On Who Should Be Allowed To Vote

[lhynard]

I received the same article in my Inbox twice last week, so maybe some of you (in the States) have also seen it. It was an article written my a person who feels strongly that people should have to pass a "Civics" test to be allowed to vote. (The test is under the cut at the end of the entry

Comments

[thefaeway]

but we do need to pass a test that proves our understanding of the rules that govern the road. While that test has some suspect questions, many of them ought to be a requirement. I think people should be required to pass a test that proves they understand the basic rules of government.

There would be fewer people who vote, but 100% of them would have some idea of how their votes would affect other parts of their life. I'm tired of people who vote for one thing that intrinsically suggests a change in something else, then their is an outcry that something else changed as a result. -_-

[lhynard]

True, yes, we do need to pass a test to show that we understand the rules governing the road. But that test is about just that, the rules of the road, not the details of why the speed limits in each zone were chosen or how the timing of lights was decided, or who is the current administator of stop signs. I am all for educating everyone about the government. We all are legally required to learn about it in school already and are tested on it there.

But any such test should not be trivial. Passing the test above does not really prove that you know much about the government; it proves that you have a love of politics. That's one issue.

My other problem is that it elevates the responsibility of citizens beyond what the Founding Fathers ever intended. Our job as citizens was to elect a responsible and intelligent Electoral College, not to pick a president. The Electoral college might need to pass that test, but not a common citizen.

[dogs_n_rodents]

I think the one of the major pushes for people to take Civics tests in order to vote is this

[dogs_n_rodents]

For giggles, my attempt at the test

[bpr]

4. Except if someone becomes president mid-term, then they can serve the remainder of the term plus two elections for 10 years maximum.
12. Used to be elected by state governments.
15. Never rememeber names, but is he Nevada?
21. Based on the members of Congress from that state, therefore a minimum of 3. Wikipedia notes that DC also gets to vote for President, receiving the minimum number.
26. And 3/4 of the states.

(verification of my points provided by wikipedia)

[dogs_n_rodents]

That's not too bad considering the last time I took a government class was a back in 1997!

Then again, I'm sure my husband would have gotten each one right and then some, but he has a minor in Political Science. He's got a bit of an advantage over this chemist. ;)

Yes, Harry Reid is from Nevada.

[izaaksmom]

Umm...hello author (of the article): perhaps you need to take a HISTORY test! They ALREADY did this: in the South they would have tests that the blacks had to pass in order to get to exercise their vote. And lets see...I believe the persons listed in questions 17-20 upheld the Voting Act of 1965 in SEVERAL decisions between 1966 and 1969. Pick one. Any one.

But what the heck, I'll just supply the original language of the Voting Act of 1965, which states that there will be a "nationwide prohibition against the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on the basis of literacy tests." The Supreme Court expanded this understanding to ANY type of testing to vote.

Huh. Lookee there. Stop showing YOUR civic history ignorance by sending out crappy emails.

[lhynard]

always blunt :)

very interesting history, by the way; thanks

[mallon04008]

1) I agree that this test is foolishness. About half of these ought to be known by a voter, but the other half are just trivia (and this is coming from someone who loves trivia). However, my primary objection the the test giver--allowing the government to control this test frightens me

[lhynard]

As I mentioned last night, I think I trust tyour political comments better than anyone else's.

3. I, too, am in favor of limited suffrage, and I think you nailed the best way of doing that -- paying taxes.

2 & 1. I think my analogy was based mostly on the trivial questions about people's names and such.