Optional vote means the no obligation to vote, representing the individual's freedom to choose or not to participate in a given election.
The optional vote is the opposite of mandatory vote, both of which must be provided for in the Constitution of each nation, specifying whether the citizens that country may or may not be required to participate directly in the choice of representatives of the government.
In democratic countries, regardless of whether they have optional or mandatory votes, all citizens must have the right to actively participate in the electoral process..
See also: the meaning of participatory democracy.
Currently, most countries in the world opt for the optional vote. According to a survey carried out by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (Idea), among the 236 countries that make electoral selections for government positions, only 31 of them vote are mandatory.
Optional vote in Brazil
According to Brazilian law, the voting is optional for citizens between 16 and 17 years old, and for those over 70 years old
. You illiterate they are also exempt from the obligation to vote in Brazil.But, in general, for Brazilians between the ages of 18 and 69, voting is mandatory for all elections held for political positions and plebiscites.
there are several debates on the introduction of optional voting in the country. The main defenders of the annulment of mandatory voting claim that with optional voting only the people with political conscience participated in the elections, helping to elect the best representatives for the nation.
Also according to supporters of the optional vote, voting is a citizen's right and not an obligation. People who vote out of obligation, but who do not have developed political thinking, are contributing to the construction of a destabilized and corrupt government.
See also: the meaning of age of majority.