Who Decides If A Voter Is An Informed Voter?

John Paul Stoshak
12-01-2006

    David Prejean would do well to do a tad bit of research on the problem of voter apathy with regard to low voter turnout before he renders such a coded dictatorial opinion as he did in a recent guest column of The Advertiser.  This is the first time that I have ever read a statement by a supposedly educated person that can be accurately termed as ludicrous.  David Prejean writes, "Adding one more uninformed voter in no way improves the outcome."  Who is David Prejean and who is The Advertiser to decide just who is informed and who is not informed.  Do Prejean and The Advertiser suggest that any person who does not meet their standards of an "informed voter" be turned away from their right to vote?  Do they suggest a test for each person in order to determine which voters are informed and which voters are not?  The Advertiser editorial reads, "... people who cast votes without having studied the issues and learned the candidates qualifications are ill-serving the democratic process."  My right to vote for what and who I choose is just that.  My right!  If the only people who voted were as supposedly well informed and as condescending  as David Prejean, there would be even less people turning out to vote.  It is the duty of the media, such as The Advertiser, et al, to assist the populace in being accurately and objectively informed concerning issues and candidates at hand.  It is also the duty of the media to encourage all citizens to vote.  It is the duty of citizens, not only to vote, but to encourage their fellow citizens to vote as well.  The level of just how informed a voter is is not for anyone nor any newspaper to decide or even rail about.  The process we know has worked quite well and is working quite well.  Not because of the David Prejeans of the United States, but in spite of them.
 
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