Is Voting Moral?

[AquinasD]

I have been thinking recently on this subject and am lacking a clear decision on the matter. So I thought I might bring it forth for discussion.

Voting in a democracy is an assent to laws that are imposed by politicians. Many laws are coercive, i.e. taxation and minimum wage laws. A vote is an assent to coercion, and might even be itself a form of coercion. So it seems that voting may be immoral, except in the case that one is voting directly to repeal coercion.

Is voting moral? What is it moral to vote for, if ever?

[Thatguy]

I had this conversation once with a Native American. He was debating whether to vote in an upcoming election. It was the election of a nation that had done great harm to his people. The then current politicians and policies of that nation were largely offensive to him. My position was that voting is not acquiescing. Participating is not an affirmation that you believe in and support the laws of the institution you are voting in, just that you have the opportunity to try to influence it and that you are using that chance. In his case, and I suppose it's somewhat relevant here, his people had negotiated so that he would have that right. It would be, in a sense, a betrayal of what they had fought for to then let that hard won right languish.

I argued that I would not hesitate to use a vote if I were given one. If a government I despised, and I gave the example of Syria, were to have an election and, for whatever reason, gave me a vote then I would use that vote (unless the election itself was rigged or offered no choice at all.) I would do so because any chance to alter the world for the better should be taken, even if it's helping to choose the lesser evil.

He listened to me and did actually vote. Close to all of the candidates he voted for lost. I got the distinct impression he blamed me for causing him to take such a futile act.

By the way, just about any law is, by its nature, coercive.

[Furrowed Brow]

Well the last time I voted was in 1997 and that was the first time I had voted for about ten years. I don’t vote because none of the major parties over the years that reflect the kind of country I would like to live in. When I voted in 1997 it was for Tony Blair and boy do I regret that vote. If I could go back I would spoil that ballot paper. So the only time I have voted in twenty years or so I really wish I hadn’t.

Anyhow – if you don’t like the choice on offer I think it is important to either not vote or spoil your ballot paper. This is the only way to register disaffection. Funnily enough if you vote for a politician they kind of see that as a vote of support for them and the system

Some coercive laws I kind of agree with. So I accept the principle of a coercive legal framework. Ideally we would all be great to one another and there would be no inequality or injustice in the world and then no need for coercive laws. But until that time I guess we have to put up with a little coercion.

Is voting moral? Well it depends on the system. Who was it who said that democracy is the subjugation of the minority by the majority? It went something like that.

No I don’t think voting is immoral. Its better than many alternatives.

Presently I live in a country where we never get a chance to vote for our head of state. This is not so terrible as it sounds as the results are reasonably benign. But I would still want the chance to oust the Royal family, and have a succinct constitution that treats me as citizen and not a subject of the Queen, a constitution designed to aggressively protect me and my loved ones against the state and abuses of power.

[connermt]

I have been thinking recently on this subject and am lacking a clear decision on the matter. So I thought I might bring it forth for discussion.

Voting in a democracy is an assent to laws that are imposed by politicians. Many laws are coercive, i.e. taxation and minimum wage laws. A vote is an assent to coercion, and might even be itself a form of coercion. So it seems that voting may be immoral, except in the case that one is voting directly to repeal coercion.

Is voting moral? What is it moral to vote for, if ever?

All thigns are up to the individual to determine its morality. Voting is no different. Only you can say if voting is moral for you or not.
That said, there are so many issues I'm not sure anyone could find any one person to vote for that they agree with 100%. It seems that voting isn't deciding who has the best ideas or will be the best for the country, but who will do the least harm in each individual's POV.
For me, voting isn't any more moral than allowing a political sign in my front yard or wearing white after Labor Day.

[AquinasD]

I would do so because any chance to alter the world for the better should be taken, even if it's helping to choose the lesser evil.

But what if you don't believe that choosing the lesser evil will prevent an inevitable slide towards the evil you're trying to avoid anyway? What if you think that the problem is the voting itself, i.e. selecting how coercion shall be used against others who have done nothing wrong to you, and any sort of participation in the system just reinforces the system you oppose?

That is, my problem with voting is deeper than just "I don't like any of the candidates." It has to do with the idea of voting itself.

By the way, just about any law is, by its nature, coercive.

All laws include a coercive element. It's only an effective law if it includes effective coercion against those who disobey it. I think some laws can be just, provided they adhere to the harm principle, but otherwise they initiate force.

[Thatguy]

But what if you don't believe that choosing the lesser evil will prevent an inevitable slide towards the evil you're trying to avoid anyway? What if you think that the problem is the voting itself, i.e. selecting how coercion shall be used against others who have done nothing wrong to you, and any sort of participation in the system just reinforces the system you oppose?

That is, my problem with voting is deeper than just "I don't like any of the candidates." It has to do with the idea of voting itself.

I chose an example of someone who did not consider himself part of the nation he was voting in, not just someone who disliked the choices. I argued to him that I'd vote in the Syrian elections if they gave me a chance, just because I could influence the world, possibly, slightly for the better. But I see different sides of the issue on many things, including this. On the one hand, I'd want to vote for the better Syrian candidate, it might help to cut down slightly on the tyranny. On the other hand, by voting I could be seen as registering support for the government holding the election. Perhaps not voting would better express my doubts as to the legitimacy of the government in question.

The common saying is that you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain. This isn't true. If I vote for my choice of candidates for American Idol I am showing that I believe in the legitimacy of the show, that I support the system the vote is part of. But I don't. I consider the concept of the show to be misguided. So only by not voting do I retain a clear case for complaining about a need for fundamental change in the system.

I think in your case either voting or not voting would be a moral act if done for moral ends. I see it more as a question of strategy for advancing your moral positions than as a moral or immoral decision in and of itself. I look at morality mainly in terms of intent, so I'd see whichever decision you make in good faith as moral. If you feel that the morality of the act depends on whether it helps or hurts the correct moral view, and you feel that voting signals support for an immoral government, then I guess for you voting would cause harm and thus be immoral.

[dianaiad]

I have been thinking recently on this subject and am lacking a clear decision on the matter. So I thought I might bring it forth for discussion.

Voting in a democracy is an assent to laws that are imposed by politicians.

No...in a democracy, you would be voting directly for those laws. We live.. most of us, in a form of representative government...that is, we vote for the folks who vote for the laws.

So our votes are (hopefully) important to the selection of those who pass the laws, and an instruction to them as to what sort of laws we want them to pass. If they mess up, then the next time we vote, we can kick 'em out of office.

If enough of us think the same way, that is.

Many laws are coercive, i.e. taxation and minimum wage laws. A vote is an assent to coercion, and might even be itself a form of coercion. So it seems that voting may be immoral, except in the case that one is voting directly to repeal coercion.

Is voting moral? What is it moral to vote for, if ever?

Voting is moral if you believe you are voting your conscience. It's immoral if you aren't.

What IS immoral is to not vote, and then complain.

My individual vote may not mean much all by itself; perhaps I do more by debating, talking, changing minds--but when I do that, what is it that I am doing, except getting more people to agree with me so that they will add their votes to mine? In that case, it becomes very immoral not to vote.


It is ESPECIALLY important to vote if you think that you are voting for someone, or something, that isn't going to win. Call it a protest, if you wish--because if you don't vote against something you don't like, then you ARE supporting its passage, since you did nothing to stop it.

Certainly I have zero respect for those who complain about how awful the nation/government/politicians/laws are---when they couldn't be bothered to vote. Those who refuse to vote have, in my opinion, lost the right to gripe.

One final thing: I notice that people will come out to national elections and vote, when they will pass up the local ones. That, too, boggles the mind: one vote in a national election means little--one vote will not decide the Presidency.

However, one vote in the local school board election can make a huge, personal difference to your family. One vote in a city election can decide whether your garbage bills get raised, or whether the lawn police will issue you a ticket for the brown spots, or whether the streets get repaved. In those issues, your vote makes a huge difference.

In fact, I did the math for the last city election I voted in; judging from the voter turnout, my vote counted for over 1400 people. THEY let me make the choices for them, because I voted--and they couldn't be bothered.

So...is voting moral? You bet your assets it is---in about every way you can define the word.