Originally Posted by irateplatypus

in the run-up to the election i've seen lots of creative ways to get people registered as voters. freshman being accosted when they arrive at college, homeless people loaded onto buses and shipped to registration kiosks, and countless other schemes to "get the vote out".

how do you think this effects our republic? LET ME BE CLEAR ON THIS: i'm not suggesting that homeless people shouldn't have the right to vote... or that their participation should be actively curtailed. i do, however, have reservations of the impact that a large mass of voters participating in an election who have a poor grasp of the issues and aren't normally attuned to the voting process suddenly becoming a force a month before an election.

if the backbone of democracy is a well-educated electorate... are we polluting our ideal by registering thousands of people who normally don't give a flip about government or politics? does more voters always mean a better democratic process? should all people be encouraged to participate regardless of how aware they are what is going on in our nation?

i'm kind of leaning towards "no". as in, more votes don't necessarily mean better elections. but... i'm so wary about equal representation hurting as a result of a smaller percentage of citizens comprising the electorate.

i'm open to your opinions, gimme some pro's and con's.