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What Is Compulsory Voting?

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What Is Compulsory Voting? SEPTEM B ER/ O CTO B ER: RESO LV ED : I N A D EM O CRA CY, V O T I N G O U GH T T O BE CO M PU LSO RY. 0 TRIUMPH DEBATE LD BRIEF – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 1 TRIUMPH DEBATE LD BRIEF – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 Table of Contents TOPIC ANALYSIS – BY BRETT BOELKENS, MATT SLENCSAK, AND KATIE HUMPHRIES ..................................................................... 5 AFFIRMATIVE TURNOUT ................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 COMPULSORY VOTING IS THE BEST WAY TO BOOST VOTER TURNOUT .................................................................................................... 12 LOW VOTER TURNOUT WRECKS ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY ...................................................................................................................... 13 NON-VOTERS DON’T VOTE SINCE THEY DON’T BELIEVE THEIR VOTE MATTERS– THE AFF SOLVES BY BOOSTING MOBILIZATION CAMPAIGNS AND REDUCING OPPORTUNITY COSTS ............................................................................................................................... 14 MANDATORY VOTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE TURNOUT REDUCING BARRIERS FAILS SINCE THEY DON’T SERVE AS PRE- COMMITMENT DEVICES ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15 AT TURNOUT ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16 TURNOUT IS ALREADY HIGH – IT’LL BE HIGHER THAN THE PAST 100 YEARS THIS ELECTION.................................................................... 16 MAIL-IN VOTING BOOSTS TURNOUT TOO - STATES ARE RELAXING RESTRICTIONS BEFORE NOVEMBER .................................................. 17 VOTER INTEGRITY .................................................................................................................................................................... 18 COMPULSORY VOTING SOLVES VOTER FRAUD ........................................................................................................................................ 18 THE AFFIRMATIVE SOLVES VOTE BUYING ................................................................................................................................................ 19 DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY ....................................................................................................................................................... 21 COMPULSORY VOTING STIFLES POPULISM – IT COUNTERBALANCES POPULISTS BY MOBILIZING EVERYONE AND PREVENTS OVERREPRESENTATION WITHIN GOVERNMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 21 COMPULSORY VOTING LIMITS POLITICAL POLARIZATION AND VOTER DISENFRANCHISEMENT AND STRENGTHENS DEMOCRACY ........... 22 US DEMOCRACY IS KEY TO MITIGATE A LAUNDRY LIST OF EXISTENTIAL THREATS AND PREVENT GREAT POWER WAR - BACKSLIDING CAUSES THOSE SYSTEMS TO UNRAVEL .................................................................................................................................................... 24 COMPULSORY VOTING MOTIVATES POLITICIANS TO MAKE THE SYSTEM VOTER-FRIENDLY ..................................................................... 26 AT: DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY .................................................................................................................................................. 27 COMPULSORY VOTING ONLY WORKS UNDER THE THREAT OF PUNISHMENT - ALSO MEANS NON-ENFORCEMENT WRECKS SOLVENCY .. 27 ITS VIRTUALLY INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM VOLUNTARY VOTING WITHOUT ENFORCEMENT OR PUNISHMENT ........................................ 28 INVALID VOTES CANCEL OUT ANY BENEFITS FROM COMPULSORY VOTING AND IT CAUSES RESENTMENT AMONGST VOTERS ................ 29 COMPULSORY VOTING ENCOURAGES EXTREMISM .................................................................................................................................. 30 MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ................................................................................................................................................ 31 TRADITIONALLY IGNORED GROUPS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE POLITICALLY ENGAGED BECAUSE THEY KNOW OTHERS IN THEIR COMMUNITY WILL TOO .......................................................................................................................................................................... 31 COMPULSORY VOTING REDUCES THE ELECTORAL GENDER GAP .............................................................................................................. 32 COMPULSORY VOTING HAS TANGIBLE EFFECTS ON PUBLICLY POLICY IN FAVOR OF DISADVANTAGED WORKING-CLASS CITIZENS ........... 33 CAMPAIGN FINANCE ................................................................................................................................................................ 34 2 TRIUMPH DEBATE LD BRIEF – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 COMPULSORY VOTING LOWERS THE BENEFITS OF MONEY IN POLITICS AND CURBS BAD CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS ............................. 34 COMPULSORY VOTING COUNTERBALANCES LOBBYING ........................................................................................................................... 35 MANDATORY VOTING CHECKS THE INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE DONORS IN CITIZENS UNITED AND BOLSTERS POVERTY ALLEVIATION EFFORTS ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 36 CITIZENS UNITED PREVENTS POLITICAL ACTION AGAINST A LAUNDRY LIST OF EXISTENTIAL CRISES – SPECIFICALLY, CLIMATE CHANGE... 37 CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IS STIFLED BY CITIZENS UNITED – DONOR MONEY INCENTIVIZES THE GOP TO STOP IT TO ENSURE RE- ELECTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 38 CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSES EXTINCTION – ERR AFFIRMATIVE DUE TO COGNITIVE BIAS ............................................................................ 39 CORPORATE INFLUENCE IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE UNDERMINES THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY ................................................................. 42 MAINTAINING THE CORPORATE PERSONHOOD DISTINCTION ESTABLISHED IN CITIZENS UNITED IS KEY TO THE ECONOMY AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY – THE PLAN PROVIDES TAILORED REFORMS THAT REMOVES THE HARMS OF THE DECISION ................... 44 AT: CAMPAIGN FINANCE .......................................................................................................................................................... 45 CITIZENS UNITED IS IRRELEVANT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLITICAL ACTION – THERE’S NO WILL TO ACTION AND IT’S A SCAPEGOAT FOR POLITICIANS .................................................................................................................................................................................... 45 EVEN IF CITIZENS UNITED WAS OVERTURNED, CORPORATIONS WILL MAINTAIN THEIR ABILITY TO INFLUENCE ELECTIONS ..................... 46 AND THE COURT WILL NEVER STOP THE PROTECTION OF CORPORATE INTERESTS – FIRST AMENDMENT DEFERENCE MEANS THEY’LL DEFAULT TO PROTECTING SPEECH .......................................................................................................................................................... 47 CITIZENS UNITED AND UNFETTERED CORPORATE SPEECH IS HERE TO STAY ............................................................................................ 49 NEGATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS .......................................................................................................................................................... 51 THERE’S A 90% CHANCE TRUMP WINS NOW – BEST MODELS, PREVIOUS ELECTIONS, AND BIDEN / DEM PRIMARY FAILURES, ELECTORAL COLLEGE ALL PROVE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 51 CV MASSIVELY BOOSTS TURNOUT AMONGST LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS, THEREBY INCREASING SUPPORT FOR LEFTIST POLICY ........... 53 CONGRESS WILL DECIDE THE 2020 ELECTION DUE TO MAIL-IN-BALLOTS ............................................................................................... 55 CONGRESS DECIDING THE 2020 ELECTION SPARKS A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS AND UNDERMINES US DEMOCRACY ............................... 57 AND THEY WILL DECIDE IN TRUMP’S FAVOR DUE TO THE GOP’S EDGE IN STATE LEGISLATURE COMPOSITIONS ...................................... 58 DEMS WILL CONCEDE IF BIDEN LOSES, BUT TRUMP WON’T IF HE DOES – THAT MEANS THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO TRUMP THEREBY PREVENTING ANY CHALLENGES TO THE RACE POST-ELECTION ................................................................................................................ 59 BUSH V GORE AND SENATE POLARIZATION HAVE PUSHED COURT LEGITIMACY TO THE BRINK – DECIDING THE ELECTION IS THE FINAL STRAW.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 61 LITIGATION IS INEVITABLE – IT’S THE HIGHEST IT’S BEEN IN MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS......................................................................
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