Don't vote, revisited

More folks are chawing on the idea that massive voter registrations of the uninformed and those who otherwise might not vote is not necessarily a great thing. If someone doesn't have the wherewithal to rise off their posterior and register to vote, do I want that person to vote anyway? Even if they'd vote for someone I favor?

Another good article on the topic (here), this one by William J. Watkins. An excerpt (parentheses mine):

Thus, elections should be viewed as bulwarks of our Republic ... But for elections to serve this lofty purpose, the people must be informed. In recognition of this, the First Amendment was added to the Constitution, in part, to ensure the free flow and availability of information regarding public concerns. Because an informed electorate is a prerequisite to an intelligent exercise of the franchise, the Founding Fathers, in the words of James Madison, viewed the dissemination of information as “the only effectual guardian of every other right.” An ignorant public exercising the franchise (right to vote) was seen as inimical (unfavorable) to a free society.

His conclusion portends our future:

An ignorant voter is more dangerous to the Republic than a non-voter. Unfortunately, the registration movement teaches citizens that an uneducated vote is better than no vote at all. Such a lesson is pernicious and could have lasting effects on the electorate.