Mandatory Voting Bill: A Misplaced Priority in a Failing Electoral Landscape
Mandatory Voting Bill: A Misplaced Priority in a Failing Electoral Landscape
By Matthew Eloyi
In a democracy like Nigeria’s: young, tumultuous, and yearning for integrity, electoral reform should be a priority. However, not all reforms are created equal. The recent move by the House of Representatives to make voting mandatory through a Bill to amend the Electoral Act, 2002, sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Rep. Daniel Asama Ago, is an ill-timed and misguided approach to a much deeper issue. Rather than strengthen democracy, it risks compounding existing frustrations.
Let us be clear: while the aim to increase civic participation is laudable, mandatory voting is not the solution to Nigeria’s electoral apathy. At best, this bill is a superficial treatment of a festering wound. At worst, it threatens to turn voting from a democratic right into a forced civic burden in a system many no longer trust.
In leading the debate, Rep. Ago stated that compulsory voting would reduce voter apathy and curb vote buying. This logic, while well-intentioned, misses the mark. Voter apathy in Nigeria does not stem from laziness or ignorance. It is a direct consequence of decades of electoral fraud, manipulation, disenfranchisement, and broken promises. Citizens stay away from polling units because they believe, often with justification, that their votes do not count. Adding a legal obligation to vote does not restore confidence in the process; it coerces participation without addressing the cause of the reluctance.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, in supporting the bill, cited examples like Australia where mandatory voting exists. But Australia is a functioning democracy with relatively credible institutions, high public trust, and a consistent track record of electoral transparency. Nigeria, by contrast, struggles with outdated voter registers, compromised polling systems, partisan electoral commissions, thuggery, and violence at polling units. The difference is like night and day.
Before any conversation about making voting compulsory, lawmakers should first ask: is the process even credible? Can the average Nigerian walk into a polling station and be assured their vote will be counted and protected? Is the electoral commission truly independent and insulated from political interference? Until these foundational issues are resolved, compelling citizens to vote amounts to civic extortion—an attempt to paper over deep cracks in the democratic architecture.
Moreover, the enforcement mechanism of such a law raises more questions than answers. How will the government monitor compliance? What penalties will be imposed on defaulters? In a country where national databases are incomplete, and even simple tasks like verifying voter identity are marred by inconsistencies, how realistic is it to implement and enforce mandatory voting? Worse still, it could open another door for corruption and bureaucratic harassment.
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The bill’s proponents argue it will reduce vote buying. On the contrary, mandatory voting could increase it. In a system where turnout is legally required, political actors may exploit vulnerable citizens even more aggressively, offering inducements to sway the legally compelled votes. Without comprehensive electoral reforms, including campaign finance transparency and enforcement of vote-buying laws, coercing participation might only deepen the rot.
Instead of mandating voting, the National Assembly should focus its energy on electoral reforms that inspire voluntary participation. These include biometric verification upgrades, cleaning up the voters’ register, ensuring prompt transmission and publication of results, punishing electoral offenses, and deepening civic education. Citizens must be convinced, not coerced, that their votes matter.
Democracy thrives on freedom, not compulsion. The right to vote must include the right not to vote, especially when the system gives little hope for fairness or justice. Forcing people to vote in a system they no longer trust is like forcing passengers onto a sinking ship. It does not save the ship; it merely increases the number of casualties.
If the goal is to build a stronger democracy, then lawmakers must tackle the roots of electoral apathy, not merely its symptoms. Mandatory voting is a distraction, an elegant-sounding idea that ignores the bitter reality on the ground. It is, quite frankly, a misplaced priority.
Our leaders must do better. Nigeria deserves not just voters at polling units, but votes that count.
