Should Voting be Mandatory? [Poll]

The idea of mandatory voting has received attention this spring after President Barack Obama discussed it in Cleveland on March 18.

Should voting be mandatory in the United States?

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance reports that 26 countries have compulsory voting, 173 do not have compulsory voting and four countries do not hold elections.

While in Cleveland on March 18, President Obama addressed the idea of mandatory voting, he said:

In Australia and some other countries there's mandatory voting.

It would be transformative if everybody voted. That would counteract money more than anything. If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country. Because the people who tend not to vote are young, they're lower income, they're skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups.

There's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls. We should want to get them into the polls. That may be a better strategy in the short-term.

There has been a variety of responses to the suggestion.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told TheHill.com, "I think it's an interesting idea. Whether it's a mandatory requirement or not, I think that's for more discussion."

Rutgers School of Law Professor Frank Askin told FoxNews.com, "I don't think you can do it in this country because I don’t think the First Amendment would permit it. People have a right to opt out of elections."

All Americans should be encouraged to educate themselves on the issues and candidates, then vote.

Most disinterested voters would probably choose to vote rather than be fined if voting was mandatory, but having elections decided by voters who want to vote sounds better than having elections decided by voters who are being forced to vote.