Ignorant People Get to Vote Too

It is an interesting article, and I understand where he is coming from. People who vote without an understanding of the issues do a lot of damage in this country. That being said, I don’t think a test is the right way to address the problem.

The first difficulty with having an eligibility test for voting, is that it is unlikely to work. The test Granderson is talking would gauge knowledge about the basics of American Democracy. People might be asked about the branches of Government or the Constitution. This sort of knowledge is a great thing for people to have, but it doesn’t guarantee informed voting decisions. I know plenty of people who could pass such a test, but still aren’t informed on the big political issues. I know folks who are quite knowledgeable about American history, but are completely taken in by the appeals to fear and hatred that seem to dominate American politics now. Having people know that there are nine justices on the Supreme Court would be great, but it won’t help people navigate claims of death panels and deficits.

The other problem is that this is the easy way out. It shifts responsibility to the ignorant voters and away from the politicians, or the not so ignorant voters. Putting the blame, and thus the responsibility for fixing the problem, on voters is not the answer. It allows us to avoid having to put the effort into helping people understand the political issues facing the country. It allows us to avoid having to organize in order to keep politicians honest, calling them out every time they appeal to anger and fear, call each other names, attack the messenger rather than the message, or otherwise avoid making a clear argument and supporting it with logical premises.

There is no doubt that ignorant voters are a big problem in America. Their ignorance, however, is not just their problem. It is something we all have to take responsibility for. It is something we all have to work to rectify.