Should Everyone Have the Right to Vote? Obviously not – many people are utterly unqualified. I would love to see questions asked at the voting booth – basic ones – that would rule out voting by idiots with no clue what they’re doing. But without my sudden rise to the position of all-powerful dictator, (in which case, would there still be a democracy to vote in anyway?) it seems unlikely that my voting questions will determine eligibility anytime soon.
What about convicted felons – should they lose the right to vote? What about welfare recipients – should they be able to vote for more welfare for themselves? The idea that not everyone should get to vote is hardly a new one. It wasn’t that far back that women were not considered for voting. A little farther back and blacks didn’t get to vote. Going back to ancient Greece, if you didn’t own land, they didn’t feel you had earned a stake in society – no vote for you. Socrates explained why a democracy was only as good as its education system; if the voters were ignorant, their voting would be a disaster. (It’s like he could see the future in America!)
http://digg.com/video/socrates-democracy
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