Restricting voting to only those with higher education will result in an elitist society. In this sense, the government will be controlled by the rich and educated. The situation will lead to the poor representation of the uneducated and the poor. There is a high correlation between education and wealth. The educated rich often have vested political interests. Therefore, allowing only the educated to vote creates a motivation for politicians to do less for the larger majority. The poor will then be left to suffer as their social welfare, housing, and healthcare are ignored. Besides, voting is a fundamental right of every person above eighteen years. Colleges are diverse, and one can obtain a college education from local community colleges and online college courses. It then remains interesting to know who decides the type of colleges that qualify one to vote.
Moreover, this will be an injustice committed to those who cannot afford a college education and those who pursue local training schools. Having a college education is not a guarantee of making better decisions when it comes to voting. Famous innovators such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are not holders of a college education, yet they move the world (Hillygus, p. 31). Government expenditure on education will increase since politicians have an incentive to build colleges in areas that they deem to gain much support. Regions that dislike politicians’ stand will thus have high illiteracy levels, so all the votes from such places will be invalid.
However, restricting voting to the educated helps to prevent incompetent people from ruling the country. Political decisions are sensitive as they can affect the whole economy and therefore. Granting voting to everyone in the name of democracy will thus place ignorant people in the legislative seats, which may cause great trouble for the country (Hillygus, p. 26). Democracies usually enact and implement standard policies that are appealing to the average voter. Empirical findings show informed voters typically support different strategies that maximize their well-being.
The subject of who should vote remains a dilemma for many. My opinion is that nobody should be restricted from voting. However, primarily, political education is necessary to make better-informed political choices. The government should thus provide well-balanced skills and information for all the voters to reduce voter illiteracy.
Work Cited
Hillygus, D. Sunshine. “The missing link: Exploring the relationship between higher education and political engagement.” Political behavior 27.1 (2005): 25-47.
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