this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
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[–] Leesi@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 9 minutes ago* (last edited 6 minutes ago)

This is always shot down because eventually someone in control will change the test to introduce bias in their favor.

But, what if: Make there be one concrete, completely unchangeable rule. The test must be a math question.

No hypothetical story to make the question 'relevant' (E.g. Bob and Alice each have x and y ... calculate z). Just raw math.

There is no biasing a math question.

Perhaps an integral or differential equation with randomly chosen constants.

Yeah, it doesn't filter for civic education.

Yeah, people could prepare and/or give out targeted explainers for the type of question after first voting/mail-in voting day.

Yeah, it will still let some shitty people vote and deny some good people from voting.

But there is no biasing a math question.

Probably will still have more problems in practice. Big ones being making an 'unchangeable' rule, or it being made ineffective by changing the question to something like simple addition.

Not necessarily saying this should be done or is a good idea. Just putting the thought out there.

[–] Red_October@lemmy.world 10 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah it sounds fun unless you have any awareness of how this actually worked out when it was used in the past. Fully not okay.

[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 8 points 8 hours ago

You mean tests that were designed to ensure that only "the right people" were able to pass them. As well as a grandfather clause that exempted all of those right people (in modern times there would likely be a voter roll purge that would somehow lose most liberal voters while miraculously keeping all of the conservative ones).

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Even if you assumed the test successfully filtered out an educated voterbase, it would take all but five seconds for X party to cheat their exams, kind of like the "grandfather law" which essentially bypassed jim crow era literacy tests for everyone who was white.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Even if you assumed the test successfully filtered out an educated voterbase

"Educated" is already doing some heavy lifting. What education are you demanding voters possess?

Because I've had an earful about "Marxist Professors corrupting our youth!" for my entire life. I doubt conservatives would consider any kind of liberal exam a legitimate test of voting aptitude.

Meanwhile, there's enough jingoism and nationalism in our education system already, such that I could see an exam question "Which religious extremist sect was responsible for 9/11? Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists" or "Is an individual with XY chromosomes a man or a woman?" that's a bit... loaded? Especially when administered right before a national election.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 57 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Fuck no. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_test

Between the 1850s and 1960s, literacy tests were used as an effective tool for disenfranchising African Americans in the Southern United States. Literacy tests were typically administered by white clerks who could pass or fail a person at their discretion based on race. Illiterate whites were often permitted to vote without taking these literacy tests because of grandfather clauses written into legislation.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The problem there is the administration of the tests, not the tests themselves.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 day ago (8 children)

And that is a non-solvable problem.

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[–] tdawg@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (9 children)

you think the current racist rich people wouldn't be racist and rich if we introduced an exam to the voting process?

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[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Brazil had something like that in the early republic days, only literate people could vote. Needless to say, only the robber baron elites kept getting elected, also thanks to the significant amount of fraud that happened. "The election is won during the counting"

[–] Blujayooo@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago

Good point, maybe the idea works better in theory than practice. Haha

[–] eluvatar@programming.dev 55 points 1 day ago (19 children)

Who determines the questions and answers? Now they are the ones determining who can vote and thus the people in control.

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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago

They used to do that in the US during the Jim Crow era. It went predictably.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 3 points 22 hours ago

Still trying to figure out what happened in the second frame.

[–] bremen15@feddit.org 22 points 1 day ago (9 children)

It's not working. We have relatively equal education in Germany, and we have plenty of intelligent, educated people voting far right.

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[–] astutemural@midwest.social 7 points 1 day ago

InB4 the Non-Voters just start doing the Wilmington Massacre repeatedly.

Check your history books about what happens when the majority of the population has no political voice. Things get ugly.

[–] Sunsofold@lemmings.world 32 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Keep trying, Jay. One day you'll make a funny comic.

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 1 points 12 hours ago

Idunno I thought the burning coal one was kinda funny

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