Are You Qualified to Vote? - Shaun Hautly

You shouldn’t vote, because you don’t know anything.

Well, let me be nice and say you’re at least proactive in reading this political/current events blog, and are slightly more informed than the average American. Obama won the 2008 election because of marketing. Not because of his experience, points of view, visions, or accomplishments, but because of how well he was marketed. People voted for the word “change,” not for the man. Others voted for McCain because they are pro-life, anti-gay, gun nuts, gung-ho for the war, or any other number of conservative reasons.

Americans need to understand that our president is not a dictator. His views do not become law. He doesn’t even get a vote. He has veto power: that's it. I’ve said this before: Bush was pro-life, yet we still had abortions.

So I propose this new rule for voting:

If you want to vote, you first have to take a test that assures you understand what you’re voting for and how it will affect the country. Questions will include things about the basic structure of American government, the roles of the leaders for whom you’re voting, and the implications of any propositions on the ballot. If you miss ANY of the questions, your votes for those categories will be void. You will not be notified of this. They just won’t count.

Lobbyists prey on the obedience of uninformed voters. Slam campaigns and other publicity stunts skew polls and influence weak voters. This system would make sure that our votes are coming from well-informed citizens. It will also push average citizens to become MORE informed.

If anyone argues against a policy like this being added, it’s because they’re uninformed and afraid of losing their opportunity to vote. However, this policy has NO weak spots. If there is a valid argument against this, I’d love to hear it.