Serious Discussion - What should voting requirements be?

[patrick1]

An 18 year old citizen and not a violent felon or corporate criminal.  The 1/5 of an acre landholding thing is just ridiculous.  People can barely afford rents around here muchless a 1/5 acre of property.  Your average 2 bedroom shack apartment in Manhatten is over a million dollars now.  Economic disenfranchisement is not a good policy.  I also reject the civics test ideas.  The fact of the matter is that many people due to economic conditions (teen mothers i.e.) are not able to finish their schooling.  This does not mean that they should have their vote and their say in our nation's future taken away from them.  

[patrick1]

You could still vote for the House of Delegates (or whatever it's called in New York).

It's not fair for people in cities to control huge blocks of land in places they'll never go.

And it is fair for some Old money, landowning wastrel to vote and not the guy who is working two jobs just to pay the rent and put his kids through school.  One citizen=One vote

[patrick1]

I understand what you mean, but I see it differently. He can vote, he just can't make policy for the entire land of New York.

There are plenty of middle class people who own land. This isn't really rule by an elite.

There are also many middle class people who do not own land.  A saw a stat the other day that the average age of a first time homebuyer was now over 35 years old in NYC and Long Island.  An idea like this sets our democracy back 200 years.  It is not rule by an elite but it is the disenfranchisement of tremendous section of the public.  Just because you are poor or do not have the financial assets to make you a homeowner does not mean you shouldn't have a say in the fate of your nation.