Forum: Every citizen has right to vote; no one should be forced to

By Dan Hazen / Herald Forum

I once wrote about getting older while drifting to the political left, despite conventional wisdom that claims I should drift right. My libertarian roots have strained and even stretched with the winds of change. But today I am glad they have not broken because efforts to undermine personal liberty have reached an alarming new intensity.

As we collectively drift farther away from transcendent ideas (like a loving and moral God) we also lose values like: An individual exists apart from human constructs; like government.

I began seriously worrying about this when the Feds mandated that I purchase a health insurance policy from a private corporation despite the fact I don’t want health insurance (the Affordable Care Act, 2010). Then, the state began mandating how I care for family members through “paid” family leave (“paid” meaning: money is harvested from my paycheck, Olympia takes it’s cut, and the practically useless remainder is proffered back to me; if I obey). Despite the fact that this program quickly ran into solvency issues and opponents are lined up three-deep at the courts, Olympia seeks to extend control over how I retire too. Add to this a series of over-reaching covid vaccine rules that arguably caused more damage than they prevented, micro-management of police officers and schoolteachers, and I wonder … what’s next?

Wait. Are you serious? Mandatory voting?!

Yep. Senate Bill 5209 would make voting compulsory. You will be legally required to submit a ballot or submit to some form of government scrutiny to determine if you are worthy of an exemption. Either way, you must submit. The bill’s authors point out you can submit a blank ballot and there’s no penalty for refusing to vote (for now).

Advocates say mandatory voting will force candidates to play to a bigger audience. Unless politicians somehow grant these newly minted voting-drones the kind of access Boeing and Weyerhaeuser have, I doubt it.

It’s also claimed that more voters are better. Are they, though? Do you want the Jan. 6 crowd being forced to vote? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

State-imposed restrictions for the purposes of public safety are one thing (you can’t dump raw sewage into Puget Sound for example). And there are collective projects for which we choose to tax ourselves (roads, schools, fire service, etc.). But SB 5209 is not about limiting damaging behaviors or building voter-initiated projects. It’s a first-order power grab. Forcing someone to do a thing to which they do not consent is usually a crime and the highest form of tyranny when extended to an otherwise voluntary act like voting.

I live, and move, and have my being apart from the State of Washington. Yes, I reside within it, and I have obligations to its citizens but fundamentally, I exist apart from it and so do you. This is codified in founding documents, which in a wonderous paradox, limit their authority to exert their own authority.

I was “endowed by [my] Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” These rights were not granted to me by Gov. Jay Inslee, the Legislature, the United States, or any elected official. They are mine. No one has the authority to force me to “use” those rights, regardless how noble their stated motives. To do so is in fact a violation of those very same rights. It’s a snake eating its own tail.

I would have thought those who celebrate no-fault divorce, advocate for abortion on demand, medical autonomy for children, marriage choice, and drug de-criminalization would blanch at a proposal like this.

I do. And I will not submit.

Dan Hazen is the community pastor at Allen Creek Community Church in Marysville.

Herald Forum

The Herald Forum invites community members to submit essays on topics of importance and interest to them. Essays typically are between 400 and 600 words in length, although exceptions for longer pieces can be made. To submit essays or for more information about the Herald Forum, write Herald Opinion editor Jon Bauer at jbauer@heraldnet.com or call him at 425-339-3466.