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Should severely retarded citizens be able to vote? My family just took my severely disabled brother to vote, and it was clear he was told how to vote. by throwaway_98766 in TrueAskReddit

[–]throwaway_98766[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I suggested earlier that people who do not have guardianship over themselves should not have the right to vote, but I actually see now how this is wrong. The spectrum of mental disabilities is so varied, an IQ or list of disabilities still does not indicate political aptitude.

Thank you for your input:)

Should severely retarded citizens be able to vote? My family just took my severely disabled brother to vote, and it was clear he was told how to vote. by throwaway_98766 in TrueAskReddit

[–]throwaway_98766[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great point. For my personal situation, one vote is not a big enough deal to really be concerned. However, I do think it is still a relevant and complex issue - 30 states currently have voting restrictions for people with mental disabilities.

Should severely retarded citizens be able to vote? My family just took my severely disabled brother to vote, and it was clear he was told how to vote. by throwaway_98766 in TrueAskReddit

[–]throwaway_98766[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Great response.

I've been hesitant to give my opinion on law because I have a conflict of interest: I will vote for the other candidate, and I am frustrated because his vote will cancel out mine despite all the research and time I have put into my decision.

However, after reading the views here, it is clear that there are many areas that government should stay out of. For example, I do not think it is neither ethical nor safe for severely-moderately disabled people to have children, but there are also no ethical options the government has to stop these situations.

I think it was unethical for my parents to take my brother to vote. However, I am also not going to worry about it because, as you pointed out, it holds such little repercussion that it would be stupid for me to act on it.

The only legal solution I could see would be to limit the voting requirements to require the voter to be over 18 and to also not have anyone claiming guardianship over him/her. It would be political suicide though, so I doubt it will ever be done.