Abstention - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Calculation of the rate of abstention

The rate of abstention is the percentage of people, registered on the electoral rolls, and which voted for no registered candidate or any proposal of the referendum.

For the political elections in France, the inscription on the electoral rolls is a right and it is theoretically obligatory (L9 article of the Electoral code). It is not however envisaged any sanction for not registered people, if is not that they can neither vote, nor to take part in the public life while being presented on the electoral rolls.

With the the United States, the abstention is calculated compared to all the potential voters and not only compared to the registered voters on the electoral rolls, as it is the case in France.

Regulations of the public elections

The abstentionism, from a legal point of view, does not have recognition on the result of an open vote. Certain countries thought of changing to them Constitution in the event of very high abstention (the rates of 70% or 80% were evoked) with major elections, like the legislative , but never these bills did not succeed.

Possible reasons

The reasons of the abstention can be multiple, that is to say:

the voter forgot to vote
the voter does not want to vote
the voter is not registered on the electoral roll associated with its residence
the voter did not think or refused the Vote by procuration
the voter does not wish to choose new political authorities, by some means that it is
the voter lets the others choose in its place
the voter does not wish to choose elected officials, considering that they will not be obstructed, by the acquired capacity, to decide to its living conditions without its agreement
the voter does not feel not concerned with the election
the voter thinks that its vote is not important
the voter wants to sanction the leaders in place or the political officials in general by showing to his disinterest of the political life
the voter does not want to take part in an election that he considers unjust
the voter does not want to legitimate a Political system which he refuses (the anarchistic organizations in particular and communist revolutionary very often call with the abstention)
the voter does not have confidence in the vote or the voting system (electronic machine)

To fight the abstention

Political democracies or groupings often try to find solutions in order to avoid the abstentionism, which is often rather strong in the democratic countries.

One of the solutions evoked on Usenet is the negative vote. Either at the same time as a normal vote, or as a voter/indicating for that which one does not want, that which has less voice gains.

Another method is to make the vote obligatory. This solution seems effective in Belgium. It enables him to have one of the rates of abstention among low from Europe (approximately 9% for the European Élections of 2004, whereas the average of the European Union is of 44%). There is financial sanction in the event of abstention. The obligation was adopted thereafter in many countries: Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Greece, in Austria, in certain Swiss cantons, but also out of Europe: Australia, Turkey, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentinian. The blank votes are entered and given to the party which will have had the majority, which increases its result. The obligation of the vote strongly reduces the rate of abstention, however this institution remains extremely discussed. Its opponents reproach him for not taking into account the reasons pushing the voters with the abstention. That, its partisans answer that they can make use of the blank vote and that they can register on the bulletins what they think of the parties or the personalities in place, that is done already by many people.

Other methods exist, like explaining the work of the political institutions, so as to better do to include/understand the reasons for which to vote is important, or to openly discuss points of sights which separate the various political parties. In the methods so that people get information better, the system of vote by weighting, by classification of the candidates, is often proposed, in particular the Méthode of election Condorcet.

Another method suggested would be to really give the capacity to the populations in the policy options of their life, by the means of the imperative Mandatement rather than by the majority representation (which does not give finally any capacity to the individuals, only the political intermediaries having a decision-making power, once elected). The solution with the advantage of returning the capacity to the population which can itself car-be thus determined. But in France, the mandatement imperative one is regarded as null by the Constitution of Ve République.

The abstention like political act

The abstentionism is a political act for people considering that the representative/parliamentary mode current is not sufficient to answer the voices of each individual composing the company, and proposes this political act of refusal of the voting not to guarantee this unjust system. In general, the political militants of the abstentionism call that Abstention activates, this to dissociate passive abstentionnists… These abstentionnists in general propose other policy operating processes of the company such as the imperative Mandatement.

The abstention today

It is generally in the well established Démocratie S, that one finds high rates of abstention. In the majority of the countries which do not know democratic elections, people wish to be able to elect their representatives.

In France

Nonelectoral significances

Abstention from heir

It is when the heir designated in a will, wants that the heritage is allocated to the heir-at-law. Certain associations are designated as single heir to a fortune.

Abstention from place

It is a punishment which is inflicted with an offensive person, with going on the spot where it had offended these people

Reference

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