What Exactly Is A Duty To Vote ?

Dan Usher

No 1266, Working Paper from Economics Department, Queen's University

Abstract: A duty to vote may be interpreted narrowly as no more than an obligation to cast oneÂ’s ballot, supporting a party or candidate in oneÂ’s own interest exclusively or, if one so pleases, with some regard for the community as a whole. Alternatively, a duty to vote may be interpreted broadly as including an obligation to vote for the party or candidate seen as best for society as a whole. This essay is a defence of the narrower, less stringent, duty, with no obligation about whom to vote for except in so far as viciousness or outright injustice is expected from the election of a party or candidates for office.

Keywords: Pivotal voting; Duty to vote; utilitarianism; Compulsory voting; expressive voting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2011-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-hpe and nep-pol
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:qed:wpaper:1266

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