Should people take a test to be able to vote?

Question

OK, now as much as I would love to hear everyone's opinions on this, I would actually like to try an experiment. So, give me your opinions on the matter but..


Also list your political party. It would be fun to note which party support this idea, and which rejects it.

Now, if people from one party overwhelmingly reject this idea, do you think maybe they know that those of lesser intelligence vote for their party, and they are afraid of losing votes? Let's see.


The test would be one that someone rich or poor, black or white, male or female could equally pass providing they are of the acceptable intelligence.

I am a Republican, and I am for it. Why should someone elect the leader of the free world if they are not smart enough to understand the issues?

Answer 1

Conservative Libertarian: We should require tests for many activities including voting.

Answer 2

Republican with Libertarian leanings

Well, after a brief search of the Constitution, I don't see anything that says a test would be unconstitutional. In fact the Civil Rights act of 1964 stated that all voter literacy tests must be in writing but the Voter Rights Act made literacy tests illegal. Of course that was just an act not part of the Constitution so it can easily be changed. The Supreme Court has stated that Congress has the right to set requirements for federal elections.

As to whether I would vote for it... That's hard to say. I like the idea of making sure voters understand what the candidates think about the issues. However, I'm not sure that a test would be the best way to do this. Perhaps make people read a handout on the candidates and rank the candidates according to whether or not you agree with them on the issues. Of course that would be pretty difficult to monitor as well. Then I thought maybe require a high school diploma or GED but I know several very intelligent people that never graduated and some really stupid people that got diplomas.

So I like the idea, but I'm not sure how feasible it would be. For now, I think that we'll just have to pray more intelligent people than stupid people go to the polls so the smart vote will be big enough to out weigh the stupid.

Answer 3

This runs counter to the entire concept of democracy (or even a representative republic). A government for the people, by the people. Not for the people, by the reasonably well-informed. In a perfect world, everyone who voted would be well-informed, intelligent people. But that's not the case, which is why we get so many people voting strict party lines, and why no change is ever enacted, and why candidates pander to the masses and make a big stink over meaningless issues that get the people riled up...
So I can see where you're coming from. But sorry, what you're suggesting is elitist and wrong. Sort of a...meritocracy.
I'm a loony liberal, unfortunately relegated to the Democratic party only so I have some choice in primary elections.

Edit: Kobaincito, that's a brilliant idea. I'd be willing to get behind that. But then, if everyone is highly educated, where do we find people to do the low-wage, manual labor and service industry jobs?

Edit: Steelegrave, you claim to be a Libertarian, then state in the next breath that you should be tested before being able to use your civil liberties? Shame on you. Time for a new party. Perhaps the Republicans will take you.

Answer 4

Republican (for now)-

i agree with the test... ignorance is the #1 reason for dissedence(?) on the war and this administration... too many people want to spout conspiracy theories or just plain stupid comments without having any fuel for the fire... they "just know".. its ridiculous. they pay attention to like the last 2 or 3 years and anything before that isnt important... lol. if people had been paying attention and actually learn something about the world around them there would be MUCH less grumbling from the general public on issues such as the war in Iraq. and it takes someone of just a LITTLE bit of intelligence to make an educated opinion on things such as elections or world affairs... but i, for one, would like to have those who cannot be weeded out.. they have NO business being involved in politics especially when they are swayed too much by the all-knowing glowing box...

people, people... i'm fairly confident that he's not implying that we should take a test that only a brainiac would pass... or questions that only a particular race or creed would know... i.e. jim crow.. we don't let people drive if they can't pass a simple exam and driving test.. what's the difference?

the constitution can be AMENDED people!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Im neither a Republican or a Democrat but i believe people dont need to take a test before they are allowed to vote. What if all of them failed or only a few percent passed the test then we are going to elect a President by minority. No matter what we think but lets not forget that politics is business and vice versa. Politics is a place where great actors and actresses meet. What about the people? Well we are only the platform to get them elevated. We are thier fans, admirers, supporter and yes TO BE BLAMED when they fails. So lets just vote... and watch thier show.

Answer 6

Republican, sounds like a good idea to me. You have to pass a test to become a citizen, so why not a test to do something as important as voting? People should at least have to know what the 3 branches of government and how many senators each state has in order to vote.

Answer 7

Here we go...I am a "decline to state". Frankly, your idea is offensive, absurd, unAmerican, and at odds with the Constitution. Every American over the age of 18 is guaranteed the right to vote in an election, and this is specified in the Constitution. Why am I not surprised that a professed Republican would come up with an idea that circumvents the Constitution? Quite obviously, it is YOU who does not "understand the issues".

Your assumption that anyone who rejects this idea is worried that people of lesser intelligence would be unable to vote for their party is also absurd. I guarantee you, they won't be worried about that. They are far more likely to be worried that once again, their Constitutional rights are being trampled.

Your idea would certainly be well-received in a Fascist dictatorship, but I'm sorry, true patriotic Americans who hold the Constitution of this country to be sacred will quite rightfully reject it.

Answer 8

How about San Antonio Independent School District v Rodriguez is overturned and a free quality education is provided to all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio_Independent_School_District_v._Rodriguez
"The Supreme Court's decision held that a school-financing system based on local property taxes was not an unconstitutional violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. The majority opinion stated that the appellees did not sufficiently prove that education is a fundamental right or that the financing system was subject to strict scrutiny"

If all people received a free quality education from pre-k to PhD, you could be sure that most of the electorate was educated without violating the constitution.

What party to I adhere to? well, I consider my self of anarcho-syndicalist stock. Although if i had to join a more pragmatic program it would definately be Democratic Socialism.... not Social Democracy, by the way.

Answer 9

It would be great if we could ensure that everyone was fully informed before they exercised the right to vote but the law of the land is that we can not put in some kind of literacy test or poll tax before a person is allowed to vote. I think your test would fall into one of those two criteria. Its our job to educate ourselves and others we know about the important issues of the day. We also should ensure that civics and government classes in school are more than the joke courses that many of us had to live through.
I would never want us to go to requiring our citizens who were given their right to vote by the deaths of many of our soldiers over time to have to take some kind of test in order to vote.
Republican

Answer 10

Independent.

Conservatives will support this idea, and then fail the intelligence test.

Liberals will negate this idea, because they need the uneducated to vote for them.

I personally disagree with the idea; it eliminates one of the most basic rights established in the constitution; 1 person, 1 vote. It makes no mention of intelligence.

Answer 11

Whoa!! I was under the impression that only Liberals were trying to squash the freedoms this country has.

And who is going to represent the "dumb" people? You? I don't think so.

If everyone in this country was given a free college education, I might go along.

How uttery asinine! I bet our founding fathers are just rolling over in their graves.

So much for all being equal.

No - and I'm a Democrat.