Objective: To ensure that voters participating in national elections possess a basic understanding of the issues, proposals, or candidates they are voting on, thus enhancing the quality of democratic decision-making.
Proposed Policy:
- Competency Verification Requirement: All voters in national elections must answer one or more simple, direct questions related to each item on the ballot before casting their vote. These questions will assess the voter’s understanding of the given topic, position, proposal, or candidate.
- Question Design: Questions will be designed to test essential knowledge about each ballot item. The questions should be factual, unbiased, and directly related to the topic, providing a fair and equal opportunity for every voter to demonstrate their understanding.
- Vote Counting Mechanism: If a voter answers the question(s) correctly, their vote on that specific item will be counted. If the voter answers incorrectly, their vote on that particular topic will be void, though they will still be allowed to vote on other items for which they answer correctly.
- Question Administration: Questions would be provided alongside each ballot item at the polling station or voting platform (e.g., electronic voting systems). Questions must be accessible to individuals of all educational backgrounds, ensuring that they are straightforward and related to public information about each issue or candidate.
- Goals of the Policy: This policy aims to foster a more informed electorate and improve the quality of democratic decision-making by encouraging voters to understand the choices they are making. The purpose is not to exclude but to promote awareness and responsible participation.
Potential Benefits:
- Ensures that voters are knowledgeable about what they are voting on, leading to more informed election outcomes.
- Encourages civic education and a deeper engagement with political issues.
- May lead to increased public interest in becoming informed about election issues.