Response to "Why Vote?" Discussion

It was clear that many people in the class have different opinions and all of those who shared were very passionate about those opinions. Initially, I felt that it would be a good idea to have a mandatory test or evaluation to determine political competency. As we continue to explore the topic as a class I feel less and less comfortable saying that any one person wouldn't be able to vote because of lack understanding of our government (even though I still do feel as though everyone SHOULD have a bare minimum of comprehension). It seems as though creating an exam could begin on positive note, but then may, upset older voters that don't feel like they need to prove themselves, be difficult to regulate, hard to determine "fairness", debatable answers, unfair for people who want to only vote on specific propositions etc. There seems to be far more perspective problems for the idea to easily be established. Voting is important, but it is also important that the voters are educated, confident, and opinionated citizens with all the facts they need to make helpful contributions to our nation.