Should voting be mandatory?

[Free Palestine]

No.  Most of the people who do not vote choose not to, either because the options don't suit them, or because they can't make it on election day, or they just don't give a sh-t, or because they're just retarded.  In the case of college kids, a combination of the last two.  The right to vote includes the right not to vote.

Taking steps to eliminate voter apathy would be a much better solution.

[Free Palestine]

You should at least be required to show up at the polling place.

What exactly is the point in that?  How is being forced to show up at the polling place any different from being forced to vote?  That's just absurd.

[Free Palestine]

How about instead of forcing people to vote, we work towards informing potential voters, encouraging them to vote, and making voting more convenient?  For example, move election day to a weekend or make it a holiday, and have state and/or local governments distribute voter information guides to everyone.  Part of the problem is that sometimes people don't know there's an election, in the case of primaries, midterms, and local elections.

[Free Palestine]

You should at least be required to show up at the polling place. Also, there should be an "Abstention" option on the ballot.

Come on Barnes!
It is kind of hypocritical to force people to show up to vote in supposedly "free" and "democratic" elections.

Well like I said, you don't have to vote. But being a lazy-ass and complaining about the system and then complaining about the people elected, even when you didn't care enough to vote, is kind of hypocritical.

Well then, what's the POINT in forcing people to show up at the polling place, if they're not required to vote?

[Free Palestine]

No, but if it were, "None of the above" should be an option on all ballots.

What if our government put as much effort into getting people to vote as they did on conducting the census. People going door to door "Did you vote yet?".

Everything short of legal coercion should be used to get people to vote.  Bad politicians are elected by people who don't vote.

[Free Palestine]

No, but if it were, "None of the above" should be an option on all ballots.

What if our government put as much effort into getting people to vote as they did on conducting the census. People going door to door "Did you vote yet?".

Everything short of legal coercion should be used to get people to vote.  Bad politicians are elected by people who don't vote.

Actually, I believe there is considerable evidence to the contrary - bad politicians are elected by people who don't want to vote but are forced by law to do so. I know I have seen that offered as an explanation for the success of certain populist, xenophobic parties in some countries. Basically, people who don't want to vote and don't like the system of being forced to do so vote for outrageous parties to say  you to the establishment.

That's different.  I'm talking about educating potential voters and convincing them to vote.

[Free Palestine]

Would forcing people to vote be unconstitutional?

Yes, because no provision gives Congress the power to do so.  They could however pull a Necessary and Proper Clause justification out of their asses, but I don't see how forcing people to vote would be necessary and proper to Congress's delegated powers, under Article I, Section VIII.