Voting is NOT for Everyone

The idea that everyone should vote, that every voice matters, is patently false.

We all know this.

We do not allow certain groups of people to vote because we do not trust that they would make wise decisions. For instance, we do not allow thirteen-year-olds to vote because we know that they are generally not mature enough to weigh issues or evaluate candidates and make well-informed decisions. Certain criminals are barred from voting because they have demonstrated that they do not respect the rule of law and are not qualified to influence the political direction of our nation.

We are all fully aware and supportive of this principle--certain people should not vote.

So it should not be shocking to suggest that we should have some sort of objective standard, say, a basic civic literacy test that one passes before he can participate in the electoral system.

But it's my God-given right to vote! you declare. Okay. I'll grant that, but it also your right to drive a car, to pursue a trade, or to start a business, and all of those things require some sort of license or certification in essentially every part of this country. If we are going to require realtors, truck drivers, and plumbers to have special certifications to ply their trades, then it's not a huge stretch to say that those who are directly and indirectly affecting public policy should prove a basic level of fitness to perform that duty.

Voting campaigns themselves operate upon the presupposition that voting carries huge influence and significance. You must go out and do your civic duty, we are told. Your single, solitary vote could be the one that turns the tide, they preach to us from kindergarten. This would seem to argue in my favor. If this is true, if voting carries this sort of weight and power, then common sense would dictate that those who exercise it should be qualified. It seems fundamentally contradictory that we vet our political candidates (at least in theory), but we have no system in place to vet those who choose from among the proffered candidates.

That responsibility is the inescapable concomitant of right is a bedrock principle of our Republic. Every right we have presupposes a respective responsibility, both ethically and constitutionally. You want to drive a car? You must be able to do so safely. You want to own and carry a firearm? It is incumbent upon you to ensure that you are properly trained to do so.

It is difficult to deny that these voting campaigns seem engineered to recruit a particular kind of voter, but, in the interest of being gracious, I will state that I do understand the reservations about what I am (and many others) proposing. There are still those classic Liberals who possess genuine concern for the rights of all portions of society, especially women and those who don't own property. Nevertheless, using Universal Suffrage to excuse uneducated, uninformed voting will lead our nation nowhere but the annals of history.

Interestingly, immigrants seeking naturalization are required to pass a civics test. I wonder what percentage of natural-born citizens--of voters--could pass that test.

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