We don’t need uninformed voters

Jeff Williams, Kingman, Ariz.

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013 | 2:03 a.m.

In response to Steven Smith’s letter to the editor, “Let’s make voting mandatory,” regarding a law that all citizens 18 and older be required or forced to vote:

Here are a few facts — there are many more — that he may have overlooked.

Voting is a right. A right, by definition, is a choice. This law would infringe on individual rights.

If individual rights were not of consequence, a better law would read, “All who cast a vote must have a basic understanding of how our government works.” This would prevent many voters from 18 years old to the grave from voting at all.

Thirty-three percent of the population does not know the name of the sitting vice president of the United States, and 66 percent of the population cannot name one Supreme Court justice.

Many more do not know the the order of succession, the name of one Cabinet member or what the Cabinet is, for that matter.

A law that forces one more uninformed voter to the voting booth, no matter their age, is something this country does not need.