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politicophile · 07-31-2005, 12:04 PM

Back in the dark days of U.S. history, literacy tests were used by many states in order to prevent black people from voting. Since that time, they have carried with them the stigma of racism and injustice.

However, perhaps literacy tests could serve a useful purpose today. I feel that it is unfortunate, to say the least, that the American public is so poorly informed about the basic functionings of our government. I dare suggest that people who have an exceptionally poor understanding of political issues and procedures are doing a disservice to their fellow countrymen by voting.

I view it as fortunate, in many ways, that only roughly 60% of the electorate votes in presidential elections, and an even smaller number in less important contests, as I take this as a sign that only those with a strong interest in voting take the time to do so.

If such a test did exist, I would suggest that voters would need to get a certain percentage of the following questions right in order to vote:

1. Who is your current U.S. Representative?
2. Who is your current U.S. Senator?
3. Who is the current President of the United States?
4. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
5. How many people are currently members of the Supreme Court?

These questions are, of course, just examples of what could be asked. Ideally, the test would be very general and easy to pass if the test-taker had even an elementary understanding of and interest in politics.

Conversely, this test would bar a number of people from voting, and likely a disproportionately minority group as well. It flies in the face of some democratic principles, but not necessarily of republican principles.

Is it appropriate to require some very modest level of political competence in voters, or should even the most clueless and uneducated have the right of suffrage? What would be the consequences of making either decision?

07-31-2005, 12:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
politicophile Addict	Should "literacy tests" be reinstated? Back in the dark days of U.S. history, literacy tests were used by many states in order to prevent black people from voting. Since that time, they have carried with them the stigma of racism and injustice. However, perhaps literacy tests could serve a useful purpose today. I feel that it is unfortunate, to say the least, that the American public is so poorly informed about the basic functionings of our government. I dare suggest that people who have an exceptionally poor understanding of political issues and procedures are doing a disservice to their fellow countrymen by voting. I view it as fortunate, in many ways, that only roughly 60% of the electorate votes in presidential elections, and an even smaller number in less important contests, as I take this as a sign that only those with a strong interest in voting take the time to do so. If such a test did exist, I would suggest that voters would need to get a certain percentage of the following questions right in order to vote: 1. Who is your current U.S. Representative? 2. Who is your current U.S. Senator? 3. Who is the current President of the United States? 4. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? 5. How many people are currently members of the Supreme Court? These questions are, of course, just examples of what could be asked. Ideally, the test would be very general and easy to pass if the test-taker had even an elementary understanding of and interest in politics. Conversely, this test would bar a number of people from voting, and likely a disproportionately minority group as well. It flies in the face of some democratic principles, but not necessarily of republican principles. Is it appropriate to require some very modest level of political competence in voters, or should even the most clueless and uneducated have the right of suffrage? What would be the consequences of making either decision? __________________ The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error. ~John Stuart Mill, On Liberty