The proposed legislation states, “Voters should be obliged to register for selective service, serve on juries, and pay taxes.”
Dozens of Democrats in Washington state have submitted legislation to make voting mandatory.
Democratic state Sen. Sam Hunt and 13 others filed a bill to establish “Universal Civic Duty Voting,” which would mandate voter registration or the issuance of a waiver for every eligible voter in the state of Washington.
Under the proposed legislation, all eligible voters would be obligated to cast a ballot in every primary and general election.
According to the Senate bill report, a voter who requests a waiver to vote is not obliged to explain a justification for doing so, and voters are not obligated to choose any candidates for any position, but they must return the ballot to following the law.
There is no punishment for failing to return a ballot.
The measure mandates that, in addition to registering for the draft, serving on a jury, and paying taxes, individuals must also use their right to vote. To vote is a civic duty because it sends the message that every person’s voice should be heard and respected.
On Tuesday, the Senate’s Committee on State Government and Elections held a public hearing on the measure.
In other words, “the electorate is being subjected to yet another necessity,” as he put it. “Indeed, this is cause for a sense of accomplishment. People should ideally be eager to participate.”
He said, “This is the United States of America for a little while longer, and under those circumstances, we should not be pushed to do anything that we may or may not choose to do.” Just like we shouldn’t have to say anything or stay silent if we don’t want to, ”
On January 10th, Democratic state representative Scarlett Mena and three others submitted a parallel measure in the House, which was then referred to the Committee on State Government and Tribal Relations.