As this is a major election year, let us ask a question. Should voting be mandatory? That's what one political philosopher at the University at Buffalo is suggesting. 

There could be a lot of benefits for everyone. The first U.S. election laws date back to Article 1 of the Constitution, with several amendments over the years to expand and affirm those rights. But in some places throughout the world, voting is compulsory, or mandatory.

UB's Alexandra Opera has studied how making it mandatory for citizens to vote could affect the climate of political discourse and strategy in the United States.

"So in this case, the parties will naturally be drawn closer to the middle of the political spectrum. They’re going to fight over winning the median voter," Opera said.

So why does she say that? That is because right now, you mainly see candidates running on the most extreme values of their party, which could alienate people who have more moderate views. And while it is unlikely we see any change to our national elections any time soon, she says these changes could happen in local municipalities, at least as a start.

As for an example of this kind of system working in the modern world, Opera and her co-authors have published pieces about this topic pointing to Australia, where she says the system creates high voter turnout. But this is also helpful for the people who are elected to office. 

Opera says it breaks down barriers and elected officials tend to work better with those across the state.