Abstention can mean the denial of a vote, refusal to comment on a legal issue, or opting out due to a conflict of interest. It can also be used in elections, parliamentary procedure, and courts. Abstention is important for allowing people to formally register their protest or excuse themselves from a vote.
Abstention is a word that is used in several legal senses. This word means “to abstain,” such as when someone might claim to abstain from alcohol, meaning that this person is not drinking alcohol. In a legal sense, abstention can involve the denial of a vote, the abstention from a certain activity, or the refusal to comment on a legal issue. Many governments have procedures in place to allow people to formally abstain.
In elections, people may choose to abstain from voting because they dislike the choices or wish to challenge the validity of the election. Staying at home on Election Day is a form of abstention, but people who wish to formally register their protest may choose to go to the polls and cast a blank vote. Also known as a blank ballot or blank ballot, the ballot is considered flawed by election staff, but will be counted alongside the other ballots. People may refer to this type of abstention as “making a protest vote.”
In parliamentary procedure, people who are present for a vote can vote yes, no or abstain. People can opt-out if they have a conflict of interest that they feel precludes them from voting. Abstention can also be registered as a form of protest. For example, a lawmaker opposing a piece of legislation might abstain or vote “present,” depending on the lawmaker’s procedures, to flag discontent with the way the legislation was handled.
Even the courts can resort to abstention. If a court feels that it cannot rule on a matter before it, it may abstain. This is usually done when one court wishes to refer a matter to another court. The abstaining court usually has to provide a reason for refusing to rule. In cases where judges believe there is a conflict of interest, they are forced to withdraw from the panel and the court chooses another judge to hear the case.
It is generally agreed that people should be allowed to choose abstention as an option, rather than being forced to vote for or against something or to vote from a pool of choices they all think are poor. Abstention is also an important mechanism for allowing people who have conflicts of interest or biases to excuse themselves from a vote.
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