An argument at a tea shop. A man says only educated people should be allowed to vote, so that a…
An argument at a tea shop. A man says only educated people should be allowed to vote, so that a good government gets chosen. Shabana says that would make the government worse, not better. Who is right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: Shabana is right
Why
The man is chasing something reasonable — he wants decisions made by people who understand the issues, and nobody would call that a foolish wish. The break in his reasoning is about what a vote is FOR. A vote is not an exam answer about who governs best; it is how a person says what their own life needs. A farm labourer who cannot read still knows exactly whether the water reached her field, whether the school has a teacher, and whether wages were paid. Take her vote away and no politician has any reason to care about her, because she can no longer cost them anything. Notice too who decides what counts as 'educated' — and whoever holds that pen holds the whole election. Test: look at what happens to spending on schools and water in places where the poor vote in large numbers. Shabana is right: universal franchise is not a compliment paid to voters, it is the mechanism that forces a government to answer to everyone.
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