Please can a Law Student mark my LNAT essay!!!
Hi, I have my LNAT very soon and am going for oxbridge and London unis, i would really appreciate if anyone could mark my essay and give it a percentage.
Should compulsory voting be introduced in the UK? Why or why not?
There are two main reasons why British people choose not to vote: it is an unnecessarily troublesome task or they do not believe in the political system and agenda. It is important to recognise that compulsory voting does not set out to tackle either of these issues. This essay will argue that compulsory voting should not be introduced into the UK as it is an innefective way to deal with low turnouts for elections. Compulsory voting tackles the effect rather than the cause of the issue - which is bound to result in further political apathy. The political climate can be best assessed by the number of people choosing to vote.
Whilst it would be expected that compulsory voting would increase the publics' engagement in politics, this is not the case. Several behavioural studies show that when we are forced to do something, the less likely we are to enjoy it, regardless of the task at hand. For example, if the majority of people ate apples out of their own free will, but were suddenly informed that it was now being imposed on them to do so, many people would grow to dislike apples. This theory can then be applied to that of compulsory voting; if we were all forced to vote in the next election, a culture of apathy towards politics and resentment towards the voting process is likely to be fostered. Those who do vote will feel as if they are losing their own autonomy in doing so as well as those who do not vote. The counterintuitive nature of such a voting policy is clear, demonstrating why it should not be introduced into the UK.
Furthermore, the issue of low election turnout that compulsory voting aims to solve is not an effective measure. The low election turnout is not a signal to the government to introduce compulsory voting measures, but to address why citizens are less inclined to vote. This is mainly due to ineffective voting methods and lack of support for current political authority. Perhaps measures such as allowing voting to be done via an online survey would be more effective in increasing public inclination to vote, rather than forcing people to take the time to cast their vote in person. In addition to this, if the voting participation is so low that compulsory voting is being considered, the problem lies in the approach of the government rather than the people. The government must work to push the incentive to vote onto the people through efffective reforms and policies, rather than forcing them to do so by law.
Whilst it could be argued that compulsory voting ensures a representative government, allowing those who would have not otherwise voted to have a voice, the realistic consequences of introducing such a policy undermine these intentions. The value of one's vote would be lost if they were voting simply to avoid a fine, rather than their true belief in the leadership of a political party. The 'representation' that the compulsory voting policy strives for is likely to be misconstrued as the public start to see the act of voting as a 'chore'. In addition to this, it is a fundamental human right to be allowed freedom of expression, which includes choosing not to vote as a form of self expression. In a modern context the importance of maintaining human rights is more crucial than ever and compulsory voting in the UK does not align with this.
To conclude, whilst the intention of compulsory voting is to increase public engagement with UK politics, the realistic effects of introducing such a policy would have the opposite outcome. Compulsory voting attempts to tackle the problem of low turnouts however fails to recognise that the issue is best dealt with at the heart of the British government political system.
Should compulsory voting be introduced in the UK? Why or why not?
There are two main reasons why British people choose not to vote: it is an unnecessarily troublesome task or they do not believe in the political system and agenda. It is important to recognise that compulsory voting does not set out to tackle either of these issues. This essay will argue that compulsory voting should not be introduced into the UK as it is an innefective way to deal with low turnouts for elections. Compulsory voting tackles the effect rather than the cause of the issue - which is bound to result in further political apathy. The political climate can be best assessed by the number of people choosing to vote.
Whilst it would be expected that compulsory voting would increase the publics' engagement in politics, this is not the case. Several behavioural studies show that when we are forced to do something, the less likely we are to enjoy it, regardless of the task at hand. For example, if the majority of people ate apples out of their own free will, but were suddenly informed that it was now being imposed on them to do so, many people would grow to dislike apples. This theory can then be applied to that of compulsory voting; if we were all forced to vote in the next election, a culture of apathy towards politics and resentment towards the voting process is likely to be fostered. Those who do vote will feel as if they are losing their own autonomy in doing so as well as those who do not vote. The counterintuitive nature of such a voting policy is clear, demonstrating why it should not be introduced into the UK.
Furthermore, the issue of low election turnout that compulsory voting aims to solve is not an effective measure. The low election turnout is not a signal to the government to introduce compulsory voting measures, but to address why citizens are less inclined to vote. This is mainly due to ineffective voting methods and lack of support for current political authority. Perhaps measures such as allowing voting to be done via an online survey would be more effective in increasing public inclination to vote, rather than forcing people to take the time to cast their vote in person. In addition to this, if the voting participation is so low that compulsory voting is being considered, the problem lies in the approach of the government rather than the people. The government must work to push the incentive to vote onto the people through efffective reforms and policies, rather than forcing them to do so by law.
Whilst it could be argued that compulsory voting ensures a representative government, allowing those who would have not otherwise voted to have a voice, the realistic consequences of introducing such a policy undermine these intentions. The value of one's vote would be lost if they were voting simply to avoid a fine, rather than their true belief in the leadership of a political party. The 'representation' that the compulsory voting policy strives for is likely to be misconstrued as the public start to see the act of voting as a 'chore'. In addition to this, it is a fundamental human right to be allowed freedom of expression, which includes choosing not to vote as a form of self expression. In a modern context the importance of maintaining human rights is more crucial than ever and compulsory voting in the UK does not align with this.
To conclude, whilst the intention of compulsory voting is to increase public engagement with UK politics, the realistic effects of introducing such a policy would have the opposite outcome. Compulsory voting attempts to tackle the problem of low turnouts however fails to recognise that the issue is best dealt with at the heart of the British government political system.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- LNAT cut off at kcl
- LNAT preparation method/tuition/coaching/platform
- Can you do law with all stem a levels
- Law or Medicine?
- Law Application Oxford+others
- LNAT
- Oxford - Law Admissions Report 2024-5
- Arbitio for LNAT Essay Checking
- Bristol University Law - Bad GCSEs
- ADVICE NEEDED - LAW russel group
- Law rejection (Gap Year?)
- LNAT essay way over word limit
- University choice for LAW Undergraduate Degree
- When do I need to take the LNAT?
- Chances for Oxford? Law with French Law
- Can someone explain this?
- LNAT Tips!
- LNAT advice
- lnat advice?
- Only 2 offers for law
Latest
Trending
Articles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
