To Vote or Not to Vote: The Rights and Liberties of Voters in The Electoral System

Voting is one of the most significant ways for individuals to make a say in the government’s decision-making. A ballot is the bedrock to democracy which may be also argued as a formal expression of choice for a candidate or a proposed solution to an issue. The low turnout rate in the recent Malaysian by-election in Johor, Malacca and Sarawak as well as the 15th General Election (GE15) has led to the discussion on the rights to vote and not to vote. The primary issue to be addressed in this article is whether the right not to vote violates morality in the political context and whether or not such a right constitutes freedom of expression. Furthermore, the relationship between the state and the people will also be studied further in order to determine the responsibilities of the people. The primary objective of this article is to determine the relationship between low voter turnout rates from certain groups of communities and the validity of their decision to vote or not to vote in a legal and moral paradigm. The authors will collect data from primary and secondary sources such as books and journals related to the right to vote and not to vote in different political systems. The authors will also analyze data from books, journals, articles and more to make reasonable comparisons between the democratic system in Malaysia and in other countries that discuss the right not to vote.