Have you looked around recently? Do you really think these people need to be voting? They need to have a vote, sure. The option. But do we need to encourage people[?] I don’t think so. If people don’t want to take the time to register and go to the polls without provocation, they shouldn’t be voting.

I disagree with Kleinheider.

People need to be encouraged and reminded to do all sorts of things: give blood; donate to this cause; buy this product; visit your doctor; file your taxes; set back your clocks; check out your child’s school; excercise more and eat better foods; plan ahead for an emergency; save money; do unto others…

Looking at the list, you might think people are just a bunch of bumbling idiots walking through life aimlessly. I just don’t think that’s necessarily true, at least not in this sense.

This list could (and probably does) include all of us, and it explains the need for public service announcements, press releases, advertisements, information campaigns, community groups, charitable organizations, etc.

The objection I anticipate is this: but voters need to be informed; it’s a decision they’re making, not just some rote task.

But just because we need to be encouraged and reminded to do something, it doesn’t follow that the result will be an uninformed or unthoughtful action: how often should I give blood; how much should I donate, and which causes need it most, and which charities will use this money wisely; which doctor should I choose; how much should I pay in taxes; what time should I set my clock back to; what kind of food should I eat; what should I stockpile in case of emergency; how much money should I save from each paycheck.

These campaigns are invitations to thought just as much as they are invitations to action.

Coble says,

But the older I get the more I feel like registering people to vote without giving them any further access to information is like handing out drivers’ licenses without a road manual.

So, would she say we need some kind of test to make sure voters are informed? If so, let me go ahead and disagree with that one, too.

I’m all in favor of information, and informed votes. We should do everything possible to make sure people know what, and who, they’re voting for (or against). But the solution isn’t to exclude people who might be uninformed, or misinformed, or to keep registration and election days our little secret — known only by insiders and people who spend all their time with politics.

How exactly do we encourage informed voting by failing to register voters in the first place, or by being cautious about it?

Which population do you think is going to be more informed and responsible in the long run: the one that is encouraged to vote, or the one that is written off in advance?