Americans Know Nothing: A Civics Test For You

Something I've known for many years has been empirically tested and supported . . . Americans don't know anything about government. This is why I favor civic test for voting. Go ahead, call me racist, sexist, elitist, or whatever other hyperbole you have stored up in your head. None of those adjectives have anything to do with why I believe voting should be restricted to those that actually know about government. The idea that I spend hours, weeks, months, years forming well-thought out opinions for how I vote, just to have my ballot canceled about by the guy behind me who only voted because "it's the right thing to do" or because someone talked him into it, really bothers me.

The Founders restricted voting to white, male, landowners. Did you catch that? It wasn't that they were white or male. It was that they must have owned land. Even female land owners were able to vote if they were in charge of the house. The reason for the land owning qualification wasn't because the Founders were racist, or sexist, though some most certainly were. The reason voting was restricted was because the Founders didn't trust the population as a whole to put the interests of society above their own. So, they decided to only allow those people who had a vested interest in society (land owners) and those that had a knowledge of government (the educated, i.e. rich white guys) to vote.

Today, to be educated or have a vested interest in society, you don't have to own land. I own none, yet I consider myself fairly well educated. Most children get free, public education. While the level of education is different depending on what school you go to, the opportunity is there. Detractors will say that poor kids don't get great educations and they can't study because they are too busy working or taking care of siblings. That may be true. However, a simple civics test would not necessarily exclude these groups. Study guides could be available. If you don't have time to know what branch of government creates law, then you don't have enough time to form an opinion for whom you should vote.

So, what would I do? Restrict voting to people 21 and older. The only exemption are military personnel who are 18 or older who are serving or where honorably discharged. Once you turn 21, you have to take a civics test to determine your political knowledge. We could let said test be valid for ten or so years, so you wouldn't have to take it every elections. If you fail, you can take it again, and again, and again. This test is free. All you have to do is pass, (say 70 maybe 75%) and you're in. The test will not be partisan. It will be over general U.S. government information. Who passes bills? Who vetoes legislation? Who declares war?

So, if you're brave enough. Take this test and let me know what you scored. I got 30 out of 33 correct, which was a 90.91%. I teach political science at the college level and I didn't even know them all, so don't feel intimidated.