Voting is a fundamental right. See US v. Classic and Harper v. VA Bd of Elections. Unfortunately we treat it more like a privilege.
David Schultz, Professor
Editor, Journal of Public Affairs Education (JPAE)
Hamline University
School of Business
570 Asbury Street
Suite 308
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>>> Jon Roland 12/04/10 4:44 PM >>>
On 12/04/2010 04:04 PM, Lorraine C. Minnite wrote:
a rule that likely burdens a civil right.
Voting is not a civil right. It is a privilege. There are rights to not be impeded from exercising the privilege on certain grounds, but as yet there is no right for everyone to participate. Laws restricting the vote to persons with a net worth of $1 million or a Ph.D., would be constitutional, if there were an objective standard for what is net worth or a Ph.D.
Of course, such restrictions would reduce the representation of the state in the House of Representatives, so the pressure is toward inclusion.
-- Jon
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