Education Tests For Voting

I remember a book I read a long time ago (must have been about 40 years) by Neville Shute - I think it was called "Beyond the Black Stump".In it there is a voting system where everybody over the age of majority has 1 vote. You then become entitled to more votes depending on various factors (which I cannot remember in detail) something allong the lines of :-Universtiy Degree - 1 voteIn full time employment (unless medically incapable) - 1 voteetc .etc.Votes can be removed as well as added, except you will never have less than 1. (e.g. votes can be removed for a criminal conviction - indeed this forms part of the "punishment")Thus you get more votes the more you can show you contribute to society and/or show a good education.The seventh vote was an "honour" bestowed on those who had contributed "over the odds" by dedicating their life to a charitable cause etc.Thus you can have anything between 1 and 7 votes.Seemed like a good idea when I read it and I still think it has quite a lot of merit, but would be difficult to administer.

I think it was William Buckley who said he would rather be ruled by the first 100 people in the Boston telephone directory than the first 100 people in the Harvard alumni directory. (That's the gist-- not an exact quote.) I consider this idea to be off the page bad. Elitism has its place in sports and science, but not in public affairs where there is a public interest in expanding the electoral franchise since public servants will make decisions that have deep and lasting effects. The reason why the US has prohibited restrictions such as property ownership and reading tests is because the courts recognize there is no relationship between judgment and intellect, and in some cases the relationship is inverse. Consider for example the Nobel Prize winners who are bigots and folks at Mensa who are infatuated with astrology.