Exam 9: Voting and Democracy

Mill argues that a representative democracy where "majority rules" will always disenfranchise the minority.

Which of the following is not an argument considered and rejected by Lomasky and Brennan

Which of the following best represents the position endorsed by the editors of Harvard Law Review?

Mill argues for universal voting rights. What class of persons does he exclude?

The editors of Harvard Law Review argue against compulsory voting laws on the grounds that such laws would dilute the median level of political knowledge and sophistication among voters.

The editors of Harvard Law Review note that democratic government is a pubic good, and as such it is subject to this problem.

The editors of Harvard Law Review support compulsory voting laws.

What advantages of compulsory voter laws do the editors of Harvard Law Review cite?

Which of the following is an objection considered by the editors of Harvard Law review to their argument for compulsory voting laws?

Mill advocated and actively campaigned for women's suffrage.

What does Mill identify as a danger to democracy?

Lomasky and Brennan argue that citizens have a duty to vote.

"If you don't bother to vote, then you don't have any right to complain afterward about what the government does!" This statement is an illustration of which argument?

Mill argues that any minority left out gives power not to the majority but to another minority.

Lomasky and Brennan argue that there is no duty to vote. How do they argue for this conclusion? Do you agree or disagree? Why, if they are right, is the supposition that we have a duty to vote, so pervasive in society today?

"If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain about what the government does." Do you agree or disagree with this claim? What do Lomasky and Brennan say about this claim?

The editors of Harvard Law Review argue that the right to vote implies the right not to vote.

Mill supports literacy testing before one is given the right to vote.

What do Lomasky and Brennan say about generalized nonvoting?

On what grounds do Lomasky and Brennan reject the consequentialist case for a duty to vote?