New strategies needed to get people voting

The lead-up to elections is very colourful. Roads are littered with signs and party supporters in spirited discussions. However, this energy is not always brought over to the election day. Voter turnout has been declining over the years. The younger population is simply not that interested in the political process and others seem to be just tired of it.

How about compulsory voting?

Jamaica Gleaner/8 Jan 2022

ELECTIONS ARE in the air once again, with local government polls expected to be held by February 27. Already, we see party workers rallying against moves by party officials to replace a local candidate, as in the case in the Grange Hill division in Westmoreland.

There, the five-time victorious People's National Party (PNP) councillor, Lawton McKenzie, has been asked to step aside and his supporters are livid and have threatened to withhold their votes if he is replaced. In the context of there being no identifiable successor, one can understand why the supporters are upset. However, like all other such disputes, we expect that things will quieten down after closeddoor meetings.

The passion and emotional investment exhibited by the Grange Hill supporters is typical of Jamaicans. Thousands of Jamaicans will don party colours and associated paraphernalia to join motorcades and attend meetings. Supporters swamp the airwaves to make the case for their side, and there is generally a heightened air of excitement around elections.

But all of that excitement seems to dissipate on Election Day. Voter turnout has been declining over the years as more and more electors become disaffected and disengaged from the process. Low voter turnout is a huge side effect of voter apathy, and it is evident throughout the Caribbean.

In the psychology of politics, various reasons have been identified to explain voter apathy. A negative view of politicians who are often mired in scandals is at the top of the list, followed closely by the feeling that one's vote will not make a difference.

YOUNGER-GENERATION APATHY

A key demographic of voter apathy is the younger generation. They will proudly proclaim that they have no interest in politics, completely ignoring the fact that the right to vote was a hard-fought battle for the generations before them, or that it is a duty of citizenship.

When a significant number of people stay away from the polls, it can throw the whole idea of democracy, as a political ideal, in jeopardy. The ballot box is where citizens get to raise suppressed voices.

There have been lots of discussions around the conduct of elections and, because of various reforms, the Jamaican electoral system has emerged as one that is fairly reliable. But more needs to be done to address the low voter turnout. It seems clear that one of the ways to address this is to make access to registration and the ballot box easier. New options, including digital, postal and voting by proxy, may prove to be simpler and more practical for the majority.

In public discussions about voter apathy and election reform, we don't hear enough about compulsory voting. We believe that compulsory voting is an idea that needs to be pushed onto the national stage. For nearly a century, Australia has had mandatory voting on its books, whereby a fine is imposed on persons who fail to cast their ballot. Australia has a voter turnout in the region of 95 per cent. They are not alone, there are about two dozen other nations who have made it compulsory for their citizens to vote.

A mere 37 per cent of Jamaicans voted in the 2020 general elections, compared to 2016 when 48.37 per cent voters turned up at polling stations to cast their ballots.

Even in victory, and with the coronavirus being partly blamed, Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed concerns about the low turnout in 2020.

Mandatory voting may not win approval in the short term, but we believe it should be seriously examined and, if properly packaged and laid out as an ideal for democracy, could play a part in boosting participation in voting.

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