Hill, L.2015-06-092015-06-092015Australian Journal of Political Science, 2015; 50(1):61-721036-11461363-030Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/91928Published online: 09 Jan 2015It is sometimes claimed that compulsory voting violates a particular right not to vote. For some, this assumed right is as fundamental as the right to vote. The existence of such a right, however, has attracted little sustained scholarly attention. This article explores from a political theory perspective whether the alleged ‘right not to vote’ is deserving the same legal and moral protection as the right to vote. I argue on two broad grounds that it is not. First, not all rights are capable of being legally waived and voting is one of them. Second, voting is a right but it is also a duty; it is a duty-right. Therefore, even though many people do fail to vote, doing so does not seem to constitute the exercise of any particular right, nor should it be legally recognised as such.en© 2015 Australian Political Studies AssociationVoting; rights; duties; compulsory voting; representative democracyJournal article003002525510.1080/10361146.2014.9904180003509765000072-s2.0-84924965909178573Hill, L. [0000-0002-9098-7800]