People don’t vote for a variety of reasons. Often that reason is because they don’t like the candidates and want to send a vote of no confidence. But, the President finds that unacceptable, particularly since he believes those voters would swing to the left if forced to vote.
“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.”
He added that the people who tend not to vote are “young, they’re lower income, they’re skewed more heavily toward immigrant groups and minorities … There’s a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls.”
Democrats took a beating in last November’s elections as Republicans across the country won in historic landslides. Democratic voters didn’t feel motivated to head to the polls. Reacting to that, President Obama stated yesterday that he would like to make voting mandatory.
The President didn’t suggest a penalty for refusing to vote. Given the scope of people who use their freedom to refuse to vote, it is challenging to understand how the federal government could enforce this. Their attempts to force people to purchase health insurance have proven to be a bureaucratic nightmare for the IRS.
What would you tell Obama about this proposal? Please comment below.