The Right to Political Participation and Compulsory ‎Voting, Conflict or Reconciliation?‎

The right to political participation is a fundamental human right that derives from self-determination. This right is set out in important instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and etc. One of the obvious aspects of the right to political participation is the right to vote. The views of these instruments on voting are a rights-based view towards citizens and a commitment-based view towards governments. However, in some countries there is an electoral system in which voting and participation in elections is a civic duty and not doing so is liable for punishment. In this study, using a descriptive-analytical method, while reviewing the views of institutions such as the Human Rights Committee and the European Commission on Human Rights, we are seeking to answer this question: is compulsory voting in conflict with human rights instruments? The findings of the study indicate that what is mandatory in a compulsory voting system is merely the presence of the voter at the ballot box and casting a vote. As such, the observance of the principle of secret voting prevents the violation of human rights such as freedom of thought, freedom of opinion, freedom of conscience and freedom of speech. Therefore, compulsory voting, provided that voting is secret, does not conflict with human rights.