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The ethical act of voting
Why in news?
- It is the duty of having to act not for individual benefit, but for the benefit of the larger society.
Getting paid for voting
- Practice of getting paid for voting:(1) This practice is endemic and is also done quite brazenly across States.(2) Party members go house to house and distribute money is done in the open.
- Voting is not a transaction:(1) Voters see elections as a transaction.(2) This goes against a fundamental principle of democratic voting, which is that voting is not a transaction.(3) When we do a job for someone we don’t know, and which benefits that person, we generally expect to get paid for that act.
Way Forward
- Voting is not a transaction: The fundamental problem lies in viewing voting as a transaction. But we have to recognize that voting is not like any other transaction.
- Voting is an ethical duty: The duty that is inherent in the act of voting is an ethical duty, not just a constitutional one. It is the duty of having to act not for individual benefit but for the benefit of the larger society.
- Beyond Self Interest: It is also a recognition that a democratic action like voting is primarily for the good of something larger than one’s self interests.
Source
The hindu.