• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!
  • Welcome to our archives. No new posts are allowed here.

Should illegals, convicts and dumbells be allowed to vote?

Which groups should be allowed to vote?

  • illegals

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • convicts

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • school drop-outs

    Votes: 7 58.3%
  • none of the above

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • Total voters
    12

ptsdkid

Banned
DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 14, 2005
Messages
1,704
Reaction score
10
Location
New Hampshire
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Very Conservative
Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

Voting for people to represent us in Congress and for our president is too important a privilege to be taken lightly. Only the continued sovereignty of our great nation lies in the balance, and thus depends on the tally of an informed voting block of people. I propose a minimum of a high school diploma be shown in order to participate in our election process.
 
Last edited:

bandaidwoman

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 10, 2005
Messages
582
Reaction score
25
Location
Covington,Georgia
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Liberal
hell yeah! In fact up the ante to college degrees and we will have majority voting constituents as women and things might improve. :mrgreen: (Especially if you shave off more men who comprise the the majority of convicts and those with learning disabilities.):lol: In fact, let's add wage earners since deadbeats like my husband who stays home with the youngins don't need to be voting.
 

Middleground

Pretty beaver!
Bartender
DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
27,836
Reaction score
14,402
Location
Canada's Capital
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Progressive
Timmy... I guess you ruled yourself out, eh?
 

LaMidRighter

Klattu Verata Nicto
DP Veteran
Joined
May 19, 2005
Messages
30,534
Reaction score
10,717
Location
Louisiana
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Libertarian - Right
Convicts shouldn't be allowed to vote until pardoned by an appropriate authority. Illegals aren't even citizens of this country so they have no right to vote which should make it a moot point(notice I said should). And as far as dumbells go, I think it is a little bit more complicated than just level of education, sure, people who aren't educated will vote for give-away candidates, but some people will vote for their own political interests regardless of the scope of the legalitly of their candidates platform as allowed by our founding charter. The worst thing is many very educated people have no idea of who they are voting far, they will vote party/issue/etc. so I think an issues or basic constitution/candidate test would work better to weed out the unqualified voters.
 

libertarian_knight

DP Veteran
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
997
Reaction score
0
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

ptsdkid said:
Voting for people to represent us in Congress and for our president is too important a privilege to be taken lightly. Only the continued sovereignty of our great nation lies in the balance, and thus depends on the tally of an informed voting block of people. I propose a minimum of a high school diploma be shown in order to participate in our election process.

I believe ONLY 11 of the 50 states do not allow convicts to vote immediately after their sentence or parole expires, and all states have some method of reistating voting rights. So, as it stands, that vast majority of convicts in the vast majority of states can vote so long as they are not incarcerated or on parole.

Illegals can't vote, voting is reserved for citizens. Should they? only if they become citizens.

Dumbells are the staple of the American Electorate, I mean get rid of them, and only like 500,000 people will vote nationwide.
 

Caine

DP Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
Messages
23,429
Reaction score
7,226
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
Should people who make dumb polls like this be able to vote?
 

Blind man

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
77
Reaction score
0
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Undisclosed
Just look at any big corporation. Do they let the janitor decide the new product line?
 

Caine

DP Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
Messages
23,429
Reaction score
7,226
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
Blind man said:
Just look at any big corporation. Do they let the janitor decide the new product line?

Ummm.....No.

But here in America, Everyone who is a law abiding citizen has the right to vote.
Don't like it? Move out!!!!
 

saffron

Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
164
Reaction score
0
Location
South Cal, Calif.
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Independent
The groups mentioned in the poll don't usually vote. I know a few people who don't like to vote so that they don't have to do jury duty.:(
 

26 X World Champs

Banned
DP Veteran
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
7,536
Reaction score
429
Location
Upper West Side of Manhattan (10024)
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Blind man said:
Just look at any big corporation. Do they let the janitor decide the new product line?
Not a nice comment. In the USA all citizens over 18 can vote, period. Suggesting that education be a factor is a prejudicial diversion found unconstitutional generations ago. Ever hear of Poll Taxes?

Did you mean to write a prejudicial post?
 

Conflict

Banned
Joined
Jul 30, 2005
Messages
745
Reaction score
0
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Centrist
26 X World Champs said:
Not a nice comment. In the USA all citizens over 18 can vote, period. Suggesting that education be a factor is a prejudicial diversion found unconstitutional generations ago. Ever hear of Poll Taxes?

Did you mean to write a prejudicial post?

I'm not sure but I think the blind man *may* have been being facetious.
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
845
Reaction score
305
Location
Ohio
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Of course illegals shouldn't be able to vote, I wasn't even aware they could, or that their was debate over the matter.

Why shouldn't convicts be able to vote? So long as they've served their time in jail, I see no reason to deny them their nominal representation. I mean, it's not like many of them would have enough motivation to vote that they'd **** the system over any more than it already is. Besides, after being processed through the legal system, perhaps they'd have some insight on how to improve it. Just because they might have a fringe view doesn't mean they should be categorically denied voting rights. Hell, its even possible that someone convicted of a crime could, you know, be reformed and later want to participate in their local community.

You can't prevent stupid people from voting; if politicians were evaluated by the ramifications of their actions in office, as opposed to the crap they spew a few months before elections, they would all immediately loose their offices to people much more qualified. Since ending the malfeasance responsible for massive pork barrel spending and favoritism towards lobbyists would be against the interests of those who currently hold power, it ain't never gonna happen. You can stake your stocks on that.
That, and minorities and the poor are disproportionately less educated; disqualifying stupid people would discriminate against them.
Besides, aren't colleges liberal strongholds?:lol: Never thought I'd see a conservative advocating we take the vote away from those who haven't had their minds so poisoned.
 

vergiss

DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
2,356
Reaction score
1
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Slightly Liberal
Caine said:
But here in America, Everyone who is a law abiding citizen has the right to vote.
Don't like it? Move out!!!!

To those Middle Eastern autocracies you claim to hate so much.
 

Saboteur

Banned
DP Veteran
Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Messages
2,315
Reaction score
134
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

ptsdkid said:
Voting for people to represent us in Congress and for our president is too important a privilege to be taken lightly. Only the continued sovereignty of our great nation lies in the balance, and thus depends on the tally of an informed voting block of people. I propose a minimum of a high school diploma be shown in order to participate in our election process.

I see what you are saying. However, it is hard enough to get people to vote in the first place. Second, most people vote for their 'team':roll: regardless of their candidate's position on the issues. The voters that are left are the undecided, which makes up about 12% of the eligable population. And are whom the politicians are really trying to convince to vote for them. This is why they (the political parties) will keep us divided on the old reliable issues like abortion, religion in school, support for wars, the economy etc.

The undecided (a nice way of saying the uninformed) are the bread and butter of the politicians.
 

earthworm

DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 21, 2005
Messages
5,728
Reaction score
904
Location
Goldsboro,PA
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Progressive
Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

I did not vote is this poll not liking how it was worded. How can there be "illegals" anyway ??; if these people are over here illegally, then this should either be accepted or they should be moved out..
One or the other...
We must decide what kind of nation we are going to be !
I feel that every man who votes should know more or less what he is doing, and having a high school accreditation has little to do with this..
Should an utter moron or a near moron be able to vote ??
This is where a fair test comes into play, a very well designed and perfected test to filter out the hateful one, the stupid one..

Maybe an impossible task..

The man in prison has given up his right to vote (it is a right, not a privilege, and very much a responsibility).

Blind man : Just look at any big corporation. Do they let the janitor decide the new product line
E-worm : YES !! The janitor votes by buying all those oversized trucks and SUVs...
And I believe that many janitors are as smart as the CEOs, but are not aggressive and greedy and educated, and silvered-spooned (Bush)...
 

CoffeeSaint

DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 24, 2005
Messages
1,088
Reaction score
23
Location
Wherever there is caffeine, I'll be there.
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Folks, all of these schemes to weed out the uninformed, or the stupid, or the useless voters: why would you do that? Why do you assume that stupid people are always wrong, and smart people are always right? Stupid people and smart people voted for those in office now, and for those who lost the elections. Do you think a high IQ is the ony qualification for good citizenship? Or that a low IQ makes it impossible for one to do the right thing, or the best thing? If a million monkeys typing on a million keyboards could produce Shakespeare, then the voters of this country will eventually produce a good president. We've done it before, even though we tend to shoot them afterwards . . .
Nobody is more qualified, more capable, or more deserving than anyone else when it comes to voting. I'd like it if everyone voted according to an informed opinion, but that means I want to try to inform people -- not take the vote away from them. When the machine is broke, you fix it, you don't cut out the broken parts and try to limp along with whatever's left.
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
845
Reaction score
305
Location
Ohio
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Liberal
Maybe we could get electronic voting machines that have multiple choice questions about the issue you're voting on; if your answer proves you don't have a clue about what you're voting on, your vote is pushed off to the side and doesn't count.

"You voted [NO] on Issue 14, this issue:
a.) decreases library funding by 1.5%
b.) increases local school funding by 2%
c.) TACOS ARE YUMMY!
 

Caine

DP Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
Messages
23,429
Reaction score
7,226
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
Befuddled_Stoner said:
Maybe we could get electronic voting machines that have multiple choice questions about the issue you're voting on; if your answer proves you don't have a clue about what you're voting on, your vote is pushed off to the side and doesn't count.

"You voted [NO] on Issue 14, this issue:
a.) decreases library funding by 1.5%
b.) increases local school funding by 2%
c.) TACOS ARE YUMMY!

Most of the time, the "issues" aren't just labeled with a number.

At least not in my state.
 

libertarian_knight

DP Veteran
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
997
Reaction score
0
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
Caine said:
Most of the time, the "issues" aren't just labeled with a number.

At least not in my state.

I think he meant like the public referendum, constatutional amendments, etc. Every year our state has a couple of propositions on the ballot, NY state.
 

Chris

Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
120
Reaction score
0
Location
Ontario, Canada
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Slightly Liberal
People who are incarcerated or on parole should not be given voting rights. However I definitely feel that former convicts should have their voting rights re-instated. If someone has demonstrated that they are no longer a significant risk for re offending they should be able to vote.

School drop outs ought to be able to vote as well. Worst case scenario it might give them a greater sense of civic pride. I'm doubtful that most people pay much attention to politics outside of election time anyway. Who's to say a drop out is really that much less informed anyway. People who lack high school education would have more reason to vote. With generally lower income they stand to be effected far more by political decisions than others.
 
T

The Real McCoy

Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

earthworm said:
I did not vote is this poll not liking how it was worded. How can there be "illegals" anyway ??; if these people are over here illegally, then this should either be accepted or they should be moved out..

They shouldn't be accepted, they should be moved out but that's easier said that done. Presently, it's like trying to stop a waterfall with a few buckets. Even when illegals are sent back, they're simply back where they started and have another shot at trying to get in.
 

jamesrage

DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
36,268
Reaction score
17,614
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Slightly Conservative
Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

ptsdkid said:
Voting for people to represent us in Congress and for our president is too important a privilege to be taken lightly.


Privilege?Voting is a right of any law abiding American citizen of a certian age.

I propose a minimum of a high school diploma be shown in order to participate in our election process.

You might have a point here but do these people really vote?They do did not take time to finish school. What makes you think they would take the time to or care about voting?
 

ptsdkid

Banned
DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 14, 2005
Messages
1,704
Reaction score
10
Location
New Hampshire
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Very Conservative
Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

jamesrage said:
Privilege?Voting is a right of any law abiding American citizen of a certian age.

Voting is a right, but it like driving is also a priviledge.



You might have a point here but do these people really vote?They do did not take time to finish school. What makes you think they would take the time to or care about voting?

My concern over these dumb people voting, is they are told to vote Democrat so as to get on the welfare role with liberal congress people promising them the pork and a free ticket in life thanks to the generosity of Uncle Sam. I've seen this welfare system turn out generations of leeches in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has two senators and 8 Congressmen--all Democrats, and the state senate is comprised of over 90% liberal Democrats. Third World Nations are highly represented in Mass as even the Cambodians have the largest welfare ghetto in America.
 

jamesrage

DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
36,268
Reaction score
17,614
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Slightly Conservative
Re: Should illegals, convicts and dumbbells be allowed to vote?

ptsdkid said:
My concern over these dumb people voting, is they are told to vote Democrat so as to get on the welfare role with liberal congress people promising them the pork and a free ticket in life thanks to the generosity of Uncle Sam.

The demoncats during the reconstruction period of our country restricted rights of many black voters by requiring test and sometimes intemidating them into not voting.
I've seen this welfare system turn out generations of leeches in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has two senators and 8 Congressmen--all Democrats, and the state senate is comprised of over 90% liberal Democrats. Third World Nations are highly represented in Mass as even the Cambodians have the largest welfare ghetto in America.

Move to another state.
 
Top Bottom