Should there be a voting license?
@handsomeitaliano (1050)
United States
October 2, 2008 9:09am CST
Why do we even have a drivers license? The rational is "best interest of the community". We don't want incompetent drivers hurting other citizens. That's it... right?
Ok, so if we agree about this much, then using the same rational, I don't see why we don't have a "Voting License". After all, don't ignorant voters do massive harm to fellow citizens?
Consider the choice of "Bush vs. Kerry". Two absolute morons. To give you an idea just how bad a choice we had between these two idiots... Bush had better grades than Kerry in college! So how did we get such a miserable, miserable choice? Well, the parties, like sophisticated advertisers, run focus groups and other simple measuring devices to see what the simpleton voter responds to. One party's data shows that the sheeple will respond best to Bozo, the others show that the people will respond best to Krusty. Presto! You get Bozo vs. Krusty! Disaster... worse than millions of unlicensed drivers plowing the sidewalks.
In theory, like a driver's license, with a voter's license, you could keep taking the test until you pass and you must renew. The test would be a basic logic test, not unlike the logic portions of an SAT. It would discriminated ONLY between incompetent voters and competent ones, the same as the driver's license discriminates between incompetent drivers and competent ones.
2 people like this
12 responses
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
2 Oct 08
Theoritically a good idea. However, it is filled with potential for abuse. That said, something has to be done. Both parties currently make arguements while hustling votes that could only appeal to idioits because IDOIT's VOTES count as much as anyone else's! Time after time, when it comes to controversial issues, the IDOIT'S VOTES end up being the deciding factor. Time to put a stop to this, but I don't know how it will be done.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
2 Oct 08
again who are the socalled idiots? those who do not vote the way you would vote? give me a break, everyone who disagrees here c calls those who dont agree with them names, but that does not make the others idiots, it only makes the name callers the idiots.
some where in mylots rules it suggest firmly that we should play nice, okay, calling those you do not agree with idiots here in mylot is to me offensive and flaming. If you are talking about mentally incompetent people , they seldom vote as they do not have the mental grasp to do so. but if its just that you do not agree with their choice well all I can say is name calling makes the name caller the bigger idiot.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
2 Oct 08
handsomeitaliano sorry but I think you are comparing apples with grapes, and no I dont think a voting licese would help.
as sometimes the people you might think would be incompetant voters might well be very competent.Votins is not anything like driving, You arent going to kill someone by the good or bad way you vote. Also who is the one to decide who is competent or not competent as this is all very subjective. No no way should we do something like that. the right to vote is precious to all of us, brilliant or just so so. and no all voters are not simpletons or are we all sheep. I dislike the whole tone of this very much.
1 person likes this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
3 Oct 08
Hatley,
"You arent going to kill someone by the good or bad way you vote."
The above quote is completely false. Electing officials who mispend our defense dollars even merely through misallocation of resources kill thousands of US soldiers. Elected officials who refuse to regulate dangerous industry kill more thousands over time. Elected officials through out history because of incompetence have killed more than we can count. Who we vote for is incredibly important.
Please, consider that anger causes people to not be able to think as logically or objectively. What people are saying here is that there is a problem, but for reasons as you have pointed out, there is no solution. Additionally, the notion of giving tests to qualify who can vote was outlawed in the USA quite some time ago.
This being the case, the only reason to dislike this discussion is to misunderstand it, jump to conclusions, and just not think about what people are actually saying.
1 person likes this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I can certainly see only a few who responded really understood what you were saying. I tip my hat to you for being brave enough to discuss a difficult topic that needs discussion even if there is no readily apparent answer.
1 person likes this
@morethanamolehill (1586)
• United States
4 Oct 08
My state gives the drivers license test in three different languages. 'Nuff said.
1 person likes this
@Sheepie (3112)
• United States
2 Oct 08
Well, I'm not sure about this idea. It could never really happen because people have the right to vote. People don't have the right to drive, they can have that taken away. It's in the constitution, I believe. But then again, it would probably be useful. However, the definition of a "competent" voter is going to vary a whole lot.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
2 Oct 08
arguments like this drive me nuts, who is the super wise guy who is going to passor fail all us so called sheep why is he better qualified to say who is competent than another person, and why are we even arguing this, voting is a right and as far as I can see a zillion people will say you are wrong as you do not vote for who I did, and another zillion will say the opposite, this is just not doable. We all have the right to our own opinions and we should respect each others choices, not be forever judging each other. this whole argument stinks to high heaven. sorry but this really aggravates me.
@lkoenig07 (289)
• United States
2 Oct 08
THat would be ridiculous. Voting is our right as an American. It's the least we can do for our country & those who fight to defend those freedoms & rights we have.
1 person likes this
@bdugas (3577)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I agree, the choices we have now, are not the best in the world, but how do you make the determination as to who is ignorant and who is not. If I decide that I chose different than you does that make me the ignorant one. It is my right and every citizen that is as age at the time of the election, to cast our vote, some do it I guess like one said she didn't like the name Tipper, that is her right, we vote as we see it, no matter what the reason. A drivers license is given to you cause you pass a test, a small test with what 30 quetions on a page, that if studied enough anyone can pass, and a drive around the block, that does not mean that once they are out in traffic that they can handle the auto they are in. Voting does not kill anyone unless you feel it kills your person if they lose. It is the one right that we have that they can't take away from us, well not yet anyway. It is my right and I will vote everytime I get the chance whether anyone considers it as ignorant then, too bad.
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
2 Oct 08
Well we sort of have that, it's just not called that. The electoral college was set up to protect the smaller states but since it was offically set up it has gone against the popular vote, and some "experts" have argued that it was set up for the less intelligent voter. If there was some sort of test I think there would be an awful lot of voters that were unable to vote.
1 person likes this
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
3 Oct 08
There are a lot of people who have no business voting. That's were education comes in. If we did a better job of educating our children on the economy, civics, and reading, they might be able to understand better how government works and might make more informed decisions.
@rajueie (204)
• India
3 Oct 08
ofsourse.....there shud be a license for voting....bcos....now in every country fraudsterss are there.....so...in avoid to control the frauds in voting....there shud be a voting license issued for every citizen....voting license is necessary in order to avoid terrorists acts in country....if a citizen is issued a license....then they will check his background.....so ..from this we can control some terrorist acts.....
thanq
happy mylotting....
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
2 Oct 08
Sorry but they can not do that. Voting is a "right" were as driving is a "privilage". There is not law saying you have to be able to drive. But there is a law saying you have the right to vote.
What would a incompent voter be? Someone who voted for who "you" think is the wrong person? If so that would cause problems. The republicans would be trying to take the democrats voters license away and the dems would trying to do the same thing with the republican voters. Then what about people that like third party candidates? Are they incompent because they are not going with one of the two major parties?
Everyone has a right to vote for whoever they want. Even if other people do not like their choice.
Personally I agree that our choices have sucked in the past few elections. They suck again this time. So I am going with a third party candidate. Does that make me incompetent?
1 person likes this
@fatmansmommy (751)
• United States
2 Oct 08
i don't think you could have a liscence that would keep people from doing something that is their right as a u.s. citizen. driving is a privilege, not a right, so if you misuse it, like driving drunk or whatever, then that privilege is revoked- you get a ticket, liscence suspended, etc. voting is a right that every citizen over 18 has. you cannot take that away. true, people should be educating themselves before they vote, but they don't all do this. that is just the way things are going to work sometimes- there have been many instances in life where one or two or however many people have spoiled something for others. think about grade school, where one student does something and the teacher doesn't know who, so unless they step forward and confess, the whole class has to stay late. life isn't fair. if that is your logic, then you should have to take a test before having children to prove that you are competent to raise them. i am not saying that would be such a bad idea in some cases!! :) but you really just can't do something like that.
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