Should voting be mandatory?

A case for

I think voting should be mandatory. Not only is it a civil duty, but it contributes to the status and well-being of our nation. As of April 28, 2025, only 69% of Canadians voted in the latest federal election. That leaves out 31% of citizens, who could very much have an opinion on what and who they want running their country, yet not enough knowledge or willingness to make a choice for themselves about it. Even 5% of these people could change the course of history by deciding to vote. My proposal is mandatorily educating citizens on the parties in Canada and what they have to offer, seeing as 32% of the non-voters simply were not interested in politics, and 34% not having the time to vote.

The first objection

You're asking people to be forced to vote, then forced into political education—that's the problem right there. Mandatory voting doesn't create engaged citizens, it creates resentful ones checking boxes randomly. That 31% who didn't vote? Many made an *active choice*. Forcing them breeds low-quality votes from people who don't care, which corrupts the democratic signal. You're not protecting democracy by compelling participation, you're poisoning it with apathetic ballots that cancel out informed ones. Why should a distracted voter's forced guess carry equal weight to someone who actually researched?