Do people have a patriotic duty to vote?

[kentuck]

Should there be a fine for not voting?

After all, how can we complain if we do not participate?

Should there not be a campaign to educate people on the process of voting?

If they appreciate that the soldiers fight for them, if they appreciate democracy and freedom, if they cherish their right to free speech, the least they could do is vote.

Is that asking too much from citizens?

Just VOTE!

[handmade34]

1. as citizens

we have a duty to educate ourselves, serve in whatever capacity we can and VOTE!

[dkf]

2. They should at least make it a holiday before they start fining people.

[Swamp Rat]

3. No!

Forced voting is patently undemocratic.

[wtmusic]

4. The process of voting is about as simple as tying one's shoe

so IMO there is enough help out there to get people through the ordeal.

Yes it is a duty, and there should be a fine.

[Warpy]

5. Everything is done to make sure working people don't vote

like holding elections during working hours on a weekday and making the polling place close to home instead of allowing people to register close to their workplaces. People who have long commutes are eliminated from voting.

Early voting in some states helps people cope with that hostility, but it's not universal. Many states still actively discourage the people with the most stake in elections from deciding them.

Still, I'd hate to see voting made mandatory. Some people who have removed themselves from the process are stupid, apathetic, or ignorant and should be removed from the process.

[GeorgeGist]

Do you complain about crime?

If so, then by your logic you must be a criminal.

[kentuck]

7. Huh?

Can you explain that??

[GeorgeGist]

6. Do you complain about crime?

If so, then by your logic you must be a criminal.

[wtmusic]

8. There should be a fine for people who don't vote but whine about the outcome. nt

[stray cat]

9. They have a duty to think, be informed and act -rationally with insight

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. No. Sometimes, NOT voting is an act of defiance against a corrupt system.

[wtmusic]

12. defiance = "open, bold resistance to authority or opposition"

Inaction wouldn't qualify.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Compliance = " conformity in fulfilling official requirements"

Freedom:

"Freedom is the absolute right of all adult men and women to seek permission for their actions only from their own conscience and reason, and to be determined in their actions only by their own will, and consequently to be responsible only to themselves, and then to the society to which they belong, but only insofar as they have made a free decision to belong to it." Mikhail Bakunin

[wtmusic]

15. You would be completely free to choose between voting and a fine

as you are now to choose between paying income taxes and a fine.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. Conform or pay? It makes a further mockery of alleged democracy.

Hell, even the slaves weren't forced to vote for their masters.

[wtmusic]

21. Forced freedom is the most shameful excuse for democracy.

I demand the right to be oppressed. And this discussion has now entered The Twilight Zone.

[Historic NY]

11. All you people w/o purple fingers will stand out.

[Golden Raisin]

13. Maybe it would help if

they reinstated Civics Classes which used to teach high school students about the Constitution, how our government (used to) work, about the electoral process and the crucial importance of voting. Sadly, I hold zero hope that Civics Classes will make a comeback. The powers that be do not want an educated or thinking electorate. I'm in my 60's and have been voting since I was first eligible exactly because I always felt it was SO important. I also felt strongly that your vote was your ticket to complain and those who skipped voting should shut up. Now, thanks to Diebold, the Supreme Court's devestating incoronation of Bush the Younger (1st term), the Ohio hanky-panky which gave Bush his 2nd term, and the morphing/sellout of the 2 major parties into 1 bought-and-paid-for corporate entity, and the absolute inability of anyone not a (multi)millionaire to run successfully for major office, I have lost faith in the system and just about given up. The Beltway is a dysfunctional entity entirely disconnected from the reality of how middle class Americans live and function in 2010. And frankly, I'm sick to death of 40+ years of voting for the proverbial "lesser of 2 evils".

[wtmusic]

20. Exactly. We have national math and science standards testing

but no requirement that schools teach how government works?

:thumbsup:

[H2O Man]

16. I think people should vote.

I do not think there should be a fine for not voting. I do find it hard to take non-participants' opinions seriously, though.

There should definitely be "campaigns" to educate the public on voting. While Congress does have an actual obligation to educate the public on such matters, there is no realistic chance of that happening under the current circumstances. Hence, it falls to others to take this task on.

[Coyote_Bandit]

17. In my state

one can only vote for the names on the ballot. No write-ins allowed.

If I'm going to be REQUIRED to vote then either (1) I should be permitted to submit a spoiled and unvoted ballot or (2) Mickey Mouse must run for ever fucking position on the ballot.

[wtmusic]

23. A lot of spoiled ballots where there is compulsory voting

and debate as to whether it stimulates political discussion.

IMO, getting voters into the polls is the first step, and there should always be a line for write-ins.

[lynne]

18. NO FINE for not voting! IMO, there should be a TEST before people are allowed to vote -

- as some are totally clueless as to what/who they're voting for.

[wtmusic]

22. I started a thread suggesting that once.

Hoo boy. You'd have thought I peed in everyone's cornflakes at the same time.

[metapunditedgy]

26. I *think* that idea has some back-story in the USA... n/t

[gophates]

24. Pukes have a patriotic duty to stay home.

Unfortunately, they hate this country so they will never do it!

[kentuck]

25. Is it a good idea to get people talking about voting?

is another question?

[LWolf]

27. No.

People have a moral and civic duty to vote. They don't have a patriotic duty; they owe nothing to a "fatherland."

[jberryhill]

28. No

There is no duty to "cherish" freedom of anything. If someone wants to be left alone, then they have that right.