I just finished one of the most interesting discussions of my college years. Although the topic left me fuming, it raised some interesting questions which I thought I might bring here to get some more input on this idea.
The professor started off the lecture by distributing a naturalization test to everyone in the class. (My score was perfect, but the class average was a 19/25.) The professor then argued that a test like this should be administered to all voters so that we ensure that the people who are voting are indeed educated.
So should we? Keep in mind that this was a 300 level college course, but yet people were only averaging 76 percent with questions like For how long do we elect senators? and Who is our current vice president? Something is fundamentally wrong with our education system if scores like this are coming from college students enrolled at the junior level. I personally think the problem lies there.
The main issue I have with limiting the right to vote is disenfranchisement. The professor prefaced this discussion with talking about the CEOs of companies like Chevron and Microsoft who determine elections based upon donations and PACs. Whoever has the most money in an election wins, my professor says. They are the ruling elite.
If we limit the right to vote to those who can pass a test, stratification will ultimately occur. The children of the wealthy will be able to take the time to learn about their government, and they will be the ones passing the test. Forget about the urban poor. The less fortunate will be totally cut off from having any say in their government, while the elites (the real elites...not the latte-drinking variety) will set up a government which answers to their will, not the will of the people. Plus, the last time we set up a literacy test, things didn't go so well for minorities.
I know I'm irritated by voter apathy and ignorance. My ideal society would be one where everyone gets access to the education that they need to make informed decisions about their government. I think they system needs to be changed, but not with the proposal my professor made.