Say Anything Blog

I’ve always thought that we should be able to pass a citizenship test before being allowed to vote (and possibly to partake of certain other benefits from the government).

I submitted before I really meant to…

In case that last comment wasn’t clear, by “we”, I meant those of us born in the United States.  Oliver seems to think that the problem is that foreigners are held up to a certain standard of knowledge about their rights (and the rights of their fellow citizens), but I think the issue is the fact that our natural-born citizen’s aren’t.

I’ve always thought that we should be able to pass a citizenship test before being allowed to vote (and possibly to partake of certain other benefits from the government).

I understand where you are comming from, but I don’t really think that is a good idea.  Could you imagine the outrage there would be for only allowing people of “sufficient intelligence” to be represented in government or recieve benefits?  Do we really want to go down that path?  Its just not fair to the learning disabled among others.  Plus I really don’t feel like wasting any more tax dollars on a testing system and the bureaucrats that will go along with it.

While I understand your point about the extra bureaucracy, I’m not sure that testing for citizenship would really cause that much extra.  If nothing else, make it part of the requirements for high school graduation—our students SHOULD be learning this stuff anyway.  I have no qualms about saying that only those who have high school diplomas can vote.

I’m not really asking that much—a citizen should know the basic setup of our government, some VERY basic history, and possibly an understanding of where the money for welfare checks comes from (i.e., from other citizens who WORK for their money).  (Okay, that last one’s not serious.  Not entirely anyway.)

As for it not being fair to the learning disabled, I’m really not uncomfortable with the idea that those who can’t learn the names and functions of three branches of government not be permitted to help make decisions that could affect the whole nation.  I’m not asking that we make all voters prove themselves to be MENSA candidates; I’d just like some very fundamental understanding of how the system works.

I’m really not uncomfortable with the idea that those who can’t learn the names and functions of three branches of government not be permitted to help make decisions that could affect the whole nation.

I’d agree that I’m not comfortable with the learning disabled (or many others for that matter) voting, but they’re American citizens and they should have the right.  Also, you had mentioned that perhaps people should have to pass a test before recieving certain government benefits.  I don’t think that is very fair, considering the learning disabled probablly need benefits the most.

If nothing else, make it part of the requirements for high school graduation — our students SHOULD be learning this stuff anyway.

I believe most students already learn about this stuff in school, and are tested.  It would be a bit redundant to give them another test.  Most will simply forget the information after a summer.

I doubt that making a mandatory test will make that many more voters informed.  A basic understanding of government isn’t going to make voters choose a better decision.  One must continuely learn about the world of politics in order to be a good voter.

I’d agree that I’m not comfortable with the learning disabled (or many others for that matter) voting, but they’re American citizens and they should have the right.

Really, though, the right to vote hasn’t always been a universal right.  Obviously women and minorites weren’t always afforded suffrage and when the country was founded the only people who could vote were property owners.

Obviously I don’t think any of us would like a return to that, but a test confirming a basic (and I do mean basic) understanding of how the government works seems like a reasonable requirement before voting.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

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Personally, I don’t like the idea of a test for the right to vote. I think that leaves WAY too much room for partisan gaming of the system. Our electoral system is flawed enough already, why would we intentionally make it more flawed.

Instead, I think that children should be required to have extensive classes in civics (the art of being a good citizen) and ethics (telling right from wrong...NOT the same as religous morality). It’s in the public interest to cultivate these kinds of values at an early age.

Seth,

On the one hand, I want to say that a basic test that essentially proves reading comprehension (of the Constitution and its Amendments) couldn’t really be made partisan.  However, I do think there’s a very legitimate fear that other things would be added; questions on the nature of property rights, or the government’s “duty” to provide for the basic needs of all of its people could easily be used to skew the system.

However, I don’t see much of a difference between that kind of testing and requiring civics and ethics (I’d add logic, too...) classes.  The curriculum for these classes could be manipulated as easily as the tests could be.  In addition, we’ve either got to set standards for passing these classes, or we find ourselves in the same boat we’re in now—without a basic standard, there’s no telling what children would be taught. 

I think it’s safe to say that none of us would argue that a basic understanding of one’s rights (and the accompanying responsibilities) isn’t something we’d like to see all American students learning, but it’s something that I honestly would have thought that current high schools should be teaching.  Despite that, I have to agree with Oliver that “a not-insignificant amount of American citizens would fail” if given the same tests that current immigrants take.  (What prevents that one from being partisan, by the way?  And why couldn’t it be adapted for our “home-grown” citizens?)

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