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Compulsory turnout: compelling (and contingent) case

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Machin, Dean. (2011) Compulsory turnout: compelling (and contingent) case. Politics, Vol.31 (No.2). pp. 100-106. ISSN 02633957

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Abstract

Politics has published a variety of articles recently on compulsory voting including Saunders' argument against it. This article argues against Saunders and makes some general claims. I show that there is a democratic values-based case for voter compulsion and that the case for compulsory turnout is not ‘parasitic’ on the case for compulsory voting as has been alleged. In making my argument I show that there is no general case for (or against) political compulsion. Instead, arguments must be predicated on the particular characteristics of different political systems.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: J Political Science > JC Political theory
J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General)
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Philosophy
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Voting, Compulsory, Voter turnout
Journal or Publication Title: Politics
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN: 02633957
Official Date: 2011
Volume: Vol.31
Number: No.2
Number of Pages: 7
Page Range: pp. 100-106
Identification Number: 10.1111/j.1467-9256.2011.01408.x
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
References:

Birch, S. (2009), Full Participation: A Comparative Study of Compulsory Voting, Tokyo: United Nations University
Press.
Downs, A. (1957), An Economic Theory of Democracy, New York: Harper & Row.
HM Government Publications (2010), Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: An Essential Guide, available at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1793908.pdf, accessed 4 January
2011.
Jackman, S. (2001), ‘Voting: Compulsory’ in N.J. Smelser and P.B. Bates (eds.), International Encyclopedia
of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 24, Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 16314–16318.
Lever, A. (2009), ‘Liberalism, Democracy and the Ethics of Voting’, Politics 29(3), pp. 223–227.
Lijphart, A. (1997), ‘Unequal Participation: Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma’, American Political Science
Review 91(1), pp. 1–14.
Saunders, B. (2010), ‘Increasing Turnout: A Compelling Case?’, Politics 30(1), pp. 70–77.
Waldron, J. (1999), Law and Disagreement, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
URI: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/41251

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