TY - JOUR
T1 - Nudging voters and encouraging pre-commitment
T2 - Beyond mandatory turnout
AU - Pedersen, Viki Møller Lyngby
AU - Thaysen, Jens Damgaard
AU - Albertsen, Andreas
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - The discussion on mandatory turnout, which controversially introduces coercion at the heart of the electoral process, illustrates a dilemma between increasing voter turnout on the one hand and avoiding coercion on the other. If successful, a recent proposal by Elliott solves this dilemma as it removes the compulsory element of mandatory turnout. Specifically, Elliot reinterprets the policy’s purpose as (a) a pre-commitment device for those who believe that they have a duty to vote and (b) a nudge to the surveillance of politics for those who do not believe this. We critically evaluate Elliott’s novel intervention in the debate and argue that it is ultimately unsuccessful. Mandatory turnout can be interpreted as neither a pre-commitment device nor a nudge. Moreover, we present a more promising and novel solution to the dilemma: a genuine state-administered pre-commitment device with respect to voting that also nudges citizens to vote and seems prima facie attractive.
AB - The discussion on mandatory turnout, which controversially introduces coercion at the heart of the electoral process, illustrates a dilemma between increasing voter turnout on the one hand and avoiding coercion on the other. If successful, a recent proposal by Elliott solves this dilemma as it removes the compulsory element of mandatory turnout. Specifically, Elliot reinterprets the policy’s purpose as (a) a pre-commitment device for those who believe that they have a duty to vote and (b) a nudge to the surveillance of politics for those who do not believe this. We critically evaluate Elliott’s novel intervention in the debate and argue that it is ultimately unsuccessful. Mandatory turnout can be interpreted as neither a pre-commitment device nor a nudge. Moreover, we present a more promising and novel solution to the dilemma: a genuine state-administered pre-commitment device with respect to voting that also nudges citizens to vote and seems prima facie attractive.
KW - Compulsory voting
KW - Mandated choice policies
KW - Mandatory turnout
KW - Nudging
KW - Voting ethics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85163980293&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11158-023-09616-0
DO - 10.1007/s11158-023-09616-0
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1356-4765
VL - 30
SP - 267
EP - 283
JO - Res Publica
JF - Res Publica
IS - 2
ER -