Mandatory voting test: meritocracy or elitism?
A movement proposes a 100-question exam to vote, covering logic and biases; critics see elitism and manipulation. Who examines the examiner?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
An exam to vote? The temptation to filter the electorate
The idea of testing voters has been circulating widely again: if a voter doesn't understand logic, biases and opportunity cost, argues a skeptical movement, their vote becomes a bill everyone else pays. The draft exam runs to 100 questions, 20% of them devoted to shielding citizens against the gambler's fallacy and spurious associations. The intention seems reasonable; the instrument, less so.
The first question already leaks
The test opens with the golden rule of critical thinking: correlation does not imply causation. The example is the one about ice cream and drownings. But right there the first problem arises: two variables that coincide may be linked by unobserved factors, and statistics itself admits nuances. If the syllabus falls into the hands of a political committee, the examiner's bias replaces the voter's bias.
Universal right or class privilege?
The obvious argument weighs against it: a cognitive requirement turns a right into a privilege, and the bar is set by whoever holds power. Comparisons with authoritarian episodes are exaggerated, but the distrust is understandable. The irony of the matter is that the person proposing the filter ends up so fed up with their vote counting the same as their neighbor's that they decide not to vote at all. The issue remains stuck on an uncomfortable question: who examines the examiner? Until there is an answer, the test will remain a meritocratic fantasy that no one dares to put on the ballot.
The idea of testing voters has been circulating widely again: if a voter doesn't understand logic, biases and opportunity cost, argues a skeptical movement, their vote becomes a bill everyone else pays. The draft exam runs to 100 questions, 20% of them devoted to shielding citizens against the gambler's fallacy and spurious associations. The intention seems reasonable; the instrument, less so.
The first question already leaks
The test opens with the golden rule of critical thinking: correlation does not imply causation. The example is the one about ice cream and drownings. But right there the first problem arises: two variables that coincide may be linked by unobserved factors, and statistics itself admits nuances. If the syllabus falls into the hands of a political committee, the examiner's bias replaces the voter's bias.
Universal right or class privilege?
The obvious argument weighs against it: a cognitive requirement turns a right into a privilege, and the bar is set by whoever holds power. Comparisons with authoritarian episodes are exaggerated, but the distrust is understandable. The irony of the matter is that the person proposing the filter ends up so fed up with their vote counting the same as their neighbor's that they decide not to vote at all. The issue remains stuck on an uncomfortable question: who examines the examiner? Until there is an answer, the test will remain a meritocratic fantasy that no one dares to put on the ballot.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (33 replies).
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