9/21/2004 02:02:02 PM|||Sarah|||

Voting is too easy. I know we live in a free republic, and that's quite lovely, but sometimes it's frustrating that my vote (a decision that is reached based on extensive reading and ruminating) counts the same as the vote from someone who is lured into a van by some party operative (perhaps with candy) and told for whom he should pull the lever.

I am not trying to come across as elitist. I just want some sense of civic responsibility to come with this great gift we have of choosing our leaders. Why should you get a say in who runs our government when you don't even know how our government works?

I want a quick civics test given by a poll worker when a potential voter arrives at the front of the line. This would be a verbal test, not a throwback to the literacy tests that had negative motives behind them. All questioning would be recorded to resolve possible disputes. The voter would be asked three questions randomly selected from the list below:

1. Who is the President of the United States?
2. Who is the Vice-President of the United States?
3. How many senators does each state have (not even asking for names here!)?
4. Who is our governor?
5. What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?
6. What is "federalism"?
7. Name one Democrat and one Republican who previously served as President.
8. What is the length of term in office for a Supreme Court justice?

That's it! I don't need a detailed explanation of the electoral college, recollection of your State Representative's name (although that is quite important), the process for ratification of a new amendment, or a recitation of each member of the Cabinet. Just basic stuff.

|||109579452205389188|||Want to Vote? Show Me the Knowledge!