Definition of Civic Duties
- Serving on a jury is considered one of the most important civic duties that can be performed. The judge and jury work together to protect liberties and rights in federal courts. A juror does not need to have any prior knowledge of the law or the legal system. Jury duty may require serving in a trial jury or a grand jury. A civil trial jury is made up of six to 12 people, and its role is to hear evidence and then decide whether a plaintiff sustained an injury by a defendant. The jury must decide what the penalty or compensation should be. In a criminal trial jury there are 12 jurors, and they must decide whether the defendant is guilty of a crime.
- While paying taxes is not something that people look forward to doing, it is a civic duty and you are required by law to pay them. Many people do not understand that by paying less than you owe or by not paying taxes at all that this contributes toward a tax gap. If not enough taxes are collected, this results in out-of-date infrastructure and underfunding of governmental programs.
- The civic duty of voting is considered a right and a responsibility. It is not mandatory. Throughout the history of the United States certain groups of people have had to fight for their right to vote. Voting is how citizens determine who will govern the country. The people that we vote for are our representatives, and they speak on our behalf.
- In some countries, military service is compulsory for citizens. In the United States military service was not always voluntary. Citizens were conscripted through the draft in the Second World War and during the Vietnam War. In 1973 an all-voluntary force replaced the draft. Voluntary service is regarded as an honorable civic duty. People who serve in the military are answering the call to defend their country and often give up their lives to protect the values, freedoms and rights that their country represents.