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by throwaway_l33t 2050 days ago
Isn’t it reasonable to want the people who make a decision to know what they’re making a decision about? I want all the informed voters to vote but, by and large, uninformed voters make the outcome arbitrary.
1 comments

I forget who said it and I won't even get the quote exactly right, but I'm reminded of something I once heard:

> The greatest thing about a democracy is that every idiot is allowed to vote.

> The worst thing about a democracy is that every idiot is allowed to vote.

If democracies don't allow idiots to vote, that creates a disenfranchised class that does not accept the government as legitimate. An important role of democracy is to stave off class conflict, arguably just as important or moreso than having a government that serves the people efficiently.

A proper long-term solution is to have governments invest in critical thinking skills and education, but of course, it's a catch-22 situation.

Yeah, the problem is coming up with a test that actually identifies who’s “informed” without biasing the electorate unfairly.