SheSez: Voting

Before I weigh in on the issues Durf raised, let me just say that voters befuddle me. It seems as though *everyone* has an opinion and yet lots of people don't vote. People say their vote won't make a difference and yet they have strong opinions about efforts to disenfranchise voters. And finally, what about all those people who vote *against* their best interests. That one knocks my socks off. Which brings us to the issue of the uneducated voter and...

Mandatory voting
My take: Very very bad idea
In my perfect world, everyone would educate themselves on the issues and then *everyone* would vote...and, of course, vote like me. I actually do care how people vote. But given that many people do *not* educate themselves on the issues and (sputter) often vote for precisely the issues that will cause them most harm, I actually get down on my atheistic knees and pray that those people do not vote. The thought of making voting mandatory is horrifying. However, the very fact that a person might want to vote is a huge plus in my mind, which leads me to issue #2.

Internet voting
My take: If it will make voting easier, then why not?
I think voting should be easy and that anyone who wants to vote should be able to do so without having to venture out in a snowstorm to a polling place or a mailbox (if that would keep them from voting). So yes, I vote for internet voting.

Pass a Test to Vote
The previous two issues are notable for not being terribly controversial. Missing from this debate is the highly controversial "pass a test to vote" issue. Let me narrow the question: Suppose you could in fact come up with a test that accurately measured whether or not the potential voter had a basic understanding of the issues on the ballot (or even a subset of said issues). Assume further that you were able to eliminate all prejudicial aspects of administering said test. (I realize that this is hypothetical in the extreme, but just go with it for now.) Then would you support a test, the results of which would determine whether or not a person could vote, and on which issues?