Blog – March 19, 2015

Article:  Obama Talks Up Transformative Idea:  Mandatory Voting

Article by: Steve Benen

Website:  http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/obama-talks-transformative-idea-

mandatory-voting

Blog by:  Drewv Magan

Dozens of States in the US are guilty of curtailing voting rights or blocking Americas’ access to

polls during elections. However, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown and President Obama are huge

proponents of automatic voter registrations and mandatory voting.  The President cites that if

Americans are worried about the influence that money has on elections, the country should

consider mandatory voting.  Obama noted that mandatory voting works in countries like

Australia and it could work here too.

“President Barack Obama on Wednesday suggested that if American voters want to “counteract” the

role of money in politics, it may be worth making voting mandatory.”

“It would be transformative if everybody voted,” Obama said during a town hall event in Cleveland,

Ohio. “That would counteract (campaign) money more than anything. If everybody voted, then it

would completely change the political map in this country.”

The President said that only 36% of Americans actually come out and vote during elections.  It is

the older, wealthier, mostly white population that votes.  Immigrants, minorities, younger and

low income people are the ones who don’t come out and vote.  Many proponents of mandatory

voting feel that this would encourage many of these folks to come out and vote.  Opponents of

such a requirement feel that voting is not a duty but a privilege.  Americans should take personal

pride in voting and not be forced to do it.  This connects to Ap Gov because it stress our rights as well

 as the constitution's meaning, as we studied this week.

This will be a subject of debate for many years to come.  It is something to think about and

consider.