Who gets to vote is decided by a vote? How did they get their right to vote? That’s a great incentive for current voters to prevent anyone who doesn’t agree with them from getting voting rights in the future.
Yeah sure, until civil war breaks out decades later over the huge portion of the population that couldn’t vote because it was democratically decided that they were the wrong skin color. It’s not like this is some untested idea.
What is the original voting block hoarding their voting rights (eg white male land owners) if not an elite few?
Look, obviously infants can’t vote, so you have a point that technically there needs to be a democratic way to decide who can and can’t vote based on maturity/age at least, but there’s no good argument for any further restrictions on adult residents subject to the law of their government. I don’t care if they’re not in military service, I don’t care if they’re bums on the street, I don’t care if they’re slaves, I don’t care if they’re serving life in prison - they’re citizens, they’re subject to the system, they deserve equal say in how the system works. Excessively legislating who can and can’t vote is just asking for “an elite few” to exploit it.
Like those hardworking slaves in the South! Wait they couldn’t vote, and a large chunk of the people who could vote (ironically leaching off the slaves hard work) had a vested interest in making sure it stayed that way. Do you see the problem?
Power begats power, and even with good intentions concentrating it historically will strip minorities of their rights, even after they’re no longer minorities, ironically leading to minority rule. Gerrymandering is essentially this same problem of voters (indirectly through their representatives) deciding how votes are counted. Whoever is in power now will change voting rights in their favor to keep it, it’s naive to think otherwise.
Technically a majority … 80 fucking years after the country was established. In fact, it wasn’t even a true majority per se as former confederated states weren’t even allowed their congressional representation back until they agreed to adopt the 14th amendment. Citizenship for citizenship. There was never a come-to-Jesus moment, they were tugged by the ear into giving African-Americans citizenship after failing to secede ironically because they feared the threat of losing slavery as an institution. Practically speaking, “who changed it who so slaves could vote” was the majority, but not the majority of voters, it was the majority of bullets and bayonets. Turns out when people don’t get representation legally, they’ll figure out another way to make their voice heard, eventually.
Who gets to vote is decided by a vote? How did they get their right to vote? That’s a great incentive for current voters to prevent anyone who doesn’t agree with them from getting voting rights in the future.
Same as women voting or 16 years old or people without land.
People vote on who gets to vote
Yeah sure, until civil war breaks out decades later over the huge portion of the population that couldn’t vote because it was democratically decided that they were the wrong skin color. It’s not like this is some untested idea.
Okay you’re right. An elite few should hold the power on who gets to vote and who doesn’t.
What is the original voting block hoarding their voting rights (eg white male land owners) if not an elite few?
Look, obviously infants can’t vote, so you have a point that technically there needs to be a democratic way to decide who can and can’t vote based on maturity/age at least, but there’s no good argument for any further restrictions on adult residents subject to the law of their government. I don’t care if they’re not in military service, I don’t care if they’re bums on the street, I don’t care if they’re slaves, I don’t care if they’re serving life in prison - they’re citizens, they’re subject to the system, they deserve equal say in how the system works. Excessively legislating who can and can’t vote is just asking for “an elite few” to exploit it.
You could argue that people exploit the system when someone leaches off it when others do hard work.
At least it someone had to serve the betterment of their country for a while they aren’t just leaching.
Like those hardworking slaves in the South! Wait they couldn’t vote, and a large chunk of the people who could vote (ironically leaching off the slaves hard work) had a vested interest in making sure it stayed that way. Do you see the problem?
Power begats power, and even with good intentions concentrating it historically will strip minorities of their rights, even after they’re no longer minorities, ironically leading to minority rule. Gerrymandering is essentially this same problem of voters (indirectly through their representatives) deciding how votes are counted. Whoever is in power now will change voting rights in their favor to keep it, it’s naive to think otherwise.
I’m sorry who changed it so slaves could vote the majority of people or a minority of people?
Technically a majority … 80 fucking years after the country was established. In fact, it wasn’t even a true majority per se as former confederated states weren’t even allowed their congressional representation back until they agreed to adopt the 14th amendment. Citizenship for citizenship. There was never a come-to-Jesus moment, they were tugged by the ear into giving African-Americans citizenship after failing to secede ironically because they feared the threat of losing slavery as an institution. Practically speaking, “who changed it who so slaves could vote” was the majority, but not the majority of voters, it was the majority of bullets and bayonets. Turns out when people don’t get representation legally, they’ll figure out another way to make their voice heard, eventually.