Where are your voters, Czech Republic?
#225
My Dear Friend of Democracy,
I was travelling by train through the Czech Republic yesterday. And, as I usually do when I approach a country, I read about the current politics there.
So, I came across (here) a depressing thing.
Recently, the right-wing populist and European-skeptic party ANO led by former PM Andrej Babiš, won a landslide victory in the last regional elections. They won 10 out of 13 regions. What struck me even more was that voter turnout was just under 33 per cent, while 38 per cent of voters turned out to vote in the last regional elections.
Why people don’t vote in a democracy?
Why do two out of three people in the Czech Republic forgo the opportunity to vote for the person or party that most closely matches their thinking of how their country should be governed?
There is a rational argument that explains this behaviour.
It is that the individual vote is worthless. Because in large societies, a single ballot practically never changes the outcome of an election. Why should people make an effort (even a small one) if it has no positive consequences for them?
This argument seems sound. It is common in political economy. But it is still flawed.
For two reasons.
The first reason is a moral one. Our own behavior will probably never change the world on a large scale. Stop climate change, end wars, overthrow dictators. Things like that. Does that mean we can behave in a way that doesn't do good to the climate or cheer for dictators? Probably not. So how should we behave? Here is the golden rule: We should treat our fellow humans how we want others to treat us. If we accept this rule, then we must vote. Cause democracy only works if we all form and express a political opinion in elections. If we demand this of others, we must also demand it of ourselves.
The second argument goes beyond morality. We can never know to what our actions lead to. If we don't vote, that may be one (insignificant) vote less in the ballot box. That may not affect the outcome of the election. But what happens, for example, if we tell our friends that we don't vote, perhaps because we think politics is unimportant? How does that shape these people's opinions? And what do they then pass on to their friends? – We can never capture the full impact of our actions. So, it's better to act as if our actions have a significant impact. Maybe they have sometimes.
✊ That's why we should vote, in the Czech Republic, in all countries where elections can express the will of the people: It is our moral duty - and it can make a difference.
See you in Europe,
Johannes
In some countries, people choose not to vote as a way of boycotting the elections to show their dissatisfaction with all the existing candidates. I'm not sure if that's the case in the Czech Republic.