Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Creative Components Dissertations Spring 2021 Advocating for the introduction of compulsory voting in the United States Benjamin Schwake Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/creativecomponents Part of the American Politics Commons, and the Comparative Politics Commons Recommended Citation Schwake, Benjamin, "Advocating for the introduction of compulsory voting in the United States" (2021). Creative Components. 808. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/creativecomponents/808 This Creative Component is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Creative Components by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Advocating for the Introduction of Compulsory Voting in the United States by Benjamin Schwake Master’s Candidate Department of Political Science Executive Summary: Among the most developed democracies in the world, the United States has had one of the lowest turnout rates spanning decades. Low voter turnout stifles the ability of policymakers to accurately represent their constituents and serve their needs. This policy proposal argues that introducing compulsory voting at the federal level can increase voter turnout, and thus improve representation in government. The proposal details what would need to be included in a constitutional amendment. 1 Introduction implementing a compulsory voting law in the United States, the voter turnout rate should increase as a result. In the modern democratic system, one of the key elements is mass participation in the electoral process. While voting is recognized A myriad of scholars have shown that the as a sacred right, voting in the United States, United States tends to have lower voter as well as other voluntary voting system turnout than those employing compulsory 2 democracies, remains low. voting. In the literature, compulsory voting can typically be referred to by name in one of two ways: compulsory voting or mandatory voting. For this proposal, the two Voter turnout in the United States is will be used interchangeably, as they share frequently studied, with some proclaiming the same ensuing definition. Compulsory that the low turnout is problematic. In a voting is a system of laws mandating representative democracy, low turnout enfranchised citizens to turn out to vote, creates conditions where legislators are usually being accompanied by a system of unable to take policy directives from the compulsory voter registration and penalties public that accurately reflect the public’s for non-compliance.3 As the definition desires or interests.1 Increasing voter highlights, turning out is all that is legally turnout would rectify this problem. required for eligible individuals, and not actually casting a vote for a candidate within the privacy of the voting booth. However, accomplishing universal or near- universal turnout is by far no easy task, especially for states with large populations. Scholars have formally modeled the voting One solution that countries have utilized to process via rational choice theories. If voters increase voter turnout is compulsory voting. are rational beings, they will opt to The implementation of compulsory voting is maximize their benefits while minimizing the the central focus of this policy proposal. By 1 According to Lijphart, low turnout impacts who Michael P. McDonald, “Voter Turnout gets elected and the content of public policy. Demographics,” United States Elections Project, Arend Lijphart, “Unequal Participation: Democracy’s http://www.electproject.org/home/voter- Unresolved Dilemma,” The American Political turnout/demographics. Science Review 91, no. 1 (1997): 3-4 Michael S. Lewis-Beck et al., “Voting Turnout” in The 2 Such examples in the literature, as well as a American Voter Revisited (Ann Arbor: University of database, describing the low turnout in English- Michigan Press, 2011), 103. speaking countries include: “Voter Turnout by Country,” Institute for Democracy Arend Lijphart, “Unequal Participation: Democracy’s and Electoral Assistance, last updated 2020, Unresolved Dilemma,” The American Political https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/voter-turnout. Science Review 91, no. 1 (1997): 6. 3 Simon Jackman, “Compulsory Voting,” in Kay Lehman Schlozman, Sidney Verba and Henry E. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Brady, “The Unheavenly Chorus” (Princeton: Behavioral Sciences, ed. N. J. Smelser and B. Baltes Princeton University Press, 2012): 216. (2001): 16314. 2 costs.4 In voluntary systems, the benefits summary of the arguments and issues from voting often do not outweigh the costs surrounding contemporary voting associated with voting, so the rational tendencies in the United States. choice for voters in voluntary systems is to abstain. This calculus changes for compulsory voting systems that enforce Consequences of Compulsory sanctions as the cost of staying home grows considerably, surpassing the costs of turning Voting 5 out. By removing the costs associated with Consequences for Voter Turnout attending the polling location from the calculus of whether to vote for a candidate, The literature on compulsory voting is compulsory voting overcomes one of the fraught with mixed assessments of major hurdles of voting. The logic follows consequences of mandatory voting. that if the voter can overcome the costs of Depending on which country or region is turning out to vote, then the extra costs of studied, different results and interpretations casting a valid ballot would be minimal. The can be derived, which may or may not objective of this policy proposal is not to support arguments in favor of compulsory help enfranchised citizens optimally voting. There is consensus among scholars determine their preferred candidate. that compulsory voting yields higher voter Instead, it is to resolve the issue of low turnout rates than voluntary voting systems. turnout in the United States.6 The introduction of compulsory voting in Australia in the 1920s increased turnout by 23.2 percent.7 This dramatic increase is by This policy proposal first analyzes the no means exclusive to Australia during the literature describing the positive and Interwar Period. According to Laura Jaitman, negative consequences of compulsory voter turnout in Argentina in 1910 was at voting and its implications for implementing 2.8 percent of the eligible population, but states. Second, the report proceeds to detail increased to 62.7 percent following the 8 how the policy would be implemented in the implementation of compulsory voting. United States, and it addresses common While there is evidence that voter turnout reservations about compulsory voting. has diminished in countries that utilize Finally, this policy proposal concludes with a compulsory voting since the Second World 4 A formal model of voting is presented in the Insights. Latin American Public Opinion Project, citation which aggregates the costs and benefits of Vanderbilt University: 5. voting. Costas Panagopoulos, “The Calculus of Voting in Compulsory Voting Systems,” Political Behavior 30, 7 Elen Quintelier, Marc Hooghe and Sofie Marien, no. 4 (2008): 456. “The Effect of Compulsory Voting on Turnout 5 Ibid., 462. Stratification Patterns: A Cross-national Analysis,” 6 Some evidence suggests that the rational voting International Political Science Review 32, no. 4 calculus is the roughly the same regardless of (2011): 400-401. whether a country has compulsory or voluntary 8 Laura Jaitman, “The causal effect of compulsory voting laws. voting laws on turnout: Does skill matter?,” Journal Maldonado, Arturo. 2011. “Compulsory Voting and of Economic Behavior and Organization 92 (2013): the Decision to Vote.” 63. AmericasBarometer 82. 3 War, the same is also true in countries that argument that the effects are quite use a voluntary voting system.9 Despite this substantial. In countries with high turnout, reduction, the literature finds that small increases in turnout are significant compulsory voting systems consistently under the logic of diminishing returns. In a have higher average turnout rates. country such as Belgium, which consistently sees very high turnout rates, each incremental increase in turnout is a Studies have found a myriad of results that substantial increase, since there are illustrate the positive impact of compulsory increasingly fewer individual not voting. voting on the turnout rate. One study found Incremental increases still can be observed that turnout increased by 3.6 percentage in states with such strong voter turnout, points with the introduction of compulsory according to Hirczy.13 Lundell finds that voting and decreased by 3.2 percentage states with mandatory voting laws have a points when mandatory voting was mean turnout rate of 80.7 percent, while abolished in the Carinthia-Salzburg region.10 voluntary states have a mean turnout of Other studies have shown much larger 65.7%.14 increases in turnout when compared against voluntary voting systems.11 The evidence in the literature seems to suggest that the Various studies have attempted to estimate average increase in voter turnout is closer to the potential impact of compulsory voting the lower estimate. The estimated increase on turnout in countries without it. Mikolj in turnout because of compulsory voting is Czesnik analyzes the 2001 Polish