The Voter License
Saturday, June 07, 2008 Filed in: Ideas
Voting is considered to be one of the basic human
rights. Based on results of exercising that right,
voters need a license.
Doctors and lawyers need a license to practice medicine. Drivers need a license to operate a moving vehicle.
Why not have a license for voters?
The higher professions require years of education and training to achieve a level of knowledge and experience. Would we use the services of a doctor who learned his profession via mail order? Mostly, no.
Most countries require their citizens to learn how to drive before issuing a driver's license. The knowledge and experience of learning to drive, usually makes for better drivers.
A person has the right to learn to become a doctor or lawyer or driver. One could easily argue that citizens who wish to vote for members of public office should also learn how to vote. That requires knowledge, experience, and a license.
If citizens of a country had to learn what was required of public officials, how to evaluate their experience and abilities, and had to obtain a license to vote for said officials, how would they vote?
The problem is that public officials, once voted into office, are held accountable only for laws they break (and sometimes not even that), not for promises they break, hence they perpetuate their species (and time in office).
Education, training, and a license test makes for an improved driver of vehicles (as it does for doctors and lawyers). Would not a similar process make for an improved voter? By implication, public officials would become a higher caliber servant.
Based on the quality, popularity, capability, and damage done by public officials, a voter license, complete with an education process, is an idea whose time has come.
Doctors and lawyers need a license to practice medicine. Drivers need a license to operate a moving vehicle.
Why not have a license for voters?
The higher professions require years of education and training to achieve a level of knowledge and experience. Would we use the services of a doctor who learned his profession via mail order? Mostly, no.
Most countries require their citizens to learn how to drive before issuing a driver's license. The knowledge and experience of learning to drive, usually makes for better drivers.
A person has the right to learn to become a doctor or lawyer or driver. One could easily argue that citizens who wish to vote for members of public office should also learn how to vote. That requires knowledge, experience, and a license.
If citizens of a country had to learn what was required of public officials, how to evaluate their experience and abilities, and had to obtain a license to vote for said officials, how would they vote?
The problem is that public officials, once voted into office, are held accountable only for laws they break (and sometimes not even that), not for promises they break, hence they perpetuate their species (and time in office).
Education, training, and a license test makes for an improved driver of vehicles (as it does for doctors and lawyers). Would not a similar process make for an improved voter? By implication, public officials would become a higher caliber servant.
Based on the quality, popularity, capability, and damage done by public officials, a voter license, complete with an education process, is an idea whose time has come.
