Are voter registration drives immoral?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The election’s coming up! So all public-minded folk should register to vote and get ready to hit the polls, right? Well, maybe not.

In this week’s Free Will, I chat with my friend, Brown philosopher Jason Brennan, about his forthcoming paper, “Polluting the Polls: When Citizens Should Not Vote”. His argument is simple and compelling. People should be public-spirited, and act with the common good in mind. When enough people vote badly–from ignorance or bias, for example–the result is often bad policy. The quality of policy matters to the public good. Higher-quality democratic decisions, and better policy, can be secured if bad voters choose to abstain. Because the personal cost of not voting badly is so low, a public-spirited person shouldn’t do it. And it seems that a lot of people are quite likely to vote badly. So there are many people who, if they care about the common good, ought to choose not to vote.

I completely agree with Jason. (He may not agree with where I’d go from there, however.) I think that many voter participation initiatives promote pretty straightforwardly immoral behavior. That’s not because I think that the state or democracy is illegitimate. It’s just that people shouldn’t do things that help make the world worse when the cost of not doing it is practically zero.

...

Promoting the idea that it is a civic/moral imperative to vote disproportionately benefits the Democratic party by getting higher levels of participation from the poorer and younger voters, at whom much of the marketing blitz is focused. And, of course, the American media establishment overwhelmingly favors the Democratic Party. However, higher levels of voting from these groups pretty much ensures greater electoral pollution.

http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/200...-jason-brennan/

[sly_wolf 199]

I always wondered of voters should be required to take a competency test.

I have also wondered what they would do if no one voted.

Sly

[sly_wolf 199]

I always wondered of voters should be required to take a competency test.

I have also wondered what they would do if no one voted.

Sly

Another thought I have had. Many voters are no different than groupies.

Sly

[*JG* 2]

I think regardless of the reasons people vote, they should get out and vote.

What exactly does "are quite likely to vote badly" mean? In who's opinion are these people voting badly? I suppose if we wanted someone to make all the decisions and make the GOOD voting choices for us, we should just go on to a dictatorship and take all that power out of someone else's hands.

And immoral? Guess that dictator better be some staunch Christian, huh?

[Niels Bohr 72]

Well, there's is nothing between right and wrong. Society makes that type of implication, not the individual. A vote is a right, just like the right to religion or right to free speech. If its means a policy is voted for the detriment of a country, sure, why not. Doesn't matter, it what makes the world go round. Symmetry. For every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.

[sly_wolf 199]

I think regardless of the reasons people vote, they should get out and vote.

What exactly does "are quite likely to vote badly" mean? In who's opinion are these people voting badly? I suppose if we wanted someone to make all the decisions and make the GOOD voting choices for us, we should just go on to a dictatorship and take all that power out of someone else's hands.

And immoral? Guess that dictator better be some staunch Christian, huh?

I think that when a large percentage of the population does not vote that makes a statement by itself. Perhaps they see it as futile or a waste of time.

Sly

[*JG* 2]

If a person doesn't vote, I don't want to hear them complaining about the issues at hand. That's always been my stance.

I think regardless of the reasons people vote, they should get out and vote.

What exactly does "are quite likely to vote badly" mean? In who's opinion are these people voting badly? I suppose if we wanted someone to make all the decisions and make the GOOD voting choices for us, we should just go on to a dictatorship and take all that power out of someone else's hands.

And immoral? Guess that dictator better be some staunch Christian, huh?

I think that when a large percentage of the population does not vote that makes a statement by itself. Perhaps they see it as futile or a waste of time.

Sly

Futile or a waste of time? Maybe. But, it also puts all the voting power into the hands of the small percentage who took the time to go out and vote.

[rocks 494]

people voted bush in twice. ignorance reigns with regards to voters right now, hopefully encouraging more people to vote will water that down somewhat.

[*JG* 2]

people voted bush in twice. ignorance reigns with regards to voters right now, hopefully encouraging more people to vote will water that down somewhat.

Ignorance reigns with SOME voters right now, as well as with those who voted in Bush. Anyhow who I hear complain about Bush.....when I ask, did you vote? Most say, no.

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

While I agree it would be nice to give each voter a short test to see if they even know who they are voting for and why, it's completely un-American. Voting is one of those right we have as citizens. If we vote in an idiot, and he screws up the country in 8 years, we have to live with it. The problem is that there are too many uninformed/uninterested people voting. And many people will flip-flop between candidates simply based on who last news program they watched told them about.

[HAL 9000 96]

Voting exams were given in this country in the past to exclude black voters.

[rocks 494]

people voted bush in twice. ignorance reigns with regards to voters right now, hopefully encouraging more people to vote will water that down somewhat.

Ignorance reigns with SOME voters right now, as well as with those who voted in Bush. Anyhow who I hear complain about Bush.....when I ask, did you vote? Most say, no.

ya i didn't mean everyone, but they were the majority... twice

this is mostly because people who vote are older. the drive for signing up voters now is aimed at younger people. i'm not the usc but my partner was nabbed to sign up at a mardi gras parade we went to. obviously there are a lot of younger people at those events compared to older people. personally i think its great that younger people are being encouraged to vote and maybe to pay more attention to politics too. old people do not represent us!

[*JG* 2]

I think spell check is popping up on my posts cause some crazy words show up from time to time that I know I didn't type!

Mav.....that is interesting. I did not know that.

I have heard rumors that if people show up at the polls with any sort of advertising, say on a t-shirt, for one candidate or another, they can be turned away. Is this correct?

[HAL 9000 96]

Jim Crow laws... pretty sickening period of this democracy.

[sly_wolf 199]

While I agree it would be nice to give each voter a short test to see if they even know who they are voting for and why, it's completely un-American. Voting is one of those right we have as citizens. If we vote in an idiot, and he screws up the country in 8 years, we have to live with it. The problem is that there are too many uninformed/uninterested people voting. And many people will flip-flop between candidates simply based on who last news program they watched told them about.

And there are also the die hard's As I said before, they are like groupies. They will vote for their party irregardless.

Sly