Connecticut and Washington Democrats have introduced bills in their respective legislatures that would mandate compulsory voting for all eligible residents.
On Monday, a Connecticut House committee heard testimony on HB 5704. If passed by the legislature and signed into law, that bill would require all “qualified elector[s]” to “either cast a ballot at an election or provide a valid reason” for not doing so.
If an eligible voter were to refrain from voting, he would be sent “a form” from the state “inquiring as to why [he] did not so cast a ballot.” If an elector did not return the form explaining why he didn’t vote, he would be fined.
While bill sponsor and Democrat Rep. Josh Elliot claimed during Monday’s hearing that such fines would be a “nominal fee” such as “five, 10, 15, 20 bucks,” HB 5704 does not specify a minimum or maximum amount for the penalties.
“If you say, ‘We want universal voting’ and then there’s no punishment at all, you aren’t really saying anything,” Elliot said in an attempt to justify the fines.
Despite proponents’ claims the proposal would expand civic engagement, Connecticut residents were not buying Democrats’ disingenuous talking points. According to a local news outlet, the amount of written testimony from citizens opposing the legislation “overwhelmingly outweighed” testimony from the bill’s supporters.
This measure “will compel voting by people who don’t care or don’t know about the issues or candidates, thus influencing the outcome,” wrote Connecticut resident Manuel Santos. “Voting as an
