Washington Democrats propose mandatory voting

The Washington state legislature is considering a new mandatory voting proposal, S.B. 5209, that would compel registered voters to return ballots in each primary and general election. The proposal is “about behavior modification,” Sen. Patty Kuderer (D–Bellevue) argued at a committee meeting on Tuesday, likening the government’s role in promoting voting to that of a parent.

To its credit, the bill states that voters may return blank ballots and allows citizens to opt out of registering to vote at all. It establishes no punishment for non-compliance.

As written, S.B. 5209 is essentially unenforceable. It is nevertheless bad policy since it would deploy the state’s authority, albeit impotently, to compel political speech.