The politics behind voter turnout
Introduction
Nations across the world govern themselves through governments elected by citizens of that nation. Officials wanting to hold government positions make their desires known, campaign to encourage citizens to vote for them then wait for the voting to take place at a set date. While getting voters to support a candidate is important, the success of the election process is greatly determined by the voter turnout. Voter turnout is calculated by the percentage of citizens who are eligible to vote and do so during elections. While most adults are considered to be eligible for voting, countries have different policies such as discrimination in the form of sex, religion or race which may make people ineligible to vote. While voter turnout was prominent in the past, some countries are experiencing lower voter turnouts while that in other countries remains ever high. Whether low or high, the nature of voter turnout is determined by various factors such as indifferences within a country, contentment, economic, cultural and demographic factors to mention a few. While high voter turnout is encouraged, low voter turnout is seen as lack of confidence in the government, government systems and the candidates vying for the government positions. Although different countries are run the same, most of them implement measures to ensure a higher voter turnout. This paper will therefore attempt to answer the question on how the governments’ approach in regards to elections affects the differences in voter turnout between the United States and Brazil.
Literature review
Most, if not all, countries consider low voter turnout to be undesirable and put a lot of effort in determining what factors cause it so as to come up with ways to increase the turnout during elections. Despite various studies being conducted to help explain why a low voter turnout occurs, scholars remain at odds as there is no specific reason that can be pin pointed as the cause for low voter turnout in all nations. According to Kanazawa (2003), high voter turnout is seen as a sign that citizens agree with the government systems in their country thus proving its legitimacy. Such ideologies have resulted to dictators presenting fake voter turnouts to prove that citizens agree with their methods of governance. Others go to the extent of making voter turnout mandatory so as to ensure that a high voter turnout is maintained in all elections conducted. Various forms of conflict take place in different governments when it comes to elections (Kanazawa, 2003).
When a government is considered to be illegitimate or opposition parties feel that they are treated unfairly, they may incite citizens to boycott the voting process until their needs are adhered to. While most people remain civil and hold peaceful boycotts, there are cases where people get violent and even go to the extent of threatening those who vote so as to scare them out of supporting a government that is alleged to be unfair (Kanazawa, 2003). Since voter turnout is seen as a reflection of people’s support for the current government, low turnouts reflect indifferences and disenchantment that people may have. It demonstrates the view that people have of the party representatives vying for government positions and their unwillingness to support them. Although it may be a good way to implement change, it could result to an unequal representation of people in different population groups. As a result, wrong leaders may be elected by the few who show up to vote if the elections do take place regardless of the low voter turnout (Kanazawa, 2003).
According to Desilver (2016), voter turnout is measured by treating the number of votes that are cast during elections as a percentage of citizens who are eligible for voting. The estimations are often calculated by estimating the number of people who are old enough to vote. The figures are however hard to authenticate because eligible voters may fail to vote due to factors such as imprisonment, ailment, citizenship and other legal barriers. Governments therefore try as much as they can to ensure that those who are eligible and can vote make it to the polling stations. In the United States, all citizens who are eligible have a responsibility to vote. In 2012, 71 percent of American citizens had reached the voting age and therefore eligible for voting (Desilver, 2016). The country has a policy where individuals register for voting and then go to the polling stations to vote. Since registration is a personal decision, those who register are more likely to vote because they feel a sense of responsibility hence the decision to register.
Though this may be the case, the voter turnout in the United States has continued to depreciate regardless of the high number of eligible voters. Despite 87 percent of American citizens being registered as voters, only 57 percent voted in 2008 when Barrack Obama was elected president (Desilver, 2016). This means that a huge majority of American citizens did not vote and therefore attributed to the low voter turnout in the country. Brazil on the other hand has a voter turnout of on average 80 percent which is based on the measures that the government takes to ensure that eligible voters cast their ballots during elections. Other than making voting compulsory, the government employs various means to ensure that Brazilians have access to the polling stations and there are very few hindrances that may prevent them from casting their votes (Keyes, 2013).
Analysis
The voting system in the United States is different from most democratic countries in that voters are required to register before they are allowed to vote. in most countries, the registration process does not exists since eligibility occurs automatically once a citizen meets all the requirements necessary to be a voter (Black, 2014). In such countries, the government knows the address, names and ages of its citizens and therefore provides polling stations in close proximity of those that are eligible to vote. In the United States however, the election process has two stages where the eligible voters have to register early in advance and later on cast their ballots during the day of the election. Although voting is not mandatory, United States citizens have a responsibility to register so as to be able to vote when the time comes. While some people may be willing to vote, the two step process involved could be a reason behind the low voter turnout in the United States (Black, 2014). This may be caused by the fact that though people may be willing, they may feel that going to register is taking up too much of their time. Since registration is a requirement, it locks out all those who are eligible but did not register from the ballots and reduce the voter turnout in the process.
Another problem that comes about due to voter registration is the errors that occur in the process. Citizens who go to register leave knowing that the process was successful and await elections. However, some technical problems may have occurred during the registration which could prevent the individual from voting. While some issues can be resolved immediately, there are those that are more complicated and the individual becomes ineligible to vote. The registration process has a lot of problems that play a major role in determining the type of voter turnout in the country. The process often involves filing of paper applications by eligible voters. In the years between 2006 and 2008 for example, over 60 million registrations were processed for people registering to vote (Black, 2014). After filing the paperwork, the information is fed into a database which keeps records of those registering. Since the process is done manually, there is a high probability that errors will occur especially due to the large number of applications that are received. There is also the requirement that voters inform the election office whenever they change their addresses. However, people may forget to do so and this could result to them not being able to vote (Black, 2014). There is also the requirement that people who are dead be removed from the systems. Due to the huge amount of work, election office employees may not be fully capable of changing all these information thus creating a system where some of the records kept are invalid.
To help reduce the challenges that are brought about by registration, third party groups step in to help with the process. Even though the goal is to help ease the burden of registration, the third parties face various challenges in various stages of the registration process. The parties are also prone to making mistakes such as validating registrations, updating any change in address of those registering not to mention the various cases of registration fraud. Since the third party assistance is offered by various political parties, their goals may be biased since they want to register voters that will vote for them (Black, 2014). This means that the parties could either register most of the voters that they believe will vote for them while convincing others to do the same. Another problem occurs as a result of the time period that the registration process takes place. Often times, the registration is conducted close to an election. During this time, the staff responsible for registration are often overworked, understaffed and pressed for time. Since they are required to approve as many registrations as possible, the staff may not be as thorough and may end up creating problems that could prevent citizens from voting despite their attempt to register (Black, 2014).
While voting is a two stage process and voluntary in the United States, the opposite applies in Brazil. Citizens in Brazil do not have to register as voters for them to be able to vote during elections. However, voting is mandatory and every eligible is expected to show up to nominate their vote. Other than being mandatory, those who do not show up to vote get fined and further face more serious consequences (Black, 2014). Voting was made compulsory in Brazil in 1988 and policies were made to govern voters and how to deal with those who did not vote. According to the constitution, citizens aged between 18 and 69 and are literate are legally required to vote unless valid reasons prevent it. Those aged 16 or 17, people above 70 years and illiterates can volunteer to vote therefore face no penalties if they fail to do so.
Even though voting is mandatory, there are exceptions that are allowed such as failing to vote due to illness or travel. Citizens are however required to request to be exempted from voting through formal means due to such reasons. If the request is not granted, and one does not show up to vote, they are required to pay a fine of between 3 and 10 percent of their regional minimum wage (Cepaluni & Hidalgo, 2015). Those who fail to pay the fine are banned from participating in public bidding, civil service exams, working for the government, getting passports, attending public university and even acquiring loans from banks owned by the state. Most Brazilians who fail to vote opt to pay the fine rather than suffering from the other consequences as they are more severe. Since the average monthly wage for Brazilians is 500 dollars, the fine they are required to pay only costs them an average of 0.4 percent of the income they receive on a monthly basis. The penalties for however are more severe as they prevent the individual from accessing important services offered by the government such as passports and bank loans (Cepaluni & Hidalgo, 2015).
Whether living in the country or abroad, all Brazilians are required to vote or risk facing harsh penalties or monetary fines. As a result, Brazil has a very high voter turnout simply because citizens do not want to face the charges or because they are eager to vote for those vying for different government positions (Prince & Yazbek, 2014). In the period leading up to elections, candidates vying for different positions get access to the voters through television airtime given to each candidate. Other than decoupling money from the politics involved during elections, giving candidates airtime also ensures that the voters have an opportunity to engage the politicians in discourse so as to assess their intentions and what they will do for the country and its citizens. Although voting is mandatory, the government in Brazil still makes attempts to encourage people to vote willingly so as to ensure that they benefit positively from the high voter turnout.
In Brazil, the winner of a presidential election is based who achieves an absolute majority plus run off. Therefore, more than two political parties can offer their nominees to vie for presidency. The United States on the other hand decide the victor according to the first person past the post, a system where the candidate receiving more votes wins (Prince & Yazbek, 2014). When electing the president and vice president, votes are cast and then tallied state by state while matching them to the congressional delegation of the respective state. Although the first past the post method that the United States uses is easy to implement, there is a probability that some candidates could win without getting majority support from the public. President Barrack Obama, for example was the first president to win roughly 51 percent of the popular votes two times in over five decades. With such a system however, it is possible for a president to win an election and govern a country where most of the citizens do not support him (Price & Yazbek, 2014).
Summary
Voter turnout is essential as it determines who will hold various government positions. Because of its importance, different countries take different approaches to ensure that as many people as possible show up during elections to vote. In the United States, the government has made voting voluntary but invests in various methods and campaigns to encourage people to vote (IDEA, 2011). Brazil on the other hand made voting compulsory to ensure that there is always a high voter turnout during elections. In both countries, voting is not just a right but also a responsibility that all citizens must uphold (IDEA, 2011). The ability to vote is a freedom given to all citizens and they should therefore vote to elect governments that will ensure that their rights are not infringed upon. While such freedoms give people the right to vote or decide not to, citizens have a responsibility to vote and they should do so whether it is compulsory or not.
Other than the high voter turnout that Brazil enjoys, the mandatory voting policy also ensures that people are well represented and the legitimacy of the government is enhanced in the process. The candidates who win after elections are determined by majority of the population since most of them cast their ballots. Another advantage is that the government addresses the needs of everyone in the country regardless of what impact they have in making political decisions (IDEA, 2011). Compulsory voting also helps to reduce the influence and power that lobbying groups have. This is because it is more difficult for the groups to vote themselves into positions of power since most, if not all eligible voters elect their preferred candidates. When few people vote, it becomes easy for special interest groups to persuade the voters to elect a certain individual. It is however difficult to influence a large population since everyone will have their opinion on whom they prefer to vote for (IDEA, 2011).
Despite the various benefits that Brazil benefits from the high voter turnout achieved through mandatory voting, it also suffers from its negative impacts that the United States does not have to worry about. Voter turnout is used as an indication of the legitimacy of a government (IDEA, 2011). This however is not the case in Brazil because the turnout is forced and the government simply hides behind the illusion that high voter turnout creates. Since a group of people who show up to vote are forced, the votes may simply be cast so as to avoid the fines and not because one is interested in voting neither do they support those they vote for. It is therefore difficult to determine whether the voter turnout is as a sign of the government’s legitimacy or because of the mandatory voting. Mandatory voting also promotes ignorant votes where citizens vote just for the sake of it (IDEA, 2011). People fail to vote because they either do not want to support a candidate and the party nominating them or because they have no interest in politics. While such people can be forced to vote, it is impossible to force them to have interest.
Conclusion
Voting is the best way to ensure that the most ideal candidates get elected into office. Whether compulsory or by choice, citizens have a responsibility to ensure that only candidates with the countries best interest at heart are elected. In Brazil, the voter turnout is very high due to the fact that voting is mandatory. The United States on the other hand conducts voting on a voluntary basis where eligible voters cast their ballots if they choose to do so. As a result, America gas a lower voter turnout compared to Brazil. Although the desire to vote is influenced by different factors between the two countries, both governments do all they can to ensure majority of their citizens show up to vote. In doing so, they ensure that the government elected continues to safeguard the freedoms, rights and the interests of all their citizens.
References
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Cepaluni G and Hidalgo D, (2015) “Compulsory voting can increase political inequality: Evidence from Brazil”
Desilver D, (2016) “U.S voter turnout trails most developed countries” Pew Research Center
Friedman S, (2012) “American voter turnout lower than other wealthy countries” The Huffington Post
International Debate Education Association, (2011) “Debate: Compulsory voting” retrieved from, http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Compulsory_voting
Keyes S, (2013) “Seven voting reforms other countries have used to boost their turnout rate” retrieved from, https://thinkprogress.org/seven-voting-reforms-other-countries-have- used-to-boost-their-turnout-rate-87926709a576#.goljwj7zu
Price J and Yazbek M, (2014) “Democracy in two nations: Comparing elections in Brazil and the U.S” The Aspen Journal of Ideas
Satoshi Kanazawa. "A Possible Solution to the Paradox of Voter Turnout." The Journal of Politics.
