating stood at 47%, higher than his approval rating of 45%. By December 2017, this his disapproval rating had shot to 60%, while a mere 30% of Americans approved of his performance. (Gallup) Not only does this undermine the American concept of a government of the people by the people, it serves as a detriment to the efficiency of the national government as a whole. A president with such low approval ratings does not hold the necessary sway over legislators to effectively set an agenda. Indeed, despite a Republican stronghold in the Executive Branch and a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the national government has been remarkably unproductive since the 2016 election. Clearly, a solution is needed.
Compulsory voting has been proven to increase voter turnout astronomically in countries similar to the United States. One example of this is Belgium, which enjoys a voter turnout rate averaging 90.48%. (Election Guide) This percentage towers over countries of similar size and population, such as the UK and France, who do not enforce mandatory voting. (Worley, 2017)
Another example of the efficacy of mandatory voting is Australia, who introduced compulsory voting more recently. In Australia’s recent 2016 election, 87% of the voting age population participated in the election. (Butler, 2018) The high election turnouts in these countries mean that the government is highly accountable to the voting populace, as well as extremely representative of their viewpoints.
Had the United States enacted similar measures prior to the 2016 elections, the turnout may have been startlingly different. One of the largest catalysts to sway the 2016 election in Clinton’s favor may have been the youth vote. In 2016, just 46.1% of 18-29 year olds cast a vote in the election. (US Census Bureau) Given that this demographic is overwhelmingly liberal, this would have had an enormous impact on the outcome of the election, potentially swinging it in favor of the democrats. Mandatory voting would also increase voter turnout among those individuals who find it most difficult to make it to the polls- those with lower income, and those who work full time. If every eligible voter was required to cast a ballot, employers would be forced to work with their employees to find time for them to make it to the polling center. Given that working Americans’ values generally align more with the liberal side of the political center, this group of voters may also have turned the map blue.
Compulsory voting is the reset that American democracy needs to increase government responsiveness and accountability. If each and every citizen cast a ballot come election day, politicians would know that they are answerable for their actions, and how they have affected every individual in their constituency. This would increase responsiveness and in general improve the quality of the democracy.
