The Ethics of Voting

The Ethics of Voting by Jason Brennan is a book which outlines a contrasting argument to the idea that it is the civic duty of individuals within a democracy to vote. The core tenet upon which his argument resides is that the individuals who do not know what they are voting for should not feel the moral obligation to vote on issues about which they are uninformed, and that democracies would benefit as a whole from their abstaining from the polls.^[1] According to Brennan:

As a citizen, you do not owe it to others to provide them with the best possible governance. But if you take on the office of voter, you acquire additional moral responsibilities, just as you would were you to become the Federal Reserve chairperson, a physician, or a congressperson.^{[1]:128–129}

Additional topics

Brennan also touches on a couple of other topics in his book, discussing the negative effects of voter negligence, or religious motivations for individuals to vote.

Also included is a chapter on the morality of vote buying and why Brennan argues it is justifiable under certain circumstances. And the morality for the "Lesser of two evils" Justification. In the paperback edition there is also an afterword by Brennan titled "How to Vote Well".^[2]

Reception

While the book was widely well received as a new way of considering one's civic duty, there have been criticisms of his work. Chad Flanders' review of The Ethics of Voting in the Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews praises the book as a whole but also states that Brennan seems to enjoy being contrarian a little too much. However Flanders admits that the contrarian nature of the writing serves to make the book more entertaining to read.^[3]

Ilya Somin, author of Democracy and Political Ignorance, wrote an ultimately positive review of the book for the Volokh Conspiracy but also said that Brennan never states which topics a voter should try and focus on in order to become an "Informed Voter". He also states that Brennan's ideas are not too much different from John Stuart Mill’s analysis of the moral duties of voters in his work Considerations on Representative Government.^[4] Mill's argument which Somin is referring to, is in section ten of the 1861 essay Considerations on Representative Government and argues that an extra set of votes should be apportioned to the highly educated in order that they may ensure the safety and well being of the country.^[5]

Bryan Caplan, in an otherwise positive review, criticizes Brennan for not going far enough, saying that Brennan criticizes wrongful voting, but not the right to wrongful voting; i.e. Caplan questions the right of people to vote if they are uninformed.^[6]

In addition both Josh Rothman with The Boston Globe^[7] and Alan Haworth with The Philosophers' Magazine praised the book for its new take on democratic engagement.^[8]

See also

• The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan
• Considerations on Representative Government John Stuart Mill
• The Problem of Political Authority by Michael Huemer

References