A reverse poll tax

[louis c]

My idea is to make every voter cast a ballot for federal elections every two years, or pay a penalty.

The two systems I use as criteria are the jury system and the Mass. Health Ins. system.

In the jury system, if you don't serve, you can by charged. In the health care system, if you don't buy insurance, you are fined.

Here's my idea. If you pay taxes, as part of your return every 2 years, you must provide proof of voting to avoid a, let's say, $200 fine. If you receive benefits from the government, and don't file a tax return, you must produce that same proof, prior to April 15 of the following year, or also face a fine.

Now, you can vote by absentee ballot if you are disabled, but you have to vote as long as you have no mental or psychological disabilities. It is a duty that you have to perform to be a citizen of the United States.

If you vote, you can leave the ballot blank, if that's your wish. You can write in "Mickey Mouse", if that's your feeling. But you can't just "blow it off". It's a duty, just like "Jury Duty".

I just looked at today's Gallup Poll. I don't know how accurate it is, but one thing struck me as odd.

Mitt Romney had a 5 point lead among "likely voters", yet Barack Obama is a plus 7 points in job approval among all adults, registered to vote or not.

If these numbers are true, then a clear majority of American adults, all of which have to live with the decisions made by the President, prefer that he stay in office, yet another man will take his place and install policies that are the opposite.

I know the reasoning, "it's their own fault". But my response is that we all suffer for that.

Again, my reasoning is, we should be just as diligent in making it mandatory to vote as we do on having citizens serve on a jury.

Link to Gallup;
http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx

[Drale]

1. You have the right to vote

you can not force people to use their rights.

[louis c]

2. A civic duty

Just like jury duty.

They can leave a "blank ballot", just like a protest vote.

But they have to vote.

You have a right to an education, and can be forced into school.

I want everyone to vote.

[ErikJ]

3. Australia you get fined if you dont vote.

Compulsory voting

Australia enforces compulsory voting.[2] Compulsory voting at referendums was considered when a referendum was proposed in 1915, but, as the referendum was never held, the idea was put on hold.[3] The immediate impetus for compulsory voting at federal level was the low voter turnout (59.38 percent)[3] at the 1922 federal election. However, it was not on the platform of either the Stanley Bruce-led Nationalist/Country party coalition government or the Matthew Charlton-led Labor opposition to introduce this requirement; rather, the initiative was taken by a backbench Tasmanian senator from the Nationalists, Herbert Payne, who introduced a Private Senator's Bill, the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1924, on 16 July 1924. Senator Payne's bill was passed with little debate (the House of Representatives agreed to it in less than an hour), and in neither house was a division required, hence no votes were recorded against the bill.[4] It received Royal Assent on 31 July 1924.[5] The 1925 federal election was the first to be held under compulsory voting; the turnout figure climbed to 91.4 per cent, an increase of 32 percentage points on the previous election.
Voting is compulsory both at federal elections and at elections for the state and territory legislatures. In the states of South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia voting at local elections is not compulsory.[6] About 5% of enrolled voters fail to vote at most elections. People in this situation are asked to explain their failure to vote. If no satisfactory reason is provided (for example, illness or religious prohibition), a relatively small fine is imposed ($20),[7] and failure to pay the fine may result in a court hearing.
A citizen can only vote once enrolled. Enrolling to vote is mandatory. Failure to enrol can incur a fine.[8] However, citizens who later enrol themselves are protected from prosecution for not enrolling in the previous years by section 101(7) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.[9] In NSW, this situation has been somewhat modified by the NSW Electoral Commissions "Smart Roll" system. Introduced in 2009 the system draws information from various government department sources and enrolls eligible electors automatically onto the state roll, but not the federal role.[10]
It is an offence to "mislead an elector in relation to the casting of his vote". The number of informal votes is recorded, but they are not counted as part of the total number of votes cast. Around 95% of registered voters attend polling, and around 5% of Representatives votes are informal [11]

[louis c]

5. And I thought I had an original idea

Isn't that very close to my idea, and I had no clue about the Australia law.

Thanks for the info

[ErikJ]

7. Ya gotta listen to Thom Hartmann! He mentions this all the time. nt

[Agnosticsherbet]

4. I think a $500.00 tax credit for voting in every election would be fine.

But a fine would not.

And, by the way, whether you voted or not is a matter public record. It is only who you voted for that is secret.

[louis c]

6. I like that

But what do we do with those who pay no taxes?

That's where the problem really lies.

Could we ask for proof and provide a small, additional benefit, equal to the tax credit?

[Agnosticsherbet]

11. Everybody pays some taxes, for Social Security, withholding from paycheck, gasoline, alcohol, etc.

It would be easier to work it as a tax credit, but you could write it, I suppose, as a tax refund of $500.00.

Because everybody pays some taxes.

It would encourage people to vote and reward good citizenship and responsibility.
It would be a boon to the economy, because most people would spend that money rather than save it.

[Llewlladdwr]

8. The right to cast a vote includes the right not to do so as well.

This is just a little too authoritarian for my tastes.

[louis c]

9. Leave a blank

that's OK.

Is it authoritarian to require a citizen to serve on a jury?

There are certain requirements to be in a civilized society.

Australia is far from an authoritarian society.

[Motown_Johnny]

10. You are asking for protest votes. Not a good idea IMO