ktbr writes:

True enough... Perhaps there should be a merit based approach to
voting to allow for cancelling out the ignorant. Sort of allow
for Darwin's theory to have its productive influence on govenrment,
instead of the reverse effect as is now the case.

Literacy tests came close to that. But then someone observed that people
deprived of an education would necessarily fail such tests, and they went
away.

Of course, one could argue that anyone who hasn't received a decent education
isn't qualified to vote, irrespective of _why_ he hasn't received an
education, but that is politically incorrect.

Even today, with 1/3 of the U.S. population illiterate, there aren't too many
people who are qualified to vote, even though most of them are allowed to
vote.

Service in the military - you get an additional vote.
Graduate from college - get an additional vote.
For each $10,000 in taxes you paid - get an additional vote.
For each child you raised who becomes a productive citizen
you get an additional vote.

All of these are subject to abuse, unfortunately.

You should also be able to lose a vote for things such
as being a convicted Felon ...

That is already the case.

In this way people would be more vested in their country and have
incentives to work hard, make good decisions. I believe you would
still need term limits however.

Yes.

My idea would be to draft people into elections. Instead of letting anyone
who wants to run enter the election, you'd choose people based on some sort of
objective criteria and then draft them into the election (they'd have the
option of declining). Then the candidates would all be qualified, rather than
simply ambitious and self-centered.

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