Political Forums

Bean · 01-03-2007, 05:04 AM

I've pondered a bit over voting and how it works. Though I agree that popular-vote is a great way to make decisions, there are also a few drawbacks.
The problem I've been thinking about is the fact that, with our voting system, you get the opinions of ALL of the voters regardless of their social and political awareness. You get the votes of people both in-the-know as well as ignorant. I know of a few people who vote simply by what sounds good to them without even bothering to think about the repurcussions of a certain law being put into action or without knowing anything about the law/act aside from what one pamphlet says. Or, people who simply vote for various candidates simply because of an affiliation with a certain party, whether or not they would like a different candidate more or know anything about any of the candidates.
So, should we possibly enforce a mandatory test as a part of voter-registration in order to solve these problems of carelessness and/or ignorance? What's your opinion and/or ideas?

markx15 · 01-03-2007, 12:07 PM

I think there are too many people for actual testing to be plausible, anyway it would be impossible to determine the grading criteria, remember that many congress members are there because people don't vote "smart", it would be a good step for true democracy if everyone made an informed vote.

Drnaline · 01-04-2007, 08:49 AM

Quote:

So, should we possibly enforce a mandatory test as a part of voter-registration in order to solve these problems of carelessness and/or ignorance? What's your opinion and/or ideas?

If such a thing was imposed i think you would have less participation in the voting process.

Brent · 01-04-2007, 12:43 PM

People can't even be bothered to vote which takes about 5 minutes. Much less take a test to be able to vote.

Bean · 01-04-2007, 06:00 PM

Those people who wouldn't bother to take the test are also probably the people who wouldn't be able to pass it anyways, though.

Drnaline · 01-06-2007, 08:21 AM

I think you'd be surprised how many would pass.

oleo · 01-07-2007, 10:02 AM

I think you'd be surprised how many would fail... ever watch Jay Leno's "Jaywalking"
segments?

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it
expects what never was and never will be."
- Thomas Jefferson

". . . whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their
own government; that, whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their
notice, they may be relied on to set them right." - Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson saw education as incredibly important and a prerequisite to vote

I think people without any awareness don't bother to participate, so in a way
it takes care of itself. As far as people who see things "selectively" regarding
issues, you'll never change that bit of human nature.

I wouldn't support a test, because who would decide the criteria? Would only
Ivy league graduates make the cut? See the danger in that?

Curmudgeon · 01-09-2007, 03:21 AM

So many would fail any test given that the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would holler discrimination .
Ivy league grads would split the vote anyway - witness Bush and Kerry .

oleo · 01-09-2007, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally stated by Curmudgeon

So many would fail any test given that the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would holler discrimination .
Ivy league grads would split the vote anyway - witness Bush and Kerry .

I hope you weren't implying only african-americans would fail it in significant
numbers, because there's way more caucasians, and by the law of averages
that means there are way more caucasians who would fail.

01-03-2007, 05:04 AM	#1
Bean Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 17	Should there be a political/social issues awareness test for voter-registration? I've pondered a bit over voting and how it works. Though I agree that popular-vote is a great way to make decisions, there are also a few drawbacks. The problem I've been thinking about is the fact that, with our voting system, you get the opinions of ALL of the voters regardless of their social and political awareness. You get the votes of people both in-the-know as well as ignorant. I know of a few people who vote simply by what sounds good to them without even bothering to think about the repurcussions of a certain law being put into action or without knowing anything about the law/act aside from what one pamphlet says. Or, people who simply vote for various candidates simply because of an affiliation with a certain party, whether or not they would like a different candidate more or know anything about any of the candidates. So, should we possibly enforce a mandatory test as a part of voter-registration in order to solve these problems of carelessness and/or ignorance? What's your opinion and/or ideas? __________________ Know. Think. Choose. Do. -from Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card

01-03-2007, 12:07 PM	#2
markx15 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: RJ, Brazil Posts: 821	Re: Should there be a political/social issues awareness test for voter-registration? I think there are too many people for actual testing to be plausible, anyway it would be impossible to determine the grading criteria, remember that many congress members are there because people don't vote "smart", it would be a good step for true democracy if everyone made an informed vote. __________________ A human being is part of the whole, called by us "universe," limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons close to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from our prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all humanity and the whole of nature in its beauty. Albert Einstein

01-04-2007, 06:00 PM	#5
Bean Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 17	Re: Should there be a political/social issues awareness test for voter-registration? Those people who wouldn't bother to take the test are also probably the people who wouldn't be able to pass it anyways, though. __________________ Know. Think. Choose. Do. -from Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card

01-06-2007, 08:21 AM	#6
Drnaline Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: La Villa real del la Santa Fe, NM Posts: 6,494	Re: Should there be a political/social issues awareness test for voter-registration? I think you'd be surprised how many would pass. __________________ B Hussein Obama “Even if I want to take [your guns] away,” he said, “I don’t have the votes in Congress.” “[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” —Thomas Jefferson "I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party." Joe Lieberman

01-07-2007, 10:02 AM	#7
oleo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 348	Re: Should there be a political/social issues awareness test for voter-registration? I think you'd be surprised how many would fail... ever watch Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" segments? "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." - Thomas Jefferson ". . . whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that, whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them right." - Thomas Jefferson Jefferson saw education as incredibly important and a prerequisite to vote I think people without any awareness don't bother to participate, so in a way it takes care of itself. As far as people who see things "selectively" regarding issues, you'll never change that bit of human nature. I wouldn't support a test, because who would decide the criteria? Would only Ivy league graduates make the cut? See the danger in that?

01-09-2007, 03:21 AM	#8
Curmudgeon Too old to be smart ? Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,379	Re: Should there be a political/social issues awareness test for voter-registration? So many would fail any test given that the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would holler discrimination . Ivy league grads would split the vote anyway - witness Bush and Kerry . __________________ Papawswrench Randomview PapawsImages "When you argue with a fool, be sure he isn't similarly engaged."

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