“Other countries have mandatory voting. Why not us?” — President Barack Obama
On Wednesday, March 18, Barack Obama was speaking at a town-hall event in Cleveland, Ohio, when he openly endorsed mandatory voting laws.
“It would be transformative if everybody voted,” President Obama said. “That would counteract [campaign] money more than anything. If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country.”
President Obama continued, “Other countries have mandatory voting,” referencing nations such as Australia, which passed compulsory voting laws in 1924. Down Under, citizens will be fined and can even be jailed in certain situations if they do not cast ballots.
While Mr. Obama refrained from committing to pursuing legislation regarding the topic on a federal level, he did say that he believed “that [mandatory voting laws] may end up being a better strategy in the short term” to curb the massive impact money has on the election process.
My view? Sadly, more and more everything is either prohibited or mandated in this country.
To force people to vote goes directly against America’s founding principle of freedom. Our American Way is to “persuade” people, not coerce them, into doing the “right” thing. Read my pamphlet, “Persuasion vs. Force.”
Frankly, I think this is Obama’s and the Democrats’ way of getting more votes, since Democrats tend to vote less.
Most importantly, the level of voting in this country is a good indicator of the seriousness of our problems. A low turnout is a sign that things are going well. A high turnout suggests that our country, state or county/city is facing a serious crisis.
The fact that less than 65% of the registered voters vote is a good sign that things are going well in this country.
In case you missed it, I encourage you to read my e-letter column from last week about the millionaire next door.