Do you think the mentally handicapped should have a right to vote?

[Itisamuh]

The problem with denying anyone is, where do you draw the line? So I think any adult citizen should have the right to vote.

[Endus]

The problem with denying anyone is, where do you draw the line? So I think any adult citizen should have the right to vote.

You're contradicting yourself. You yourself just drew the line at 1> adults and 2> citizens. Do you have good reasons for drawing those lines? Sure. There are good reasons for other lines, too.

[Deleted]

You're contradicting yourself. You yourself just drew the line at 1> adults and 2> citizens. Do you have good reasons for drawing those lines? Sure. There are good reasons for other lines, too.

Thing with intelligence is that it's not as easily measurable or identifiable as age or citizenry. I'm not saying that either age or citizenry is a good reason for drawing a line, but they're clearly set. IQ is in no way reliable measurement.

[Deleted]

Yes I think they should. The thing is that if they're competent or of sound enough mind to even know what voting is and that's important to them then who are we to deny them that right? Where would you draw the line? Heck, most non handicapped people don't have a very firm grasp of politics but still want their say, even if they're wrong on the issue because of ignorance of the facts or sheer stupidity.

Edit: If you want "the smart thing to do" over democracy, then everybody should be tested on their knowledge and ability to explain their position on every issue before they are allowed a vote regardless of disability or age.

[Deadraline]

I don't want to live in a country that starts dictating who can or cannot vote. That's just asking for trouble. Our country has already done things like that with making people pass tests (remember what it was like when black men wanted the right to vote? People who were mostly un-educated because our country did not want to educate them and then make them take a test they KNEW they could not pass...at least not the majority of them...lots of issues from that). There is no need to take away anyones right to vote even if they don't fully understand what they are voting for. I honestly feel most people are not intelligent enough to know what is actually going on politically (you can ask someone about a "fake" policy and I guarantee you half the people you ask will think it is real).

It shouldn't matter how smart you are or are not, but rather that you have the same rights as everyone else. I don't agree with a lot of things in this world, but to make someone else have to live by my "rules" or even my beliefs is just not right. To force someone to have an IQ of at least X amount is also not right. Considering half the people who vote just vote on things like if this person is pro-life or for abortion, if they believe in marriage for everyone and not just man and woman, etc. Most people don't vote based on things like how the president will improve the country as far as economics go, but rather just if they have the same personal beliefs as them or not the rest doesn't matter to most people. And that's just the truth. Most times I hear the everyday person having a political debate it is over "social" issues more-so than actual world issues or even country issues for that matter. And when they do talk about things that matter they make up numbers in their heads to make themselves feel better and never look at facts. And this goes for both political parties.

Every legal citizen of this country should always have the right to vote. Even if they may not fully grasp what they are voting for it is their right. And if people want to use the argument, "Well family or staff that work at the mental hospitals brainwash these people who to vote for and it's just not fully their choice." All I have to say to that is the news and media do the same thing for the rest of us. If I had a dime for every time someone quoted perfectly what they heard on one station...people stick with party guidelines and very few voters actually think for themselves when it comes down to it, and I can almost honestly say that if we went strictly based on what people could gather from actual intelligence vs. how things are today...half the people we have voted into office would have never been voted in in the first place because we have had plenty of presidents that just don't care about this country as much as some of the people they were running against did. But that's just my opinion. Most voters in this country are just as capable to make their own decisions as the mentally handicapped are.

I just don't believe in taking away basic rights, and one of those rights is being able to say who goes into office.