Which individuals are legally disqualified from voting

Some countries go as far as to impose sanctions on non-voters. Compulsory voting is not a new concept. Some of the first countries that introduced mandatory voting laws were Belgium in , Argentina in and Australia in 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.

Advocates of compulsory voting argue that decisions made by democratically elected governments are more legitimate when higher proportions of the population participate. They argue further that voting, voluntarily or otherwise, has an educational effect upon the citizens. Political parties can derive financial benefits from compulsory voting, since they do not have to spend resources convincing the electorate that it should in general turn out to vote.

Lastly, if democracy is government by the people, presumably this includes all people, then it is every citizen's responsibility to elect their representatives. The leading argument against compulsory voting is that it is not consistent with the freedom associated with democracy. Voting is not an intrinsic obligation and the enforcement of the law would be an infringement of the citizens' freedom associated with democratic elections.

It may discourage the political education of the electorate because people forced to participate will react against the perceived source of oppression. Is a government really more legitimate if the high voter turnout is against the will of the voters? Many countries with limited financial capacity may not be able to justify the expenditures of maintaining and enforcing compulsory voting laws. It has been proved that forcing the population to vote results in an increased number of invalid and blank votes compared to countries that have no compulsory voting laws.

Another consequence of mandatory voting is the possible high number of "random votes". Voters who are voting against their free will may check off a candidate at random, particularly the top candidate on the ballot. The voter does not care whom they vote for as long as the government is satisfied that they fulfilled their civic duty.

What effect does this immeasurable category of random votes have on the legitimacy of the democratically elected government? A figure depicting the exact number of countries that practice compulsory voting is quite arbitrary. The simple presence or absence of mandatory voting laws in a constitution is far too simplistic.

It is more constructive to analyse compulsory voting as a spectrum ranging from a symbolic, but basically impotent, law to a government which systematic follow-up of each non-voting citizen and implement sanctions against them. This spectrum implies that some countries formally have compulsory voting laws but do not, and have no intention to, enforce them.

There are a variety of possible reasons for this. Arizona A. Every resident of the state is qualified to register to vote if he: 2. Arkansas AR Const. Except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, any person may vote in an election in this state who is: 1 A citizen of the United States; 2 A resident of the State of Arkansas; 3 At least eighteen 18 years of age; and 4 Lawfully registered to vote in the election.

California CA Elec. Colorado Colo. Connecticut Conn. Delaware 15 Del. District of Columbia D. Florida Fla. Georgia Ga. Code Ann. Indiana Ind. A person who: 1 will be at least eighteen 18 years of age at the next general, municipal, or special election; 2 is a United States citizen; and 3 resides in a precinct continuously before a general, municipal, or special election for at least thirty 30 days; may, upon making a proper application under this article, register to vote in that precinct.

To be qualified to register to vote an eligible elector shall: c. Kansas Kan. Kentucky Ky. Louisiana Louis. Maine M. Maryland MD Elec. Massachusetts M. Michigan M. Minnesota Minn. Mississippi Miss. Missouri Mo. Nebraska Neb. Nevada Nev. Any person registering to vote shall be: a At least 18 years of age on the day of the next election; and. New Jersey NJ R. New Mexico N. North Carolina N.

North Dakota N. North Dakota does not have voter registration, but: 1. To qualify as an elector of this state, an individual must be: a.

A citizen of the United States; b. Act, Tagged with: list of disqualified persons supplementary list of disqualified persons expenditure division. Act, upto Act, as on Tagged with: disqualification disqualified person disqualified section 10a. Followers 0. Compliance of Covid norms, under the Disaster Management Act, , during public campaign in the ongoing elections in the State of West Bengal - reg.

By ECI Guidelines in relation to campaigns etc. Enrollment only at one place. Overseas Indian deemed to be ordinarily resident at the address given in passport. Service voters deemed to be ordinarily resident at their home address. Who is not eligible to vote?

ETPrime stories of the day Logistics How sustainable supply chains helped companies stay afloat in the pandemic. Subscribe to ETPrime. Browse Companies:. Find this comment offensive? This will alert our moderators to take action Name Reason for reporting: Foul language Slanderous Inciting hatred against a certain community Others. Your Reason has been Reported to the admin. Fill in your details: Will be displayed Will not be displayed Will be displayed. Share this Comment: Post to Twitter.

Logistics How sustainable supply chains helped companies stay afloat in the pandemic 6 mins read.