everybody SHOULD be made to vote

[Jelliedeels]

EU effects us all.

I think everyone should be made to vote that is over 18 years of age.

I'm sure the "I don't know people" still moan at politics and the country .

AIBU

Agree that everyone SHOULD vote, not that it should be a legal requirement though. It is a democracy, after all. Surely your right to not vote is part of your freedom of choice too?

Australia has the highest proportion of elected representatives who's surname begins with the letter A.

By not voting you resign yourself to other people's decisions.

For example you have 100 people who vote and 5 of them vote coservative this gives them 5% of the vote share. However if only 50 of the people eligible vote and the coservatives still get 5 votes their vote share increases to 10%. By not voting you increase the validatity of the result, even when you don't agree with it because you didn't vote against it.

I think getting people politically engaged at a younger age would be a good start, no idea about school curriculum these days but including political discussion and debate would surely help

One could argue politicians don't actually want an electorate who are 'savvy' because that makes it much harder to pull the wool over their eyes

YABU. It is wrong to enforce democracy. Agree with your sentiment however, to make it s 3 line whip is in my view dictatorial.

Well in honour and respect of the Suffragettes and in particular Emily Davidson who lost her life in the campaign and others who fought so hard for women to get the vote. Absolutely everyone should vote. My DD 17 was fuming at first at the fact that she couldn't vote, but she said. She's glad sge can't now, as she's scared of making a wrong decision.
Now how true this is. I don't know, but I heard that none voters "vote" goes to the party that's currently in power. As logically they think. Well Joe Blogs from Surrey didn't get off his butt to vote us out. He's obviously happy with us. So I would imagine if that's true then anyone who doesn't vote in EU will be classed as a Bremain.

What's the point in forcing people who haven't read up or have an opinion to vote. They'd likely just choose anything and then we'd end up with a result that people who knew what they were actually voting for didn't want. That isn't democratic at all.

Instinct says yes, everyone should vote. But.

I don't understand politics. At all. Never have. Husband has tried to explain, but conversation goes along the lines of him explaining right wing and left wing and what they stand for, but that our main parties are not exactly right, or left, but sort of both, or that they are all left... ish... But not on this policy, or that. Then do I vote for my local MP who will be effecting change locally, even if they are not the party I agree with most nationally? I tend to vote green but apparently thats a wasted vote as they haven't a chance, but the once i voted lib dem we ended up with coalition (which I dont understand either) and everyone was really cross about that too. Then there's first past the post and proportional representation, (And I dont really understand what they mean either). Then theres the huge issue of spin - I have had two leaflets through the door, both stating that they have the FACTS about the EU referendum, and only the facts, but both are hideously biased and completely contradict each other.

And here's the thing, I'm not stupid. I'm actually quite intelligent, several degrees, IQ >130 (if you believe in that sort of thing, different arguement) yet I struggle. And no-one I ask can give me straight answers, because there is so much spin, bias, lies and bluff that no one actually knows! You can believe the papers (because they are never biased, of course) or the politicians (totally honest, all of them) or what? Who do you believe?

How on earth do we expect a nation to vote meaningfully, when it's based on misinformation and rumour?

So. I will vote in the EU referendum ('In' in case you are interested, because what unbiased info I can find, tells me that is the correct choice) but I may choose not to vote on another issue where I don't feel I have a good understanding of the issues.

The right to vote should also mean the right not to vote, if that is your choice.

(Gosh that turned into a bit of a rant, didn't it?)

Australia do this, but they also have a "none of the above" option on the ballot paper so people can say that the parties are not offering them anything they can vote for.

No, we don't have that option. I support compulsory electoral enrolment and voting, and believe everyone in a democracy should participate in electing their representatives, but no one in Australia is being forced to vote. It's compulsory to be enrolled and cast a ballot form, but what you put on that is entirely up to you, it's not illegal to cast an informal vote.

I don't and will never vote.

I feel that there is not enough distinction between the party's and the personal effect it will have on me due to their policies, are pretty much the same.
No one in my family votes either. Except my mother inlaw.

birb why do you think everyone should participate? If they're not interested or ill informed, or not interested in being informed, why should they?

YABU I feel that everyone SHOULD be registered to vote but we live in a democracy so it is a persons choice whether to vote or not.

More should be done to make politics accessible to everyone- at the minute people feel disillusioned or do not know enough about politics or what voting will mean for them. Until this is addressed there will be a continuation of the low turn out at voting time!!

Even if you think its all corruption, bullshit, spin and rhetoric you should STILL vote, because voting tells them that we are watching them, we are paying attention and we care about what they are up to.

Not voting tells them they can do what they like

Nicky yes I understand that there will be people not interested or ill informed regardless, but in a democracy where the right to vote exists, if you are capable and able to vote, it should be a civic duty, and recognised as such in the same way that paying taxes, for example, is. If someone is truly disengaged in politics and has no interest at all in becoming informed, then by all means they can cast an informal vote, but if voting is mandatory it increases representation of all demographics including those that, in Australia particularly, are often under-represented.

I think people should be made to take some sort of test on the issues before they are allowed to vote - too many idiots with no clue what they are actually voting on

Australia has the highest proportion of elected representatives who's surname begins with the letter A

Quite the curious phenomenon given that candidates are listed in random order on ballot papers rather than alphabetical.

clarrrp isn't that opening up the right and freedom to vote to a lot of potential discrimination and exclusion?

I'm not voting. Purely because I don't know anything about the EU. I don't know what the pros and cons are. I don't actually know what it really is.

I refuse to vote on something I don't understand or know which is why I don't vote in anything political.

"You cannot force people to vote. They would just spoil the paper or be otherwise disruptive."

Yes, that is their right. But it gets everyone off their arses and into the booth. And that in turn makes people more likely to give a hoot about what's going on.

We need someone like you to stand then. Genuinely.

Embarrassingly I am about to stand for local councillor. Mainly because of the inaction of the hidebound incumbents

Keeping in mind that those who don't vote may well have a reason they don't - as in language barriers, physical barriers and economic barriers - thus making them more vulnerable people in society

Which is exactly why mandatory voting is a good thing, it ensures these barriers are removed as much as possible, and people from another language background have access to ballot forms in their language or a translator, and people with a physical disability who physically can't attend a polling booth can vote online.
Just because there are language, economic and physical barriers, it doesn't mean people don't want to vote or don't have the ability to make an informed decision.

Who is everybody, though ? I have lived in the UK all my adult life, but I am not a British citizen. Furthermore, my country of origin is in Europe, but wasn't in the EU until very recently.
This means that, despite being nearly 40, I have never voted. I have now finally registered to vote, as an EU national, but of course, I will not be allowed to.
Do you think that's as it should be ?

I am so disengaged in the EU referendum, not because I don't think it would effect me but because I just don't believe the politicians and have any confidence that they know what they are talking about. It has been scaremongering from either side with very few solid facts presented.

This.

ALL comments regarding immigration are equally ludicrous.

This

People died so we had the choice to vote. It doesn't oblige anyone to do anything.

And this! Says everything I want to say on the matter. No, I won't be voting.

What use would be a vote from someone with no engagement or understanding? What value?

I think my vote shouldn't be cast as I don't understand the long term implications enough. I don't think the majority of us do, and this referendum shouldn't be taking place tbh. It is too important to be decided on what in the main, will be an emotional vote by many.

YABU. People of course should vote, but making it mandatory is not the way to do this.

If people genuinely don't care why force them into making a choice they don't care about, but will affect other people's choices, people who do care about the result.

On the other hand there is a massive problem with voters disengagement in this country - without an overall of the FPTP system we unfortunately have, I cannot see this changing.

Nicky yes I understand that there will be people not interested or ill informed regardless, but in a democracy where the right to vote exists,

Exactly the right to vote, not the obligation to vote.