“Stop Making Democracy Worse”? A rebuttal
Here’s the thing, I really wanted to write a rebuttal to Stop Making Democracy Worse, but after careful consideration, I decided I’ll be writing a listicle instead.
Essentially, the article argues that it is too inconvenient to educate yourself on how to/who to vote for. So just submit a donkey vote, or don’t show up.
It should be made clear that I’m not an expert, and I’m not going to pretend to be one. Against my instincts, I’m not going to try to sell a particular political party. Instead, I want to show you why it’s worth submitting a real opinion. I’m going to attempt to make this as easy to read as I can.
So, here’s my reasons for why you should go out and vote legitimately this election.
I personally can’t justify losing $91[1] just because I don’t want to wait in line at a voting booth. For context $91 could buy you (on the 17th of May 2022):
At Dan Murphys:
- 2 x 10 packs of 196 double lemon’s ($39.90 each)
- 1x 24 pack of zero sugar Cruiser’s ($79.95)
- 1x 10 pack of Jack Daniels (Double black jack x colas) ($55.95)
- 1x 24 pack of Great Northern’s ($49.90)
- 1x 24 pack of Carlton Draught’s ($52.90)
At Coles:
- 4x 2 packs of porterhouse steaks (with thyme and pepper butter) ($19 for a 2 pack)
- 26 kg of Coles white potatoes ($3.50 per kg)
- 17 chocolate mud cakes (woollies is superior for mud cake but you get the point) ($5.25 per cake)
- 36 cans of Monster Energy 500ml (2 for $5)
- 36 boxes of BBQ shapes (2 for $5)
At 7/11:
- Approximately 42litres of Unleaded 91 ($2.15 a litre)
- 91 large slurpee’s
- 45 x $2 pies
Go vote, then go shopping with the $91 you didn’t waste. Go get wasted or have a steak dinner with a side of mud cake and potatoes. Wash it down with a Slurpee. Before I even get to the real reasons, save your wallet the trouble.
Before you argue ‘it’s not fair that I have to vote’, what is fair isn’t always equal. If compulsory voting wasn’t mandated in Australia, it wouldn’t be an equal representation of the citizen’s beliefs. The purpose behind incentivising people to vote (by implementing fines, offering a democracy sausage, ect) is to motivate every citizen to be heard as an individual.
People often think ‘one vote won’t make a difference’. I understand why you might feel like that, but I urge you to apply that logic to other things. What if one person with COVID attended a concert? Next thing you know, locked down because of one individual’s actions…
This logic can be applied to everything. One stick? Snap it easily. A bundle of stick? Good luck with that.
We’re stronger together; voting is the same. Your voice strengthens the voices of everyone who agrees with you. Be part of something that influences your life.
As students, we all need to take initiative and vote legitimately this election. Any and every Humanities student who may not want to vote – just remember your fees are double that of a science student (just because a couple people high up decided you’re less important.
Anyone with an allergy, prescription, disorder, or disease – look at how your vote can make that aspect of your life easier for you.
Run a business? Look into which parties continues to support small businesses and which parties may cause you to shut down.
I’m not going to tell you who to vote for. Just vote for sake of the people in the same boat as you. You never know how influential you can be until you stand with people who share the same values as you.
Compulsory voting allows for everyone’s voice to be heard. Whether you “invalidate your vote” is your call. But if you’ve waited the que, you’re standing at the booth, then why not just number the little boxes and move on? You might as well increase the chances of more people being happy with the outcome of an election.
A study conducted in 2020 and published by the Australian Journal of Political Science states “those who hold strong partisan beliefs… tend to (voluntarily) vote in higher proportions” in comparison to those with less extreme views[2].
Researchers found that an individual’s level of education can influence voter turnout. While educational differences of only a couple years only have a marginal difference, students currently studying and individuals with a higher education following their student years are more likely to attend voluntary voting when compared to less educated individuals. Removing mandatory voting will increase the likelihood of extremist views flooding parliament. It will further marginalise communities that have already suffered enough[3].
Suggesting compulsory voting is inherently undemocratic is simply incorrect. It ensures that regardless of socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, political inclination, or ethnicity, you get a voice.
Democracy isn’t made worse by compulsory voting. It just attempts to prevent people from making poor choices. It is there to remind us that we could live in a world where we don’t even get a chance to vote on who leads us.
I completely sympathise with how difficult it is to filter through the political gibberish that campaigners throw at us. Or the frustration of hearing the same political jingles while trying to watch TV. Trust me, I hate being approached by strangers too.
Don’t claim we make democracy worse through compulsory voting when the true reason democracy suffers is misinformation and poor education.
Kind Regards,
A voter.
References:
[1] Victorian Electoral Commission, Didn’t Vote? (2021), https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/fines-and-reviews , Step 2 line 5, accessed: 18/05/2022.
[2] Anthoula Malkopoulou, ‘Compulsory voting and right-wing populism: mobilisation, representation and socioeconomic inequalities’, Australian journal of political science, vol.55 no.3 (2020), pg. 227.
[3] Steven Tenn, ‘The effect of education on voter turnout’, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15, No.4 (2007), pp. 446-464.