Should Voting Rights be Reduced to Exclude Illiterate People?

Political consciousness and awareness, among others, should determine the voting rights. The voting reform, which would exclude illiterate people from the voting process, provides a chance for social and competent representatives, to be elected; it’s the only way that democracy could survive.

Literacy demands for voting are old, perhaps, as the concept of voting itself. Traditionally, the voting rights for illiterate people were considered as a very sensitive topic. Often, the literacy requirements for voting were described as political racism; as a method of ruling class to prevent different groups such as the poor, racial and ethnic minorities to be engaged in the voting process and accordingly to exclude them from the political life. Different examples from the past justify this form of thinking.

But now, things have changed; democracy as a form of governance can function only if the voters are informed about the political life. The rational explanation for the literacy demands, in our time, is that illiterate people are not sufficiently informed about the political candidates and their political programs; for that reason, they are not able to make a truly appropriate decision.

The voting rights should belong to the educated people who have political consciousness and responsiveness for the problems that preoccupy citizenry. In a country where, educated citizens are in the greater part and political consciousness is satisfactory, it is not very difficult for people to evaluate the policy of a particular party; it’s very easy to find out what is in the best interests of the people. On the other hand, if there is a lack of education and, as a result, the political consciousness is too low, people fail to understand the reality of the certain policy; they vote in favor of parties whose aims are different to the public interest.

The politically literate voter, unlike the illiterate one, is able to understand the real issues can effect on their lives and, the necessary changes to get a better government and wealthier life. In contrast, illiterate people may be influenced by the others, different manipulative groups. They could, without difficulty, be misled by wrong propaganda, and as such, they would be the victims of manipulation.

The democratic system includes participatory citizenry; that means citizens provide the government with ideas and suggestions how to govern. They may refute or initiate the certain law or policy with commencement of the citizens’ initiatives. The number of citizens that is needed to refute or initiate a law or a policy, in different states, depends on the number of citizens who are registered in ballot lists. Therefore, if illiterate people are out of these lists, it would be much easier to do such things, which are in the interests of public. Moreover, if the number of illiterates is huge, there is also a possibility to activate the initiatives of the citizens, but in a favor of certain interest group, and not in the benefit of the public.

To conclude, democracy can not succeed in countries where people are illiterate. The exclusion of the illiterate people from the ballot lists is needed for a democracy to succeed in being a governance of the people, by the people and for the people, and not the governance of some manipulative minority. So, in the name of establishing and consolidating of the democracy, illiterate people shouldn’t be in the voting lists.