Incentive CP

8/19/2019 Incentive CP

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Part A: Text: Democratic states ought to use tax incentives instead of compulsory voting

to increase voter turnout and reduce informal voting.

Part B is Competition-By the negative saying that we should have voting voluntarily it

already is competitive against the Affirmative. Also the Affirmative will not have access to

the !et "enefits.

Compulsory #oting isn$t wor%ing

&ic%s Bruce, “Forget mandatory voting. Canada should be paying people to go to the polls”,

'()), A former political strategist, journalist and publisher and expert in Canadian politics

!hen turnout dipped...of the above

From the "econd !orld !ar until the end of the #$th century, roughly %& percent of eligible voters consistently cast ballots in federal elections. 'uring the (ean Chr)tien era,

ho*ever, that number began to drop and has been declining ever since. +here are many theories as to *hy this is the case the increased fre-uency of elections, less civic

obligation, increased septicism about government/s efficiency, proliferation of negative campaign advertisements, decline in sociali0ation, and administrative changes, lie

the move from voter enumeration to a permanent electors list. 1ach exhibits empirical validity, but none entirely explains the do*n*ard trend. 2t/s not just Canada3voter

turnout has declined around the *orld, and it has been declining steadily by generation. +his is particularly troubling because *e no* that voting is a life sill *hich needs to

be learned early. Disengaged youth today "ecome disenchanted taxpayers tomorrow.

Changing voting rules to allow multiple "allots transfera"le "allots or proportional

representation are fre*uently advanced as improvements Canada should consider. +achhas merits and each would improve voter turnout "ut only modestly. ,ts time to consider

a more drastic move: ma%ing voting mandatory. 4et/s be friends5 'uring the #$$$ election, *hen turnout dipped to 67.# percent,the chief electoral officer *as ased if he *ould consider proposing to 8arliament that voting be made compulsory, as it is in several jurisdictions around the *orld. 9e said at

the time that he did not support the idea, but if voting dropped belo* 6$ percent he *ould reconsider his position. 2n the last federal election the turnout *as &:.: percent. 2t/s

time for a public debate on the idea. ;oting is compulsory in a number of countries, including Australia, *hich shares our basic political system, constitutional frame*or, and

colonial history. !e already mae a large number of civic duties obligatory, such as jury duty. "o *hy not voting< +here is no reasonable argument that a fe* minutes out of a

citi0en/s day every four years or so to mae them visit a local polling station is an unfair burden for living in a democracy. 2t needs to be clear that *hat is compulsory is not

voting= only spending a fe* minutes at a polling station. ;oters are free to destroy their ballot. 2n fact, in most countries *ith compulsory voting, there is a box one can chec to

state “none of the above”. !ith the introduction of compulsory voting in Australia, the turnout *ent from less than 6$ percent to over >7 percent overnight. 8ublic opinion polls

suggest Canadians do not currently support the idea of maing voting compulsory ?though there is evidence that resistance to the idea is lessening@, but the majority of

Australians also said they *ere opposed prior to its introduction. o*, a majority of Australians say they strongly support the la*. evertheless, Canadian politicians may be

reluctant to lead public opinion. +hat is *hy, in #$$#, 2 suggested an alternative offering a tax credit for voting. se a carrot i nstead of the st ic. +his is a very Canadian

approach, as *e have a long hi story of using taxation to encourage behaviour, including the funding of political parties. A tax credit *ould provide an incentive to vote. ore

importantly, it *ould offset some of the costs associated *ith voting that disproportionately affect lo*erDincome Canadians. 2t could be meansDtested, and thus paid only to

those *hose income level is liely to be a barrier to civic participation. !oring people used to be paid to vote by their employers, *ho *ere obligated by la* to give time off

*or on election day, but this obligation has been lessened due to the staggering of hours for polling stations. 1ven *hen it *as provided, paid time off to vote never helped

people *hose employment *as piecemeal, shift *or, temporary, or casual3the least affluent members of our society. +here are tangible costs associated *ith voting, such

as transportation, hiring a babysitter, and time spent collecting information and follo*ing the issues. +hese costs affect people differently based on their socioDeconomic

circumstances. 2n the .". midDterm elections in ovember, for example, it *as found that the economic situation had deterred a large number of lo*Dincome AfricanD

Americans from voting simply because of the administrative costs associated *ith registration. +o date, the 4iberal party of Alberta is the only political party to adopt my idea of

a voter tax credit, and no political party in Canada has endorsed compulsory voting. ,t is pro"a"ly a

safe "et that the Conservative party of Canada will not introduce compulsory voting on

its own given its fear of all things compulsory (like the long-gun registry and the long-form census), or support

a voter tax credit "ecause it will "e afraid it might "enefit another political party. But there

is no evidence that compulsory voting "enefits either side of the ideological spectrum. A

higher turnout lends the elected political leaders legitimacy. 4o* turnout leads to divisive elections and a dissatisfiedpopulace. +he turnout in .". midDterm elections is usually around E$ percent, one of the lo*est for an industriali0ed democracy. +he disproportionate impact of the rightD*ing +ea 8arty movement is only possible because of this lo* turnout. 2n ancient Athens, voting *as compulsory and people *ere financially compensated for taing time off

to participate. +his became the largest item in the government/s budget, but it *as a ne* experiment in government in *hich they believed strongly3clearly more strongly

than *e do #,$$$ years later.c

Tax incentives solve "etter &ic%s '

an alternative to...the idological spectrum

From the "econd !orld !ar until the end of the #$th century, roughly %& percent of eligible voters consistently cast ballots in federal elections. 'uring the (ean Chr)tien era,

ho*ever, that number began to drop and has been declining ever since. +here are many theories as to *hy this is the case the increased fre-uency of elections, less civic

obligation, increased septicism about government/s efficiency, proliferation of negative campaign advertisements, decline in sociali0ation, and administrative changes, lie

the move from voter enumeration to a permanent electors list. 1ach exhibits empirical validity, but none entirely explains the do*n*ard trend. 2t/s not just Canada3voter

turnout has declined around the *orld, and it has been declining steadily by generation. +his is particularly troubling because *e no* that voting is a life sill *hich needs to

be learned early. 'isengaged youth today become disenchanted taxpayers tomorro*. Changing voting rules to allo* multiple ballots, transferable ballots, or proportional

representation are fre-uently advanced as improvements Canada should consider . 1ach has merits and each *ould improve voter turnout, but only modestly. 2t/s time to


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consider a more drastic move maing voting mandatory. 4et/s be friends5 'uring the #$$$ election, *hen turnout dipped to 67.# percent, the chief electoral officer *as ased

if he *ould consider proposing to 8arliament that voting be made compulsory, as it is in several jurisdictions around the *orld. 9e said at the time that he did not support the

idea, but if voting dropped belo* 6$ percent he *ould reconsider his position. 2n the last federal election the turnout *as &:.: percent. 2t/s time for a public debate on the idea.

;oting is compulsory in a number of countries, including Australia, *hich shares our basic political system, constitutional frame*or, and colonial history. !e already mae a

large number of civic duties obligatory, such as jury duty. "o *hy not voting< +here is no reasonable argument that a fe* minutes out of a citi0en/s day every four years or so

to mae them visit a local polling station is an unfair burden for living in a democracy. 2t needs to be clear that *hat is compulsory is not voting= only spending a fe* minutes at

a polling station. ;oters are free to destroy their ballot. 2n fact, in most countries *ith compulsory voting, there is a box one can chec to state “none of the above”. !ith the

introduction of compul sory voting in Australia, the turnout *ent from less than 6$ percent to over >7 percent overnight. Pu"lic opinion polls suggest

Canadians do not currently support the idea of ma%ing voting compulsory though thereis evidence that resistance to the idea is lessening@, but the majority of Australians also said they *ere opposed prior to its

introduction. o*, a majority of Australians say they strongly support the la*. evertheless, Canadian politicians may be reluctant to lead public opinion. That is

why in '((' , suggested an alternative: offering a tax credit for voting. /se a carrot instead of the

stic% . This is a very Canadian approach as we have a long history of using taxation to

encourage "ehaviour including the funding of political parties. A tax credit would provide

an incentive to vote. 0ore importantly it would offset some of the costs associated with

voting that disproportionately affect lower-income Canadians. ,t could "e means-tested

and thus paid only to those whose income level is li%ely to "e a "arrier to civic

participation. 1or%ing people used to "e paid to vote "y their employers who were

o"ligated "y law to give time off wor% on election day "ut this o"ligation has "een

lessened due to the staggering of hours for polling stations. +ven when it was providedpaid time off to vote never helped people whose employment was piecemeal shift wor%

temporary or casual2the least affluent mem"ers of our society. +here are tangible costs associated *ith voting,

such as transportation, hiring a babysitter, and time spent collecting information and follo*ing the issues. These costs affect people

differently "ased on their socio-economic circumstances. ,n the /.3. mid-term elections

in !ovem"er for example it was found that the economic situation had deterred a large

num"er of low-income African-Americans from voting simply "ecause of the

administrative costs associated with registration. +o date, the 4iberal party of Alberta is the only political party to adopt my ideaof a voter tax credit, and no political party in Canada has endorsed compulsory voting. 2t is probably a safe bet that the Conservative party of Canada *ill not introduce

compulsory voting on its o*n, given its fear of all things compulsory ?lie the longDgun registry and the longDform census@, or support a voter tax credit because it *ill be afraid

it might benefit another political party. But there is no evidence that compulsory voting benefits either side of the ideological spectrum. A higher turnout lends the elected

political leaders legitimacy. 4o* turnout leads to divisive elections and a dissatisfied populace. +he turnout in .". midDterm elections is usually around E$ percent, one of the

lo*est for an industriali0ed democracy. +he disproportionate impact of the rightD*ing +ea 8arty movement is only possible because of this lo* turnout. 2n ancient Athens,

voting *as compulsory and people *ere financially compensated for taing time off to participate. +his became the largest item in the government/s budget, but it *as a ne*

experiment in government in *hich they believed strongly3clearly more strongly than *e do #,$$$ years l ater.

8art ' is the net benefits

'2"A'

A: As of right now, countries without compulsory voting respect the autonomy of

the citizens.

B: By arming, we are !reaking the autonomy of the citizens !ecause they are

voting not of their free choice, !ut !ecause they are merely forced to, causing

negative impacts.

The affirmative$s attempt to fix society will only encroach upon autonomy in a process that will eitherdestroy freedom to perpetuate the system or collapse upon itself leading to totalitarianism.

4ac5yns%i Assistant 8rofessor at niversity of California, Bereley and expert in "8" security $67

+heodore, 2ndustial "ociety and 2ts Future, httpGGen.*iisource.orgG*iiG2ndustrialH"ocietyHandH2tsHFuture I


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. The social disruption that we see today is certainly not the result of mere chance. ,t can only "e aresult of the conditions of life that the system imposes on people. 1e have argued that the mostimportant of these conditions is disruption of the power process.8 ,f the systems succeeds in imposingsufficient control over human "ehavior to assure its own survival a new watershed in human history willhave passed. !hereas formerly the limits of human endurance have imposed limits on the development ofsocieties ?as *e explained in paragraphs 7EJ, 7EE@, industrialDtechnological society *ill be able to pass thoselimits by modifying human beings, *hether by psychological methods or biological methods or both. 2n the future,

social systems *ill not be adjusted to suit the needs of human beings. 2nstead, human being *ill be adjusted tosuit the needs of the system.

#%I 7. Kenerally speaing, technological control over human "ehavior will pro"a"ly not "e introducedwith a totalitarian intention or even through a conscious desire to restrict human freedom. #:I +ach newstep in the assertion of control over the human mind will "e ta%en as a rational response to a pro"lemthat faces society such as curing alcoholism, reducing the crime rate or inducing young people to studyscience and engineering. ,n many cases there will "e humanitarian 9ustification. For example, *hen apsychiatrist prescribes an antiDdepressant for a depressed patient, he is clearly doing that individual a favor. 2t*ould be inhumane to *ithhold the drug from someone *ho needs it. !hen parents send their children to "ylvan4earning Centers to have them manipulated into becoming enthusiastic about their studies, they do so fromconcern for their childrenLs *elfare. 2t may be that some of these parents *ish that one didnLt have to havespeciali0ed training to get a job and that their id didnLt have to be brain*ashed into becoming a computer nerd.But *hat can they do< +hey canLt change society, and their child may be unemployable if he doesnLt have certainsills. "o they send him to "ylvan.

7&J. +hus control over human "ehavior will "e introduced not "y a calculated decision of the authorities"ut through a process of social evolution ?MA82' evolution, ho*ever@. The process will "e impossi"le toresist "ecause each advance considered "y itself will appear to "e "eneficial,or at least the evil involvedin maing the advance *ill appear to be beneficial, or at least the evil involved in maing the advance *ill seemto be less than that *hich *ould result from not maing it ?see paragraph 7#%@. 8ropaganda for example is usedfor many good purposes, such as discouraging child abuse or race hatred. 7EI "ex education is obviouslyuseful, yet the effect of sex education ?to the extent that it is successful@ is to tae the shaping of sexual attitudesa*ay from the family and put it into the hands of the state as represented by the public school system.

Violation of individual rights is an internal link to totalitarianism. Totalitarianism

outweighs any of the affirmative's arguments. Totalitarianism is the end of nature andhistory, leaving only a perpetual cycle of death.

Arendt Professor at Princeton University, University of Chicago, and the New School University(HEY I WENT T THE NEW SCH! " Coach #ree$an% '73&Hannah, rigins ofTotalitarianis$, ')*, +age -.

Totalitarian politics which proceeded to follow the recipes of ideologies has unmasked the

true nature of these movements insofar as it clearly showed that there could be no end tothis process. f it is the law of nature to eliminate everything that is harmful and unfit tolive, it would mean the end of nature itself if new categories of the harmful and unfit!to!livecould not be found " if it is the law of history t hat in a class str/ggle certain classes wither away,it wo/ld $ean the end of h/$an history itself if r/di$entary new classes did

not for$, so that t hey in t/rn co/ld wither away /nder the hands of totalitarian r/lers0 In others words,

the law of killing by which totalitarianmovements sei#e and e$ercise power would remain a law of the movement even if they eversucceeded in making all of humanity sub%ect to their rule.

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Incentive CP