In a Podcast titled (appropriately enough) "How to Win an Election," British journalist Polly Mackenzie had a, um, interesting idea for voting rights in Britain.
Allowing everyone, including babies, to vote from birth.
This isn't a parody account:
I think people should get votes from birth. I think there is no good reason to disenfranchise the under-18s at all.
Umm... what? Lowering the voting age to 16? That's stupid. Lowering the voting age to birth?
That's galaxy brain stuff.
But don't worry, she's thought it through!
And I would be happy for parents to hold that vote in proxy till, say, 10.
Oh, well then babies wouldn't really be voting. I mean, they'd get votes but mommy or daddy would fill them out.
But once they're 10, then they're fully mature and ready to make political decisions to steer Great Britain! This makes total sense.
I mean, if you want to empower Muslims, Mormons, Catholics, and homeschoolers to have more political power ...
(She might not have thought that part through.)
There's about 11 million people who can't vote because they're under 18 and that skews what the Democratic system represents. The democratic system is literally only capable of representing the views of the over 18s.
Well, when your entire basis for political reality is a blind allegiance to DeMoCrAcY and nothing else, I guess this does make sense.
But in the real world, where kids are kids and not political actors this is bat-poop crazy.
Lots of people are old and lots of people are stupid and lots of people are lazy ... we don't hand out votes on the basis of how clever you are or any kind of test of intellectual capability why should we not give a vote to people under 18?
She makes a good point.
I mean, not the point she thinks she's making. But it's a good reductio ad absurdum. If we don't have ANY standards for who gets to vote, why would we stop babies from voting?
Here's a thought: Maybe we SHOULD have higher standards on who gets the vote.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
