tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post4850995415134659061..comments2023-09-11T08:58:24.710-06:00Comments on Reach Upward: I Endorse Early VotingScott Hinrichshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-29913927449261729842008-10-24T15:55:00.000-06:002008-10-24T15:55:00.000-06:00I doubt that making voting more exclusing would in...I doubt that making voting more exclusing would incentivize better civic involvement. It would likely have the opposite effect.<BR/><BR/>Consider, for example, one of the most exclusive things in Utah: LDS Temple admittance. While I'm not arguing that it should be any less stringent (as there is a higher purpose in this), its exclusivity likely does not increse Temple attendance rates. In fact, it likely does the opposite.<BR/><BR/>But voting is not like Temple attendance. In a democratic society, we cannot and should not restrict voting to only the pure or those we deem most worthy.<BR/><BR/>One line of thought that has been present since our nation's founding is that the common people are capable of governing themselves and of choosing their leaders from among themselves.<BR/><BR/>I do not see any way that we could successfully require people to reach some arbitrary standard of political knowledge before permitting them to vote. Everything we have ever done that restricts voting, regardless of how well intentioned it might have been, has ultimately proven to unacceptably infringe on people's rights.Scott Hinrichshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-18977288406151720612008-10-24T09:29:00.000-06:002008-10-24T09:29:00.000-06:00"Some would like to make voting more exclusive by ..."Some would like to make voting more exclusive by actually making it more difficult to vote. The argument seems to be that so many ignorant people are voting that we need to restrict the privilege of voting to those that are motivated enough to overcome obstacles to exercise that right."<BR/><BR/>As someone who has argued for making voting more exclusive I wanted to make a different argument. I know that the one you articulated is held by some people but my argument is more simple - I think that making it a bit more difficult to vote might actually encourage people to take greater ownership of their votes. My fear is that the current system promotes the practice of casting throwaway votes just to feel that you have done your civic duty. I would like to see obstacles that anyone could overcome regardless of their level of intelligence.<BR/><BR/>I concede the possibility that it may be impossible to set a bar high enough to increase the value of voting and low enough to allow anyone to clear the bar - in which case it is better to keep the bar lower.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-35968011807043448092008-10-22T21:28:00.000-06:002008-10-22T21:28:00.000-06:00I voted today. The line at the bountiful library ...I voted today. The line at the bountiful library was longer than the line at my polling place around 10am in previous elections.<BR/><BR/>I think I waited about 15 minutes.<BR/><BR/>My kids liked the voting machines.Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02784160644947020521noreply@blogger.com