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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
John Stossel :: Townhall.com Columnist
A Duty Not To Vote?
by John Stossel
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With unemployment at 10.2%, what will happen by the end of Obama's first term?



I keep hearing how important it is for everyone to vote.

Let me be politically incorrect and say that maybe some people shouldn't vote.

I know I'm swimming against the tide. Get-out the-vote groups now register young people at rock concerts. HeadCount cofounder Andy Bernstein told me: "We registered over a 100,000 people. It is so imperative that this generation's voice is heard."

But wait. Is that really a good idea? Many kids don't know much. At a HeadCount concert, "20/20" asked some future voters, "How many senators are there?" One said 12, another 16, and another 64. One girl guessed, "50 per state."

Most kids didn't know what Roe v. Wade was about. "Roe vs. Wayne?" asked one. "Segregation, maybe?" "Where we declared bankruptcy?"

Headcount's Marc Brownstein concedes, "there's a lot of uninformed voters out there." But he argued:

"Democracy is not about taking the most educated portion of the society and having them decide who's going to run the entire society. Democracy is about every individual having a voice."

I suggested that when people don't know anything, maybe it's their civic duty not to vote.

"It's an argument that really, really smacks against everything we hold dear as Americans," Bernstein replied.

Maybe it was unfair to pick on kids at a rock concert. I went to Washington, D.C., and showed people pictures of prominent Americans. I'm happy to say that everyone recognized Barack Obama and John McCain.

But only about half recognized Sarah Palin, and most didn't know Joe Biden. Few people recognized Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but everyone quickly identified TV's Judge Judy.

Economist Bryan Caplan, author of "The Myth of the Rational Voter", points out, "the public's knowledge of politics is shockingly low."

He scoffs at the idea that "it's everyone's civic duty to vote."

"This is very much like saying, it's our civic duty to give surgery advice," Caplan said. "We like to think that political issues are much less complicated than brain surgery, but many of them are pretty hard. If someone doesn't know what he's talking about, it really is better if they say, look, I'm going to leave this in wiser hands."

Isn't it elitist to say only some people should vote?

"Is it elitist to say only some people should do brain surgery? If you don't know what you're doing, you are not doing the country a favor by voting."

My ABC "20/20" segment about this enraged some viewers. Continued...

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About The Author
John Stossel blogs at http://blogs.abcnews.com/johnstossel/ is an award-winning news correspondent and author of Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel--Why Everything You Know is Wrong.
 
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From the mouth of a teen...
I am 18yrs old and currently a student at Valdosta State University. I am doing research for a speech that proposes that people become informed before that are allowed to vote.

I agree that too many teens are uninformed and only voted in 2008 because it was "the cool thing to do." The months before the election I was approached by many different people on campus giving away free stuff such as "Vote or Die" t-shirts. When I went to the local mall I found shirts that were directed towards teens with the candidates on them sporting bright colors, fashion sunglasses, and catchy logos ("McCain is my Homeboy"). I also remember that is was so cool that I was going to be old enough to vote in 2008. Most people my age did not vote because they cared about their future but because it was glamorized and made hip.

I also believe that many older people are unimformed. They may not have media directing as much attention towards them but they are there.

I wanted to comment on the "voting requires a price." I agree uninformed people should not vote. I consider myself a smart person, I am also below the poverty line. I work as waitress to pay for college. I do not believe that people who are rich deserve a vote worth more than mine and vice versa. Not every rich person is informed or even smart. Who is to say that Lindsey Lohan is smarter than me, maybe more talented but history shows that some talented people are also a little on the crazy side.

I want people to be informed when they vote.


I don't believe everyone should vote.
In fact, I think it is the most ridiculous notion. Why on earth should anyone vote if they don't know the candidates' positions on issues and what the issues are?

If someone doesn't even know what congress is or does, why should they vote? Whose idea was it to say "don't forget to vote" to those (in all income stratas), who are ignorant of critical issues?

Those who study the issues should vote.

I have heard people proudly say they voted and when I asked why they voted for that person, they had no idea. Some pulled the levers on issues they didn't even understand. Not voting would have made more sense.

Voting should be left to those who take it seriously. We aren't electing homecoming queen here or choosing who gets to choose the TV show we are going to watch tonight.

Vote responsibly. Know the issues and the candidates or stay home.
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