DGS49
Diamond Member
Imagine a campaign to "purify" national elections by ensuring "qualified" voters. The thrust of the campaign would be to pre-qualify voters based on intelligence, education, knowledge of the relevant issues, and knowledge about the candidates who are running.
So a written test is prepared by a non-partisan committee (no academicians), querying prospective voters about their formal education or personal readings, knowledge of civics (the constitutional roles of the elective offices being filled), understanding of the most important issues of the day, and basic knowledge about the candidates. Unless you "pass" this test, you cannot vote.
Who would argue that elections counting only the votes of these seriously-qualified electors would not yield the best possible election results? It is self evident. Candidates who are fakes, charlatans, panderers, liars, and fools would have no chance of winning. And one must say that a vote of "None of the Above" would also be possible, rendering a non-conclusion that would require a new slate of candidates.
And yet, even without a trace of racial discrimination, POC's would pass this test in far fewer numbers than their proportion of the general population, for a variety of reasons which it would be indelicate to explore.
In fact, no matter what pre-qualifications are imposed - even if they are utterly reasonable - they will take a greater toll on POC voters than the general population. Voter ID. Vote on Election Day. Register in advance. Maintain an accurate and current voting residence. Every single one of these minimal requirements excludes POC's in greater numbers than one would statistically predict. Maybe the people so excluded shouldn't be voting.
So a written test is prepared by a non-partisan committee (no academicians), querying prospective voters about their formal education or personal readings, knowledge of civics (the constitutional roles of the elective offices being filled), understanding of the most important issues of the day, and basic knowledge about the candidates. Unless you "pass" this test, you cannot vote.
Who would argue that elections counting only the votes of these seriously-qualified electors would not yield the best possible election results? It is self evident. Candidates who are fakes, charlatans, panderers, liars, and fools would have no chance of winning. And one must say that a vote of "None of the Above" would also be possible, rendering a non-conclusion that would require a new slate of candidates.
And yet, even without a trace of racial discrimination, POC's would pass this test in far fewer numbers than their proportion of the general population, for a variety of reasons which it would be indelicate to explore.
In fact, no matter what pre-qualifications are imposed - even if they are utterly reasonable - they will take a greater toll on POC voters than the general population. Voter ID. Vote on Election Day. Register in advance. Maintain an accurate and current voting residence. Every single one of these minimal requirements excludes POC's in greater numbers than one would statistically predict. Maybe the people so excluded shouldn't be voting.