A voter arrives to cast their ballot in Sidney, B.C., on Oct. 19, 2015.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Canadian Press
Scott Stirrett is the founder and chief executive officer of Venture for Canada.
As we head into a potential Canadian federal election, and with looming provincial elections in B.C., New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, we must focus our attention on a serious threat to our democracy: low voter turnout.
In the 2021 Canadian federal election, voter participation dropped to 63 per cent. Ontario’s 2022 provincial election saw a record-low turnout of 43.5 per cent, and only 36 per cent of Ontarians bothered to vote in their municipal elections that same year.
These are warning signs of a democracy on the brink. If we want to save it, Canada must consider a bold move: mandatory voting.
More than 20 countries, including Australia, have implemented some form of mandatory voting, and the results speak for themselves. Countries with compulsory voting consistently have turnout rates that are 15 percentage points higher at the federal level than many other democracies.
Mandatory voting strengthens our democracy in three principal ways: it boosts democratic legitimacy, ensures a more inclusive democracy, and reduces political polarization.
First, mandatory voting boosts democratic legitimacy by ensuring that elected governments better represent the people’s will. Democracy is under threat globally, and Canada is not immune. A government elected by relatively few risks losing its legitimacy as it becomes disconnected from the broader population.
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Without legitimacy, a democracy begins to wither as more citizens look to authoritarian options. One of democracy’s main selling features is that it best reflects the views and needs of the people. Low voter turnout nullifies this benefit, laying the foundation for despotism.
Second, mandatory voting creates a more inclusive democracy that reflects the diversity of our society, engaging voices often left unheard. Current voter turnout skews toward wealthier, older and non-racialized Canadians. Those with incomes higher than $60,000 are far more likely to vote than people earning less than $20,000. Similarly, only 54 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2019 federal election, compared with 79 per cent of those aged 65 to 74. Racialized Canadians also participate less and are 6 to 7 percentage points less likely to vote than those who are non-racialized.
Mandatory voting would ensure higher levels of participation from under-represented groups, incentivizing governments to craft policies that better serve these communities and thereby enhancing many Canadians’ quality of life.
Third, mandatory voting reduces political polarization by encouraging a broader, more centrist electorate that dilutes polarized views. When the electorate is broad, political parties are incentivized to appeal to a wider audience, often pulling toward the centre rather than the extremes.
Because voting is currently optional, political parties often work to motivate their core supporters to show up to the polls rather than appeal to politically disengaged voters, who are usually centrist and less partisan.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina, the Australian National University, and the University at Buffalo found that “by reducing more extreme voters’ ability to threaten to abstain due to alienation, the introduction of compulsory voting can push party platforms toward the median voter’s preferences.” This results in less polarization, which they define as the difference between political parties’ platforms.
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Heightened polarization limits a democracy’s ability to function by reducing the ability of political parties to collaborate, thereby creating gridlock and dysfunction. When democracy functions effectively, leaders with diverse views can meaningfully collaborate and, even more importantly, compromise.
Many Canadians support the idea of mandatory voting. In a 2016 parliamentary consultation of more than 22,000 Canadians, a majority believed: “Canadians should be required to cast a ballot in a federal election (this could include spoiling a ballot).” This sentiment taps into a fundamental truth: democracy only works when participation is the norm, not the exception.
Of course, mandatory voting should come with necessary caveats. Exemptions should be available in certain circumstances, such as religious objections and health concerns, and for Indigenous people, some of whom do not identify as Canadians.
Voting shouldn’t feel like a tedious obligation. Elections could be held on Saturdays, with voting booths turned into mini-festivals, complete with food, music and a sense of community, like in Australia. These changes would make voting a more positive experience and a more convenient one, too.
Some argue that mandatory voting infringes on individual rights. But consider this: We already accept specific civic duties as compulsory, such as jury duty and paying taxes. Rights come with responsibilities, and in a democracy, participation is one of those responsibilities. Moreover, asking Canadians to spend 30 minutes going to vote every few years is not overly onerous or restrictive.
Without mandatory voting, I foresee voter turnout continuing to fall, as it has for decades, and our democracy becoming less functional and legitimate.
Despite its flaws, democracy remains the best system of government, and we must fight to preserve it for future generations by implementing mandatory voting.