Morality at the Ballot

Morality at the Ballot
Author: Daniel R. Biggers
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2014-12-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107084571

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Morality at the Ballot examines the ability of direct democracy (the process of deciding policy through the ballot) to increase turnout. In contrast to previous studies, Daniel R. Biggers shows that this ability is much more limited than currently thought. Using ballot matters that address morality policy, combined with experimental and election data from the past twenty years, he demonstrates how and when direct democracy can increase participation, affect who votes, and influence electoral and policy outcomes.

The Ethics of Voting

The Ethics of Voting
Author: Jason Brennan
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2012-04-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1400842093

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Nothing is more integral to democracy than voting. Most people believe that every citizen has the civic duty or moral obligation to vote, that any sincere vote is morally acceptable, and that buying, selling, or trading votes is inherently wrong. In this provocative book, Jason Brennan challenges our fundamental assumptions about voting, revealing why it is not a duty for most citizens--in fact, he argues, many people owe it to the rest of us not to vote. Bad choices at the polls can result in unjust laws, needless wars, and calamitous economic policies. Brennan shows why voters have duties to make informed decisions in the voting booth, to base their decisions on sound evidence for what will create the best possible policies, and to promote the common good rather than their own self-interest. They must vote well--or not vote at all. Brennan explains why voting is not necessarily the best way for citizens to exercise their civic duty, and why some citizens need to stay away from the polls to protect the democratic process from their uninformed, irrational, or immoral votes. In a democracy, every citizen has the right to vote. This book reveals why sometimes it's best if they don't. In a new afterword, "How to Vote Well," Brennan provides a practical guidebook for making well-informed, well-reasoned choices at the polls.

The Duty to Vote

The Duty to Vote
Author: Julia Maskivker
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0190066075

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What do we owe those in our communities? What do we owe strangers? In a sense, those who vie for political office locally and nationally do so, at least in part, from duty and obligation to their fellow citizens, to many they do not know and may never meet. In a democratic society, those who wish to participate in politics have the unbridled freedom to do exactly that: whether as leaders, or those who campaign for politicians, or as people who simply struggle to have their voice heard in everything from town hall meetings to protests. But by the same logic, we also have the freedom not to participate: the freedom not to care to be heard at all. Not so, says Julia Maskivker: such logic collapses when applied to the act of voting. Not only should we vote if we can--we must vote. Even when confronted with two unappealing candidates, or with ballot propositions whose effects we will barely feel, or with the fact that our single vote might never tip an election, we must vote. We have a duty of conscience to vote with care when doing so comes at so small a cost. Maskivker, a political theorist and philosopher, argues that those fortunate to live in democratic societies with freely elected leaders all share, simply, a moral obligation to vote. The book's argument adds a fresh and uncompromising perspective to voting ethics literature, which is dominated by views that reject the morality and rationality of voting. Maskivker's line of reasoning contends that the duty to vote is a "duty of common pursuit," which helps society to achieve good governance. She compares voting to Samaritan justice, showing that the same duty of assistance that would compel us to help a stranger in need also obligates us to vote to save our fellow citizens from injustice at the hands of bad or even evil leaders. The book further explores issues of voter incompetence, and how citizens' ignorance can be partly overcome through political reform. Although uninformed voting may lead to bad governance, voting judiciously can be an effective path to justice. In a time of polarization and political turmoil, The Duty to Vote offers a stirring reminder that voting is fundamentally a collective endeavor to protect our communities, and that we all must vote in order to preserve the free societies within which we live.

Elections Have Consequences

Elections Have Consequences
Author: Gregory John Regts
Publisher:
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2015
Genre: Compromise (Ethics)
ISBN:

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Morality at the Ballot

Morality at the Ballot
Author: Daniel R. Biggers
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2014-12-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1316033724

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Across the United States, there is wide variation in opportunities for citizens to craft legislation through the process of direct democracy. Previous studies suggest that an active role in policy making can spark political interest and engagement, encouraging individuals, who would otherwise abstain from voting, to turn out. Daniel R. Biggers challenges this contention, testing a new theoretical framework that details the exact circumstances under which any proposition might increase participation. Morality at the Ballot reveals that the ability of direct democracy to increase turnout is significantly more limited than currently thought, and that the propositions that do affect participation are restricted to a small subset of ballot issues that include morality policy. Biggers uses these morality propositions to demonstrate the conditions necessary for direct democracy to influence turnout, affect who votes, and shape electoral and policy outcomes. The investigation provides significant insights into the consequences of deciding policy via the ballot and expanding the role for citizens in the political process.

Why Do Elections Matter in Africa?

Why Do Elections Matter in Africa?
Author: Nic Cheeseman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2021-02-18
Genre: Law
ISBN: 110841723X

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A radical new approach to understanding Africa's elections: explaining why politicians, bureaucrats and voters so frequently break electoral rules.

Radical Political Morality ...

Radical Political Morality ...
Author: John Tyler Morgan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 16
Release: 1881
Genre: Ballot
ISBN:

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