Posted on 03/19/2015 8:00:05 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The president whose major policy achievement is mandatory health insurance thinks maybe voting should be mandatory, too.
Asked how to offset the influence of big money in politics, President Barack Obama suggested it's time to make voting a requirement.
"Other countries have mandatory voting," Obama said Wednesday in Cleveland, where he spoke about the importance of middle class economics, and was asked about the issue during a town hall.
"It would be transformative if everybody voted -- that would counteract money more than anything," he said, adding it was the first time he had shared the idea publicly.
The clout of millionaires and billionaires in campaign funding has been enormous, and many claim the uber wealthy have undue leverage in politics.
"The people who tend not to vote are young, they're lower income, they're skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups," Obama said. "There's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls."
At least 26 countries have compulsory voting, according to the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Failure to vote is punishable by a fine in countries such as Australia and Belgium; if you fail to pay your fine in Belgium, you could go to prison.
Aside from campaign finance issues, the United States also grapples with one of the lowest voter turnout rates among developed countries.
Less than 37% of eligible voters actually voted in the 2014 midterm elections, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. That means about 144 million Americans -- more than the population of Russia -- skipped out.
But mandatory voting could bring its own set of problems. Haydon Manning, associate professor at Flinders University in Australia, said that country's rules can backfire.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Dear US military,
1. Please give all soldiers a complete review of the constitution.
2. Make them all retake the oath which contains the words “....defend the constitution...”
3. Allow them to draw the requisite conclusions.
We will be needing them shortly.
Compulsory voting is not a new concept. Some of the first countries that introduced mandatory voting laws were Belgium in 1892, Argentina in 1914 and Australia in 1924. There are also examples of countries such as Venezuela and the Netherlands which at one time in their history practiced compulsory voting but have since abolished it.
“maybe it’s time for...” him to go to prison.
RE: Over 100% turnout in some precincts wasn’t enough for this ahole.
It’s gotta be 200%... or more.
Im holding out for mandatory sex
Back in the day, had he been white, he would have been a top assistant to Adolph.
Transformative = Or Else
“Dear US military,
1. Please give all soldiers a complete review of the constitution.
2. Make them all retake the oath which contains the words “....defend the constitution...”
3. Allow them to draw the requisite conclusions.
We will be needing them shortly.”
Dream on, Obama has made sure he has the top command under his control as he has purged the military of its top officers.
He has no intention of abiding by election results he disagrees with.
Of course he is in favor of mandatory voting. People with no interest in politics invariably vote for the politician who promises them the most money from the treasury.
Obama is not an American and he proves it daily.
Just hold up an ink stained finger, but be carefull which finger you use.
It's been said (can't recall by whom but think I heard Rush repeat it) that liberals don't care what you do, as long as it's mandatory.
Mandatory voting would require voter ID’s right? I don’t think the man thought this one all the way through.
Can we just end to BS and openly admit him to be a communist? He talks like a communist, he acts like a communist...
(and his NYC media flying monkey minions. with apologies to the wizard of oz...)
Mandatory ID required for voting = a horrible imposition on the poor, and racist to boot.
Mandatory voting = wonderful idea
?!?!?
No thanks. If they ever mandated that, they would also mandate “social justice” into it. So you would be forced to have sex with someone at least 2 “points” less attractive that you, in the interest of fairness.
Works for me ;)
I think it’s time to make the Constitution mandatory.
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