1. a) What is the main idea of Selwyn Duke's commentary?
b) Ask a parent if he/she agrees with Mr. Duke's main idea and to explain his/her answer.

2. Next to each of the following statements made by Mr. Duke, write agree or disagree and explain each of your answers:

__________________ "Our civic duty is to cultivate wisdom in ourselves and become conversant with the issues..." (from paragraph 1)

__________________ "...we would agree that having an educated populace is a prerequisite for a healthy electoral process. Yet we also know that most people aren't well-educated on the issues of the day. Therefore, it cannot be good for everyone to vote." (para. 3)

__________________ "The truth is that get-out-the-vote efforts ... can quite correctly be defined as an effort to rally the idiot vote disguised as a noble exercise in democracy." (para. 5)

3. What solution can you offer for the problem Mr. Duke presents in his commentary?

OPTIONAL: Email your reaction to Mr. Duke's commentary to SelwynDuke@optonline.net. Remember to identify yourself (name, school, state), name the article you are commenting on, and that you read it at StudentNewsDaily.com. Be clear, concise and polite.