CNN reports that when asked how to offset the influence of big money in politics, President Barack Obama suggested it's time to make voting a requirement. "Other countries have mandatory voting," said Obama "It would be transformative if everybody voted -- that would counteract money more than anything," he said, adding it was the first time he had shared the idea publicly.
"The people who tend not to vote are young, they're lower income, they're skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups. There's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls."
At least 26 countries have compulsory voting, according to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Failure to vote is punishable by a fine in countries such as Australia and Belgium; if you fail to pay your fine in Belgium, you could go to prison. Less than 37% of eligible voters actually voted in the 2014 midterm elections, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. That means about 144 million Americans -- more than the population of Russia -- skipped out.
Critics of mandatory voting have questioned the practicality of passing and enforcing such a requirement; others say that freedom also means the freedom not to do something.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @11:34AM
Corporations are people too. You must allow them to vote with money. What could be more democratic than that?
(Score: 1, Disagree) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 22 2015, @11:57AM
You say in jest what I'll say in seriousness. If we're going to tax them, they have every right to participate in politics. I'm however fine with removing their representation if we remove the taxation as well.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @01:11PM
> If we're going to tax them, they have every right to participate in politics.
By that logic every person, citizen or not, regardless of age, should be eligible to vote simply for paying sales tax on a single transaction in the country.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @01:25PM
I've always thought the age requirement was silly. A baby could vote about as intelligently as a grand majority of adults do, as they either just vote for the same party over and over again, or flip flop between parties that all despise freedom.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 22 2015, @02:16PM
You forgot the dead ones. Oh, and welcome to the Democratic Party.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @05:46PM
huh huh dur
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2015, @04:54PM
Its funny, but you're more right on this than anything else, because the Democrat party is everyone who isn't a Republican. The reason they appear to vote as a block or "toe the party line" because Republican ideas are unable to stand on their own merits, so anyone with half a brain who doesn't have an agenda votes against them.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday March 22 2015, @01:45PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 22 2015, @02:14PM
As long as they vote Democrat. At least in practice.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by cafebabe on Monday March 23 2015, @12:42PM
That seems fair. The US was founded on the the principle of no taxation without representation.
1702845791×2
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @02:15PM
I pay property tax on my house and other taxes on my car. Can they vote too?
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 22 2015, @02:35PM
You missed the key bit there, YOU pay those taxes because YOU owe them. Corporations pay their own because THEY owe them.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @05:27PM
And shareholders OWN the company.
Only those without owners get to vote.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @06:28PM
Bribery is somewhat outside the scope of the standard political process... or at least it's supposed to be in the United States.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Buck Feta on Sunday March 22 2015, @08:20PM
What would keep me from setting up 1,000,000 small corporations and thus controlling 1,000,000 votes?
- fractious political commentary goes here -
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @08:30PM
>>What would keep me from setting up 1,000,000
>> small corporations and thus controlling 1,000,000 votes?
Well, the half billion dollars or so it'd cost to set them up might slow you down. Filling out a million sets of corporate filings would be a tad time consuming. Then another set of annual filings every year.
You'd need 5 or 10 million people to sit on all the boards. All of whom would have their own opinions,too...
Other than that, no problems...
(Score: 1) by Buck Feta on Sunday March 22 2015, @08:49PM
I think you vastly overestimate the cost to set up and run a small corporation, you certainly don't understand corporate ownership structures.
- fractious political commentary goes here -
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday March 22 2015, @10:17PM
He really don't. $500/yr is a fair estimate just to exist as a corporation with nothing but the fees and taxes accounted for.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @09:10PM
> Well, the half billion dollars or so it'd cost to set them up might slow you down.
$50 for an LLC in Arkansas [arkansas.gov]
> Filling out a million sets of corporate filings would be a tad time consuming.
Mail merge.
> You'd need 5 or 10 million people to sit on all the boards.
Just need one person for an LLC and no reason the same guy can't be on the board of all 1 million.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @10:19PM
And then print out a million copies.buy a million stamps and a million envelopes... Lick all the envelopes. I wonder how big your car will have to be to drive them all to the post office?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2015, @04:48AM
> And then print out a million copies.buy a million stamps and a million envelopes...
Electronic filing.
Even if it paper filing was the only option - we have an entire industry in American dedicated to handling the task of bulk mailing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2015, @04:35PM
You do know that every person _legally_ working in the US, citizen or not, pays income tax (as well social security, etc.).
Full disclosure: I am a foreigner working in the US on a work permit.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday March 23 2015, @10:35PM
Erm, no. Quite a lot of illegal labor do not pay income tax. They're paid under the table in cash. You know, like politicians.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.