# Why Are Republicans Allowed To Vote? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570 "2015-09-01T02:37:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/1 "2015-09-01T02:37:54Z")
The latest PPP poll (so new that there’s no link yet, but their rep announced the results on this evening’s Rachel Maddow show) shows that among Republicans, Ted Cruz is leading Barack Obama by double digits. Not in favorability. Not in who would make the best President. No, an August 28 survey of Republicans by a well respected polling organization shows that, even after all the proof provided, only 29% of Republicans believe that Barack Obama was born in America, while 40% believe that Ted Cruz was born in America. Cruz, as he freely admits, was actually born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father, and only recently renounced his Canadian citizenship. The same poll found that only 14% of Reps believe Obama is a Christian, while 54% believe he is a Muslim. So, I repeat, why are these people allowed to vote? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/2 "2015-09-01T02:40:15Z")
Affirmative action ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/3 "2015-09-01T02:40:22Z")
Because they have the legal right to vote…? If people are banned from voting on the basis of political beliefs, then that defeats the very purpose of voting. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/4 "2015-09-01T02:44:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If people are banned from voting on the basis of political beliefs, then that defeats the very purpose of voting. But if they’re banned on the basis of willful ignorance? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/5 "2015-09-01T02:46:25Z")
Proper ID? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/6 "2015-09-01T02:50:20Z")
So what? If you asked questions about Bush being behind 9-11 or GMOs or nuclear power you are sure to get similarly retarded answers from Democratic voters. Low-information voters form a large chunk of the electorate for both sides. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/7 "2015-09-01T02:52:29Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But if they’re banned on the basis of willful ignorance? Still not a legit reason to deny someone the right to vote. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/8 "2015-09-01T02:55:11Z")
My fault for not making myself clear. I understand that there are idiots who are not Republicans. And I understand that there is no constitutional requirement saying voters actually have to know anything. I’m asking why that is. We give people tests before we allow them to drive a car, or operate a tattoo parlor. Why don’t we demand a constitutional amendment that requires people to pass a minimal test of knowledge before they select the leader of the free world? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/9 "2015-09-01T02:59:33Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Why don’t we demand a constitutional amendment that requires people to pass a minimal test of knowledge before they select the leader of the free world? Isn’t this like the literacy tests that some people claimed were a way of disenfranchising black voters? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/10 "2015-09-01T03:03:20Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > My fault for not making myself clear. I understand that there are idiots who are not Republicans. And I understand that there is no constitutional requirement saying voters actually have to know anything. > > I’m asking why that is. We give people tests before we allow them to drive a car, or operate a tattoo parlor. Why don’t we demand a constitutional amendment that requires people to pass a minimal test of knowledge before they select the leader of the free world? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting\_Rights\_Act\_of\_1965](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965) ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/11 "2015-09-01T03:03:42Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > My fault for not making myself clear. I understand that there are idiots who are not Republicans. And I understand that there is no constitutional requirement saying voters actually have to know anything. > > I’m asking why that is. We give people tests before we allow them to drive a car, or operate a tattoo parlor. Why don’t we demand a constitutional amendment that requires people to pass a minimal test of knowledge before they select the leader of the free world? I’d be all for it. But it has to be an unbiased test. And the two parties will never agree on it. Either party has a substantial ignoramus base population, and every question will be objected to by one of the parties based on whether it is biased against that population. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/12 "2015-09-01T03:04:56Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I’d be all for it. But it has to be an unbiased test. And the two parties will never agree on it. Either party has a substantial ignoramus base population, and every question will be objected to by one of the parties based on whether it is biased against that population. I’m glad to see hatred for democracy is a bipartisan thing on this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/13 "2015-09-01T03:09:46Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I’m glad to see hatred for democracy is a bipartisan thing on this forum. Pretty much. \* “Free speech… except for my opponents!” “Right to vote…except for my opponents!” "Free media…except for my opponents!\* ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/14 "2015-09-01T03:16:24Z")
Because it would be unjust to have people living under a political system which they do not get to participate in. On a practical level, if people are disenfranchised for being ignorant then there is a motive for keeping people ignorant. But if those ignorant people have a voice in government then there’s a motive for educating them. And a society with a broadly educated population is better than a society with just an educated elite. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/15 "2015-09-01T03:18:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > On a practical level, if people are disenfranchised for being ignorant then there is a motive for keeping people ignorant. Only if the presumption is that the ignorant would vote against you. > [@](#): > > But if those ignorant people have a voice in government then there’s a motive for educating them. Only if the presumption is that once educated they will switch the vote to you. And if that’s true, then the motive exists whether there is a disenfranchisement of the ignorant or not. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/16 "2015-09-01T03:19:21Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Why don’t we demand a constitutional amendment that requires people to pass a minimal test of knowledge before they select the leader of the free world? What you mean by we, Kemosabe? If the American people aren’t fit to govern the country, then what group of people is going to demand this constitutional amendment? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/17 "2015-09-01T03:19:23Z")
More a rant, really. Off to the Pit! ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/18 "2015-09-01T03:26:42Z")
Realistically, literacy tests would not do anything much. The literacy level of the test would have to be minimal in order not to be too onerous, and utter ignoramuses probably already don’t vote. And that minuscule portion of them that does vote is probably split fairly evenly between D and R. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/19 "2015-09-01T03:30:14Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Isn’t this like the literacy tests that some people claimed were a way of disenfranchising black voters? Yes, exactly like that. Well, except that those tests were either made up on the spot by biased poll workers who would keep making stuff up until they judged they had received a wrong answer, or were ridiculously hard and only given to black people. But Chance was right, my OP was really a rant. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570/20 "2015-09-01T03:49:14Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But if they’re banned on the basis of willful ignorance? Then they’d be orders of magnitude more qualified than you [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-republicans-allowed-to-vote/729570.md?page=2)