ONLY THE TRULY WELL-EDUCATED SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE

Someone has floated the suggestion of a basic “civics literacy” test as a prerequisite for voting. I like it! No one should vote who doesn’t at least understand what federalism means, or what the 1st and 2nd amendments say, or (within 20 years) when the Civil War was fought.

I also think there should be a basic “global literacy” test in our famously globalizing world. No one should vote who can’t locate China on a world map, or identify the EU or the UN, or say whether Buddhism, Christianity or Islam is the main religion of the Middle East and North Africa.

While we’re at it, a basic “scientific literacy” test, so that we will have properly informed citizens voting on issues like abortion rights, the teaching of evolution and global warming.

All in English, of course.

Yes, that should do it!

Then I would wait for the fun to begin: endless litigation, political grandstanding, protesting and counter-protesting over who makes up these tests, what form they should take, which aspects of US history to emphasize, what counts as “science,” and so on.

If anything ever comes of it, expect it to be way dumbed down.