Pre-vote testing

[Rainman05]

Hello. So this is my own personal idea of how a pre-vote test should be. I think that in this day and age, when so much information is available, there should be pre-vote testing to separate the people who care and are informed from those who sometimes can't even read properly.

How will this go down?

In the case of a presidential election lets say.
Anytime between 2-3 weeks before the voting day, the test is made public. People are allowed to discuss the test, see the responses on the test and so on and so forth. The test is multiple choice and the questions are a set number. Say 10 questions. If you pass X/10 (my personal belief is that it should be 8/10) you get to vote. But the questions are randomized for each sheet of paper. Which means that you can't learn the right answers and just go in and do automatically. You need to know what the questions are. So lets say 2 people walk in to take the test. Q1 on one guys' test may be Q3 on the others'. And Q3 on ones' test may be Q10 on the others'. But it's the same questions, same number, no other questions. Again, all these are made public 2-3 weeks in advance of the vote day. So let's take on example for the US.

Q1) How many branches of government are there?
a) Three branches (executive, legislative, judicial)
b) Two branches (congress and the president)
c) Three branches (The Presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives)
d) There is just one government branch, the government.

Q2) Which amendment to the Constitution banned slavery?
a) The first amendment
b) The second amendment
c) The thirteenth amendment
d) all of the above

Q3) What is the minimum number of electoral college votes a candidate must win to become President?
a)538
b)600
c)200
d)270

you get the drill. Other questions may include stuff about historical legislative rulings, important historical periods, rights, questions about the electoral college (what happens if no candidate wins sufficient votes to become president?)etc.
There can be no questions about who the current candidate is, what are his policies, etc. so you don't influence the voter.

Again. There are just 10 questions, multiple answer, released 2-3 weeks before the voting day. this is done to raise awareness of voters on how important their vote is and why it's important to be informed. People who can't be bothered to know the minimum required have no business voting just for the sake of it.

How does it work? you go in to vote. You get a test. You sit your ass down. You have 30min to complete the test. If you pass, you go in and vote. If not, you go home.

 

[Fisher]

I oppose testing. Why is the 13th amendment more test worthy than the 4th; who the hell cares how many electors it takes to win the Presidency.

Citizen+ID+18 years old is all we need. I'd be okay with doing away with the citizen part though just as long as you were within your legal immigration status. I would end same day registration as well. There should be at least a 3 week window before votes can be cast to verify the roles, contact people with issues like being registered in the wrong district, and resolve those issues if possible.

 

[humbolt]

All I can picture is the troll at the bridge in Monty Python's Holy Grail. Sorry.

 

[polgara]

I oppose testing. Why is the 13th amendment more test worthy than the 4th; who the hell cares how many electors it takes to win the Presidency.

Citizen+ID+18 years old is all we need. I'd be okay with doing away with the citizen part though just as long as you were within your legal immigration status. I would end same day registration as well. There should be at least a 3 week window before votes can be cast to verify the roles, contact people with issues like being registered in the wrong district, and resolve those issues if possible.

Greetings, Fisher. :2wave:

Excellent post! :thumbs: :agree: with your post, especially same day registration. Too many chances for cheating!

 

[Fisher]

BTW, Q3 in the OP is wrong. One does not have to win any EC votes to become President, and zero is not one of the choices.

 

[Fisher]

Greetings, Fisher. :2wave:

Excellent post! :thumbs: :agree: with your post, especially same day registration. Too many chances for cheating!

Hello Polagara. Thank you. I despise that some states allow same-day registration.

 

[soot]

I think the test should have one question:

Are you currently serving in the Armed Forces or are you a Veteran?

a.) Yes - you go and vote.
b.) No - you can go home now.

 

[Dittohead not!]

Hello. So this is my own personal idea of how a pre-vote test should be. I think that in this day and age, when so much information is available, there should be pre-vote testing to separate the people who care and are informed from those who sometimes can't even read properly.

How will this go down?

In the case of a presidential election lets say.
Anytime between 2-3 weeks before the voting day, the test is made public. People are allowed to discuss the test, see the responses on the test and so on and so forth. The test is multiple choice and the questions are a set number. Say 10 questions. If you pass X/10 (my personal belief is that it should be 8/10) you get to vote. But the questions are randomized for each sheet of paper. Which means that you can't learn the right answers and just go in and do automatically. You need to know what the questions are. So lets say 2 people walk in to take the test. Q1 on one guys' test may be Q3 on the others'. And Q3 on ones' test may be Q10 on the others'. But it's the same questions, same number, no other questions. Again, all these are made public 2-3 weeks in advance of the vote day. So let's take on example for the US.

Q1) How many branches of government are there?
a) Three branches (executive, legislative, judicial)
b) Two branches (congress and the president)
c) Three branches (The Presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives)
d) There is just one government branch, the government.

Q2) Which amendment to the Constitution banned slavery?
a) The first amendment
b) The second amendment
c) The thirteenth amendment
d) all of the above

Q3) What is the minimum number of electoral college votes a candidate must win to become President?
a)538
b)600
c)200
d)270

you get the drill. Other questions may include stuff about historical legislative rulings, important historical periods, rights, questions about the electoral college (what happens if no candidate wins sufficient votes to become president?)etc.
There can be no questions about who the current candidate is, what are his policies, etc. so you don't influence the voter.

Again. There are just 10 questions, multiple answer, released 2-3 weeks before the voting day. this is done to raise awareness of voters on how important their vote is and why it's important to be informed. People who can't be bothered to know the minimum required have no business voting just for the sake of it.

How does it work? you go in to vote. You get a test. You sit your ass down. You have 30min to complete the test. If you pass, you go in and vote. If not, you go home.

While it's fun to think about eliminating the totally ignorant voters from the equation, it will never happen. Can you imagine the outrage such a proposal would cause, the references to the old "literacy" tests for example?

No, we'll still have voters who have no clue how the government works, or where the candidate they vote for stands on the issues.

Best option: Just let me pick. I'm sure I can do a better job than the electorate. I'd probably make a pretty good dictator, too.

 

[Rainman05]

While it's fun to think about eliminating the totally ignorant voters from the equation, it will never happen. Can you imagine the outrage such a proposal would cause, the references to the old "literacy" tests for example?

No, we'll still have voters who have no clue how the government works, or where the candidate they vote for stands on the issues.

Best option: Just let me pick. I'm sure I can do a better job than the electorate. I'd probably make a pretty good dictator, too.

Awfully libertarian of you there Ditto

That's why I proposed that the tests be made public 2-3 weeks in advance. If you watch 1 h of political news coverage, even if you don't know the answers, you find them out.

 

[Rainman05]

BTW, Q3 in the OP is wrong. One does not have to win any EC votes to become President, and zero is not one of the choices.

You do realize those are just examples. They are there to make a point. You can substitute them any way you want. You can ask any questions about any constitutional amendment or anything about anythign that is political but that is not about the politicians who are running to not give them an unfair advantage.

 

[Dittohead not!]

Awfully libertarian of you there Ditto

That's why I proposed that the tests be made public 2-3 weeks in advance. If you watch 1 h of political news coverage, even if you don't know the answers, you find them out.

That's why I'd make such a good dictator. I'd set up a libertarian government, decree myself a fat pension, and leave power voluntarily. Most dictators have to be assassinated, and then leave behind an authoritarian power vacuum that results in civil conflicts. My retirement would be voluntary and peaceful.

 

[sawyerloggingon]

My test would be very simple and the sad part is many who now vote wouldn't pass it. Questions like which war came first, WW2 or Korea, find Germany on a globe, 9x7=,first president of the US was, in the civil war did the union or the confederates win? Seriously I believe questions like this would stop at least 10% of people from qualifying to vote.

 

[jamesrage]

Hello. So this is my own personal idea of how a pre-vote test should be. I think that in this day and age, when so much information is available, there should be pre-vote testing to separate the people who care and are informed from those who sometimes can't even read properly.

How will this go down?

In the case of a presidential election lets say.
Anytime between 2-3 weeks before the voting day, the test is made public. People are allowed to discuss the test, see the responses on the test and so on and so forth. The test is multiple choice and the questions are a set number. Say 10 questions. If you pass X/10 (my personal belief is that it should be 8/10) you get to vote. But the questions are randomized for each sheet of paper. Which means that you can't learn the right answers and just go in and do automatically. You need to know what the questions are. So lets say 2 people walk in to take the test. Q1 on one guys' test may be Q3 on the others'. And Q3 on ones' test may be Q10 on the others'. But it's the same questions, same number, no other questions. Again, all these are made public 2-3 weeks in advance of the vote day. So let's take on example for the US.

Q1) How many branches of government are there?
a) Three branches (executive, legislative, judicial)
b) Two branches (congress and the president)
c) Three branches (The Presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives)
d) There is just one government branch, the government.

Q2) Which amendment to the Constitution banned slavery?
a) The first amendment
b) The second amendment
c) The thirteenth amendment
d) all of the above

Q3) What is the minimum number of electoral college votes a candidate must win to become President?
a)538
b)600
c)200
d)270

you get the drill. Other questions may include stuff about historical legislative rulings, important historical periods, rights, questions about the electoral college (what happens if no candidate wins sufficient votes to become president?)etc.
There can be no questions about who the current candidate is, what are his policies, etc. so you don't influence the voter.

Again. There are just 10 questions, multiple answer, released 2-3 weeks before the voting day. this is done to raise awareness of voters on how important their vote is and why it's important to be informed. People who can't be bothered to know the minimum required have no business voting just for the sake of it.

How does it work? you go in to vote. You get a test. You sit your ass down. You have 30min to complete the test. If you pass, you go in and vote. If not, you go home.

The only testing there should be is to make sure the person voting is a citizen of the united states and lives in the district of that polling place. IF you are concerned about the uninformed voter then eliminate party affiliations on ballots and voting booths. On the ballot put a short list of issues the candidate is for and votes to confirm or contradict that candidate's alleged views and on the voting booth walls put a more thorough list and past votes. This way the voter actually has to vote for what the candidate stands for instead of just voting for a letter.

 

[Dittohead not!]

The only testing there should be is to make sure the person voting is a citizen of the united states and lives in the district of that polling place. IF you are concerned about the uninformed voter then eliminate party affiliations on ballots and voting booths. On the ballot put a short list of issues the candidate is for and votes to confirm or contradict that candidate's alleged views and on the voting booth walls put a more thorough list and past votes. This way the voter actually has to vote for what the candidate stands for instead of just voting for a letter.

That's how it should be.

No R or D, just a short list of issues and where the candidate stands.

But, can you imagine the confusion? "I can't vote, I don't know who is a Republican and who is a Democrat. How do I know who to vote for? I guess I won't vote."

That alone would solve lots of problems.

Come to think of it, a list of sponsors might be a good idea, too. "This candidate is supported by Corporation X, who makes widgets for Corporation Y, which has paid for all of those annoying and misleading ads you have been seeing."