Dear Editor,

We live in a democratic society that respects the rights of its citizens power of choice. If the government decides to make voting compulsory it would be an infringement on my rights to choose.

The author of the article refers to those who exercise their right, when they choose not to vote, as unpatriotic citizens. I would like to point out that when you live in a nation such as Jamaica, where members of both parties have consistently proven themselves to be corrupt, people with dignity will most likely choose not to vote because doing so is a direct show of support of that persons actions.

Australia was mentioned as one of 20 nations who force their citizens to the polls, but it also said that in one election they were able to get 70 per cent to the polls. The author failed to realise that 70 per cent is not all, therefore, even though people in Australia are forced, they were still unable to get everyone to the polls.

We must keep in mind that compulsory voting is not guaranteed to change the results of an election. People with intelligence, if forced, will find ways to comply with the law and avoid prosecution, but still find a way not to vote by manipulating their vote once in the privacy of the balloting booth.

Compulsory voting will only create longer lines and waste time to count ballots which were intentionally manipulated to avoid prosecution. It is also nonsensical to force people to vote for someone they do not see as a good leader.

Brian Lynch

headonwriter2006@yahoo.com