Just because you have the ability to do something doesn't mean that you have the RIGHT to do it.
Just because you have the ability to not do something doesn't mean that you have the RIGHT to do it.
I'm referring to a right in a legal sense. A right is something that can't be legislated away. Could a Canadian government mandate voting be mandatory? If they can, then you don't have the right not to vote.
I'm not saying that because you have a right you have to exercise it. I'm saying that just because you have the right to do something, you don't automatically have the right not to do it.
This is a rhetorical pet peeve of mine. A right carries a heavy connotation, one beyond a privileged such as driving.
Individuals have the ability to not vote, you can argue that there should be a right not to vote (one that I may not be opposed to). But there is no recognized "right" not to vote under Canadian law, at least none that I've ever been made away of.
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Originally Posted by kevman
There may be no "right not to vote" but individuals certainly have the option to not vote....
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You can't say that someone doesn't have the right to do something, but they certainly have the right to do it. They have the ability, option, or privilege, but not the right, despite the end result being the same.