Mandatory Voting Laws

SAMPLE OUTLINE: Persuasive (motivational) -- Full Sentence

I. INTRODUCTION

A. (Attention Statement) Have you or someone you know ever said, “What’s the point of voting, my one vote’s not going to make a difference?” According to John Dean, a former counsel to the president, In our last presidential election approximately 85% of the registered voters and only 60% of eligible voters showed up at the polls. This means that a whopping 75 million votes went unheard. Meanwhile, the margin of victory was a mere 3 million.

B. (Thesis) Today, I will explain why voting is a responsibility of citizenship and why we should adopt mandatory voting laws.

C. (Significance to Audience) Poor voter turnouts have caused unequal representation with “special interest” groups carrying the vote.

D. (Credibility Statement) Since I fall into an underrepresented demographic, I feel much concern for this topic, and I’ve researched it extensively over a period of time.

E. (Preview of Main Points) I am going to tell you more about the negative effects of our country’s low voter participation. Then, I’ll explain the benefits of a mandatory voting process, and finally what you can do to correct this problem.

[Transition] But first, we need to better understand the significance of voter turnout.

II. BODY

A. (Main Point 1) The Problem

1. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of the Independence, "Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Citizens can express this consent to the government through our voting process.

2. Our 60% voter turnout ranks 139th out of 172 countries.

3. We are ranked mostly among third world nations. 4. There are various reasons why people might not vote.

a. Most non-voters are young and/or poor.

b. Education, income levels, and age correlate to voting percentages.

c. People fail to register in time.

d. Political scientists blame the decline on negative campaign advertising, a political “turn-off” to many voters.

e. Still, most analysts attribute poor voter turnout to a lack of self-interest.

5. As I mentioned earlier, a low voter turnout can typically mean certain groups are not being represented.

6. Political parties will focus their attention on the groups with the highest turnout.

7. In our country, the elderly have historically had the highest participation while the youngest voters have had the lowest.

a. According to the Census Bureau, in 2004, the 18-24 age bracket was the lowest at 47% and those between 55-74 were the highest at a 73% turnout rate.

8. Imagine you’re a politician and you have this information. If you were considering cutting the budget, which programs would get slashed first? Medicare benefits or college tuition financial aid?

9. America’s lack of participation can easily be blamed on the voters, but the government deserves blame for not doing more to increase the turnout.

[Transition] It’s time to consider reasonable ideas for correcting the problem

B. (Main Point 2) The Solution

1. Voting laws need to be legislated in this country. Not only should registration and voting be mandatory, but they also need to be enforced. I see very little difference when compared to mandatory taxation and enforcing proper tax filing with stiff penalties.

2. Would it really work? Australia introduced mandatory voting in 1924, after voter turnout went down to 58% in 1922. Not far off from our current 60% mark.

3. Today, Australia tops the chart with 95% turnout of registered voters for general elections and nearly 85% register.

a. Those who fail to show up for voting without a valid excuse, end up with a fine between 15 and 37 dollars. In extreme cases, some may face a brief prison sentence.

4. Aside from voting enforcement, we should improve the registration process.

a. In several European nations, the government makes it their business to contact the public by mail regarding voter registration.

b. Also, registration could be permitted until Election Day in all states, not just some states.

5. Mandatory voting is more than just a right. It is an obligation of a citizen, and mandating voting would be no worse than our existing mandatory military drafts, tax collection, vehicle registrations, and jury duty.

[Transition] We all need to improve political participation in order to accurately express a true majority vote. But we don’t have to wait for legislation to make an impact.

C. (Main Point 3) Call to Action

1. It may seem obvious, but we can counter this problem by getting more involved.

2. Take some free time and find out more about politics.

3. The newspaper and the Internet are easy ways to obtain current information about politics. 4. We can start on the local level, by attending city council meetings. Pocono Township holds meetings every first and third Mondays at 7 pm in the Township Offices. As always, the public is invited with their comments.

5. Politics affects each of us on the state and national level, so be sure to follow as many elections as possible and cast your vote. USElections.com is good place for all types of upcoming election details.

III. CONCLUSION

A. (Review of Main Points) Now you can better understand how our nation’s voter turnout is really disappointing and how it creates problems in our political process. Also, you can see how mandating and enforcing voting is necessary for improving our input in political decisions. Until we adopt voting regulations, you already know some ways to begin contributing.

B. (Re-state Thesis or Significance) If we strive for a true majority vote, we can have a major impact on politicians’ attitudes towards our demographic.

C. (Residual Message) So next time someone says their one vote won’t matter, you can tell them how only 4 million of the available 75 million votes in the last election could have changed millions of lives.

Works Cited

Dean, John. “Is It Time To Consider Mandatory Voting Laws?: Worsening Voting Statistics Make A Strong Case.” FindLaw. 28 Feb. 2003

“U.S. Voter Turnout Up in 2004, Census Bureau Reports” U.S. Census Bureau News. 26 May 2005

“Compulsory Voting” Australian Electoral Commission. 1 May 2006 < http://www.aec.gov.au/_content/What/voting/compulsory_voting.htm>