No voting for grades

Merrill Skaggs, a professor of American literature at Drew University, found herself in a bit of hot water recently over voter registration. Skaggs planned to make voting a class requirement. She came up with the idea after learning that only about one-third of college-aged students vote.\nAs we all know, it's illegal to pay, bribe or force someone to vote, so Skaggs can't really do this. \nShe ultimately decided the students must only enter the voting booth, not actually vote. \nOne of the beauties of living in the United States is our right to vote. But with that, like every right, comes the "anti-right," or the right not to practice a particular privilege. Why someone wouldn't want to vote is beyond us, but ultimately, people have just as much right to vote as they have not to vote. \n"I will explain this move by reminding my students that we not only study the forces that shape our American culture," Professor Skaggs wrote in a response, "but also participate in shaping the culture as well."\nThis idea is definitely laudable and definitely true. But think of the implications. Students, who may or may not follow politics are suddenly forced -- because of the class requirement -- to vote. Nobody thinks uninformed or apathetic voters are a good thing. These ignorant votes can't be what Skaggs intended to create, but they're nasty little side effects of her mandate. It's hard not to agree with Skaggs' intentions, but in this case, the ends definitely don't justify the means. Meaningful, informed voting is the goal, but forcing votes isn't the way to achieve it.