Voting is often regarded the same way vegetables on your dinner plate were as a child. We know that it is good for us, but we look upon it as a chore rather than an enjoyable obligation.

The notion that the fundamental tenet of our democracy is a burden rather than an opportunity has led to a debate over compulsory voting in America. It is an argument weighing the freedom of non-participation in the electoral process against the strength of a democracy through participation.

The vote in America is not merely an electoral process; it is a form of expression en masse. It is a town-hall meeting with 240 million of your fellow citizens arguing and bickering about who should lead. For all citizens to be heard, we must understand that those who choose not to participate are, in effect, arguing against the candidates and parties represented on the ballot.

The much-lamented decrease in voter turnout is often cited as a reason for compulsory voting. However, Dr. Michael McDonald of George Mason University has shown that, when adjusted to exclude ineligible voters, the percentage of turn-out over the last 12 years is steadily above 50 percent.

“The 2012 turnout rate of 58.2 percent is just slightly higher than the 1992 rate of 58.1 percent,” said McDonald via email interview with The Guilfordian. “This figure is consistent with other successful and established democracies in the world.”

Presidents often claim a mandate of popular opinion to their platform lies inherent in their election. This mandate of popular opinion is a fallacy.

In the 2012 presidential election of 241 million eligible voters, approximately 127 million voters participated, with 51 percent voting for President Obama. This means that only 27 percent of the population actively supported Mr. Obama’s platform. A quarter of the population does not make a mandate of collective will.

Many argue that expanding the vote expands freedom.

“Generations have marched, fought and died for the right to vote,” said Erik Liu, former speechwriter and policy adviser to President Bill Clinton, through email interview with The Guilfordian. “Voting is more than a right, it is a responsibility.”

In some nations, voting is already mandatory. Since 1924, Australia has used compulsory voting in their electoral process.

“I prefer compulsory voting to the system in America,” said Chip Gracia, an American born citizen of Australia. “It ensures the opinions of all citizens are accounted for in the electoral process.”

However, that system makes voting an obligation rather than a responsibility. It is a parent telling you to eat all your veggies or you’re not getting dessert.

Voting truly is a responsibility in the American democracy. Yet voting has always been a symptom of freedom and never the cause. Whether regarding our founding as a nation, the right of African-Americans and women to vote or even the Arab Spring, the vote is an effect of social movements and rarely the cause.

The belief that compulsory voting would propel freedom is a blatant lie.

Compulsory voting is un-American because it robs freedom of expression. The right to not vote must be protected as much as the right to vote, because not voting is an expression of dissatisfaction with the established system of governance.

I served in the military, and I have voted in each election that I have been eligible. I believe voting sends a powerful signal to the power structure about the will of the people. But I am not foolish enough to equate voting to freedom.

I would hate to see compulsory voting used to rob the non-voter of their freedom to wave their middle finger in the air to both political parties by staying home, drinking a beer and voting on something worthwhile, like who should be the next American Idol.