One of the major ways citizens engage in democracy is by voters, participating in the process and voting for the leader of their choice. It's through elections that people elect their leader, elect those who represent them in government and select representatives who make decisions for them in government.
The question of whether it should be mandatory for citizens to vote is an important ethical issue. Citizens should be legally permitted to vote and participate in elections and failure to participate or vote shouldn't be treated as a criminal offense, because it isn't a criminal offense in the first place.
I have seen many religions and heard personal opinions of people giving reasons why they don't participate in elections and I believe that it should be respected. Voting shouldn't be made mandatory; Everyone has a choice and the right to make decisions.
Inasmuch as there are reasonable reasons why citizens have to vote, they also have a choice that should be respected.
I understand making voting mandatory will encourage more people to participate in politics, increase turnout on election day and also increase the interest in political issues and civic responsibilities. The decisions of our leaders affect every citizen of the country. Therefore, we should also choose and elect them. Everyone should have that responsibility to choose who will govern them.
Also, forcing people to vote doesn't mean there will be meaningful political participation amongst citizens. People will just participate so they don't have to face the consequences of not participating. They could vote without the knowledge of who they are voting for or just full blank ballots to avoid punishment. Engaging in politics is better and fun when there's an interest. A mandatory voting law would make people vote because they are forced to do so, not because they are interested, but because they are scared of being punished.
Also, I feel it's totally wrong to persecute people like criminals because they don't get involved in politics. I totally disagree with the idea that those who fail to vote should be arrested. People have their rights to decide their actions, decide if they are willing to be involved in politics or not. People can decide not to involved in politics for many reasons and their decisions should be respected. I could decide not to vote in my country because I don't trust their electoral system. I feel votes don't count in this part of the world and persecuting me for that is an abuse of power. Choices should be respected.
Also, let's consider reasons like illness, disability, emergency, insecurity and many more reasons that could affect a person negatively. Practical difficulties that could hinder them from moving to participating in votes. For reasons or things they can't control, they can't be treated as criminals.
Instead of making voting mandatory, the government should focus on making voting trustworthy, fair and accessible to all. In a country like mine electoral violence, intimidation,lack of trust in the electoral process is enough to make people not get involved in politics and forcing them to vote won't solve the problems.
I believe that democracy ought to encourage civic responsibility for all and also protect individual freedom. I believe that citizens should be strongly encouraged/ educated to vote. The fact is that wrong political decisions can affect everyone at the end of the day.
I believe by practicing a healthy democracy in a country, leaders should be able to encourage citizens to be involved in politics and also make them realize that their voices matter in a democratic state and is important, rather than threaten them with arrest for choosing not to speak.
