Title: President Obama Supports Mandatory Voting, And He’s Wrong To Do So
Headings: 
President Obama Supports Mandatory Voting, And He’s Wrong To Do So
President Obama thinks that it would be a good idea if everyone were forced to vote. He's wrong, and his idea is most likely unconstitutional.
About Doug Mataconis

Content: As a practical matter, of course, mandatory voting is something that will likely never come to pass in the United States. There does not appear to be any basis in the Constitution for Congress to pass a law on the matter, for example, and even if it did it would not be able to compel participation in non-Federal elections. At the state level, the arguments against this idea would likely outweigh the arguments in favor of it no matter which party controlled the legislature. And, finally, the legal challenges that such laws would likely face would have a good chance of succeeding for the reasons discussed above. President Obama likely knows all of this, but it was nonetheless disconcerting to see him once again fall back on the idea that people should be forced to do something just because he thinks it would be a good idea. FILED UNDER: * FEATURED, US Politics
About Doug Mataconis
Doug holds a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010. Before joining OTB, he wrote at Below The Beltway , The Liberty Papers, and United Liberty Follow Doug on Twitter | Facebook