New Report Urges Universal Civic Duty Voting to Reinvigorate Democracy

Boldly stating that “the concept of making voting a universal civic duty in the United States would significantly enhance our democracy by broadening civic participation in all communities,” a working group organized by The Brookings Institution and the Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School released a comprehensive report, following a year and a half of research and analysis, saying the concept “is worthy of a broad public discussion.”

The purpose driving the 62-page report “is to propose universal civic duty voting as an indispensable and transformative step toward full electoral participation.” Requiring adults of voting age to vote is a concept untried in the United States, but the report’s members point out that there are many aspects of the American voting process have been changed through the years – such as permitting women to vote or lowering the voting age to 18 – and which are no longer questioned. They view “civic duty voting” as the next threshold in the evolution of the nation’s voting process.

“Lift Every Voice: The Urgency of Universal Civic Duty Voting” is the result of the efforts of a diverse group of 25 scholars, advocates, and election specialists. The Working Group examined the idea that the United States should consider participation in elections as a requirement of citizenship, as is currently done with the requirement of jury service. They noted, in the report and during a virtual event releasing the report on Monday, that 26 countries around the globe currently have such a requirement in regards to voting—including Australia, where the system has been in place since 1924.

“We believe this is an important and workable idea, at federal, state, and municipal levels, with the potential for major positive impact on our elections and American democracy,” the working group pointed out. “It has not received any real discussion in the United States, and we believe it is time for that conversation to begin.”

The initiative was co-chaired by Miles Rapoport, a former Connecticut Secretary of the State and state legislator, and E.J. Dionne, Jr. of The Brookings Institution, who writes about politics in a twice-weekly column for The Washington Post and is a government professor at Georgetown University. Rapoport is currently Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Coming amidst growing concerns across the country about voter suppression efforts and a renewed focus on voter participation and the strength of American democracy, the report seeks to jumpstart actions at the federal, state and municipal level. “To say that everyone should vote is the surest guarantee that everyone will be enabled to vote,” the report stated, pointing out that “Universal civic duty voting would also help ensure increased political participation in communities of color that have long confronted exclusion from our democracy. With the reforms that would necessarily accompany it, civic duty voting would permanently block voter suppression measures.”

Stating that “the evidence is clear that civic duty voting increases turnout,” the report highlights data reflecting the large portion of Americans tend not to vote in elections. In a close election with turnout at 60 percent (the high end of the norm in most presidential elections), the winner receives votes from only about 30 percent of the population theoretically eligible to vote,” the report explains. “In most non-presidential elections, turnout is typically below 50 percent, meaning that the winning party receives votes from roughly a quarter of eligible voters.”

The working group expressed their view that civic duty voting would “survive legal challenges, and that it is consistent with our Constitution’s guarantees of free speech, robust forms of collective action, and effective government.” Individuals, although they would be required to vote at elections, would not necessarily be required to select a candidate for every office, they explained, noting that such a system has worked effectively in other nations. The report also responds to anticipated arguments against instituting civic duty voting, and urged enactment in tandem with other reforms to the voting system, including expanding opportunities to register and options for voting, such as early voting (now permitted in 40 states) and vote-by-mail.

The report’s opening pages reflect how civic duty voting could reinvigorate democratic practice:

“Imagine an American democracy remade by its citizens in the very image of its promise, a society where the election system is designed to allow citizens to perform their most basic civic duty with ease. Imagine that all could vote without obstruction or suppression. Imagine Americans who now solemnly accept their responsibilities to sit on juries and to defend our country in a time of war taking their obligations to the work of self-government just as seriously.”

It continues: “Imagine elections in which 80 percent or more of our people cast their ballots—broad participation in our great democratic undertaking by citizens of every race, heritage, and class, by those with strongly-held ideological beliefs, and those with more moderate or less settled views. And imagine how all of this could instill confidence in our capacity for common action.”

The report suggests the imposition of a small fine for those who do not vote, and an alternative of public service. They note however, that “Our emphasis is not on imposing sanctions but on sending a strong message that voting is a legitimate expectation of citizenship. Nations that have embraced carefully implemented versions of universal civic duty voting have enjoyed dramatic increases in participation.”

The report also envisions a changed political process if voting is seen as a civic duty. And although they expressed a preference of change at the federal level, they also encouraged states and even municipalities to move forward to adopt the new standard, citing their frequent role as “laboratories of democracy,” piloting innovations prior to more widespread adoption.
In doing so, the landscape would change – and the changes would quickly become evident. “Citizens, political campaigns, and civil rights and community organizations could move resources now spent on protecting the right to vote and increasing voter turnout to the task of persuading and educating citizens. Media consultants would no longer have an incentive to drive down the other side’s turnout, which only increases the already powerful forces working to make our campaigns highly negative in character. Candidates would be pushed to appeal beyond their own voter bases,” the report explained.

Among the working group members with a Connecticut connection, in addition to Rapoport, is Nick Nyhart, now of Nyhart Consulting, and previously president and CEO of Every Voice Center, executive director of Public Campaign, and a political activist in Connecticut.

The report’s recommendations are:

1 - Universal civic duty voting should be applicable for all major general elections, but not for party primaries.
2 - The voting requirement should be enforced through a small fine for not voting—no more than $20.
3 - Jurisdictions should consider creating incentives for voting for eligible citizens
4 - An official or agency should be designated with the responsibility to design and implement the program at the appropriate level of government.
5 - Legislation should be carefully tailored to ensure access for all communities and protect against misuse or unintended negative consequences.
6 - All levels of government must dramatically expand funding for election administration.
7 - Election officials should conduct extensive and energetic public education.
8 - Schools should expand civic education.

The report concludes that “This is a time to think and act anew, to experiment boldly and persistently. This is a time for all Americans to take on the responsibility of self-government.”