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Universal Voting: Why should the US require voter participation? (online event)

U.S. voters turned out in record numbers in 2020, hitting a 13 percent jump from 2016. Even so, the country lags behind many other democracies – including Belgium, Sweden, Australia, Uruguay, and South Korea – when it comes to voting. How would our country be transformed if we did away with arguments over voting rights and instead committed to an election process where every citizen not only has the right to vote, but a requirement to do so?

Twenty-six countries require participation in their elections. In 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, co-authors E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that the United States should follow in their footsteps. After all, Americans are required to pay taxes and serve on juries. Join us for a conversation with the authors and New York City Council member Alexa Avilés about universal voting and how to implement it.

Produced in partnership with New York University's John Brademas Center

Speakers:

  • E.J. Dionne, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Columnist, Washington Post; Co-author, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting

  • Miles Rapoport, Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School; Co-author, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting

  • Moderator: Alexa Avilés, Member (District 38), New York City Council; Chair, Public Housing Committee

This program is co-sponsored by the NYU Brademas Center and the NYU Brennan Center for Justice, and is open to everyone. Registration is required in order to receive the Zoom log-in details and this session will be recorded.

About the Book, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting

Americans are required to pay taxes, serve on juries, get their kids vaccinated, get driver's licenses, and sometimes go to war for their country. So why not ask--or require--every American to vote? In 100% Democracy, E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that universal participation in our elections should be a cornerstone of our system. It would be the surest way to protect against voter suppression and the active disenfranchisement of a large share of our citizens. And it would create a system true to the Declaration of Independence's aspirations by calling for a government based on the consent of all of the governed. It's not as radical or utopian as it sounds: in Australia, where everyone is required to vote (Australians can vote "none of the above," but they have to show up), 91.9 percent of Australians voted in the last major election in 2019, versus 60.1 percent in America's 2016 presidential race. Australia hosts voting-day parties and actively celebrates this key civic duty. It is time for the United States to take a major leap forward and recognize voting as both a fundamental civil right and a solemn civic duty required of every eligible U.S. citizen.