"When the stakes are high, testing for competency is essential. Yet, when it comes to voting, we let everyone participate once they turn 18.
We’ve always trusted history teachers to provide a fundamental understanding of government, but it’s not working. A 2007 Tufts study showed that only 50 percent of college students could name their US representative while 91 percent knew the winner of the TV show 'Dancing with the Stars.' In 2008, an Intercollegiate Studies Institute survey found that only 24 percent of college grads knew that the Constitution forbids the government from establishing a state religion."
Back in my reporting days, one of my favorite segments to do was man-on-the-street interviews asking people questions from the citizenship test. The results were ridiculously depressing without fail. I am actually surprised that 50% of college students knew their US Representative -- that seems high. When I'd ask questions like, "who is the vice-president of the United States" or "how many stars are on the US flag" -- a surprisingly low number of people got the right answer.
