Is it legitimate to deny voting rights on the basis of...

[Jacobtm]

Being an uncontacted tribe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinelese

The Sentinelese are a people who live on a small Island within Indian territory. They're an almost completely "uncontacted tribe". There are dozens or a few hundred of them, and they are largely left alone by the Indian government and foreigners.

Indian citizenship laws give citizenship to anyone whose parents are both Indian citizens, or who was born in India between 1955 and 1987. So with those two definitions, the Sentinelese people are rather clearly Indian citizens.

But of course, the Indian government doesn't set up polling stations there come election time. Indian laws aren't enforced on Sentinelese soil, they are left totally alone.

So these are Indian citizens who simply are not even given the chance to vote, not given anything close to an "education", and there don't seem to be any claims that this is unjust.

But they are Indian citizens, and yet people seem completely contented to make remarkable exceptions for them.

So you have a situation where the government makes no pretext of enforcing Indian laws or securing Indian rights/liberties within a part of their territory, and makes no pretext about providing voting rights to people who technically are their citizens, and it is totally accepted/seen as legitimate.

Though what is it really that makes these humans any different than the rest of us? Does the fact that they represent an utterly unique and fragile society make them something to be "preserved" like an endangered species?

[2952-0-0]

Since they don't want to exercise their "rights" granted by an artificial body they want no part of, what's the problem?

For the remaining uncontacted peoples, we should exercise the Prime Directive (from Star Trek).

[Jacobtm]

Since they don't want to exercise their "rights" granted by an artificial body they want no part of, what's the problem?

How do you know what they want? Since we don't speak their languages, we can't know. If there was an immigrant community in the U.S. which largely kept to itself, taught their children only their native language, which was obscure and no one in the U.S. spoke it, would it be acceptable to deny these non-english speaking citizens voting rights? Absolutely not. So why is this different? The Amish vote, and they are largely isolated from society by choice. Native Americans vote, and they speak different languages and have strange, ancient rituals and practices.

[John Dibble]

Since they don't want to exercise their "rights" granted by an artificial body they want no part of, what's the problem?

How do you know what they want? Since we don't speak their languages, we can't know. If there was an immigrant community in the U.S. which largely kept to itself, taught their children only their native language, which was obscure and no one in the U.S. spoke it, would it be acceptable to deny these non-english speaking citizens voting rights? Absolutely not. So why is this different? The Amish vote, and they are largely isolated from society by choice. Native Americans vote, and they speak different languages and have strange, ancient rituals and practices.

Did you actually read the Wikipedia article? It says things like this:

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Given their behavior it can be concluded they are rather xenophobic and just want to be left alone.

Yeah, the Amish are isolated by choice but they still vote. They also won't shoot at their non-Amish neighbors. They are semi-isolated, but they obviously choose not to completely isolate themselves from the outside world.

Native Americans have their own culture and they vote in our elections, but it took conquering their people and territory to get them to do that. If we hadn't they'd still be running this country and we'd mostly be in Europe right now. Given these people's tendency to shoot outsiders on sight, I think that's probably what it would take for them as well.

Given all their behavior indicates they want to be left alone, I think the Indian government should be commended for doing just that. It's a hell of a lot better than what most other governments have historically done to the natives. If they end up deciding they want to come out and participate in the rest of the world, then they'll probably be welcomed to do so.

[Stranger in a strange land]

The Sentinelese probably want no part in a government they see as far from their concerns and having nothing to do with them. All their behavior seems to indicate that. If they were curious about the outside world and wanted to participate in Indian elections, don't you think they would at least try to let the government know?

[dead0man]

What the others have said.  Would you force elections down their throats?  You want the Indian Navy to come with guns to set up the election booths?  These people don't want contact with the outside world, period.  I think the Indian govt has been more than accommodating to them...and you want to change that?  Well I nominate you to be the guy who goes and talks to them about it.

(seriously, did you even read the wiki you posted?  All of this is very clearly in there.  You should be careful with how you throw you sympathy around, some people don't want it.)

[Jacobtm]

What the others have said.  Would you force elections down their throats?  You want the Indian Navy to come with guns to set up the election booths?  These people don't want contact with the outside world, period.  I think the Indian govt has been more than accommodating to them...and you want to change that?  Well I nominate you to be the guy who goes and talks to them about it.

(seriously, did you even read the wiki you posted?  All of this is very clearly in there.  You should be careful with how you throw you sympathy around, some people don't want it.)

Personally, I wouldn't try to change the status quo. It just seems odd to me that this is OK with most people, and I'm trying to work out why it is...

[dead0man]

It's ok with most people because it's what the people's on this little island want.  We don't want to bother them because they don't want to be bothered with us.  If they wanted to be represented I'm sure the Indian govt would oblige, but they don't.  I'm trying to figure why you want to force something on these people's that they clearly don't want.  They don't want contact with the outside world, period. 

It's actually pretty amazing that these people have never had contact with modern man.  I've read about them before, their whole story is pretty interesting, if a little short.

[John Dibble]

Personally, I wouldn't try to change the status quo. It just seems odd to me that this is OK with most people, and I'm trying to work out why it is...

Well if you get them to interact with the outside world, then you are changing the status quo. Most people are ok with this because most people nowadays generally have the mentality that people should mind their own business.

If it makes you feel any better think of it this way - they have made a decision as a group and a culture to keep themselves seperate from the outside world. The Indian government respects that decision. Now, we don't know how their tribal structure works, so they may not have a concept of "voting" but I doubt it's just one guy at the top who made all the decisions for them. Even dictators need some degree of popular support. So you might take their behavior as an indication of a group vote to be an autonomous region. The Indian government respects their wish to be autonomous, and they provide protection from other nations that are far more technologically advanced. As such, you could say it's very democratic.

---
I do find this tribe interesting now that you've pointed them out, so here's some interesting articles for those who are also interested:
http://www.survival-international.org/campaigns/uncontactedtribes/mostisolated
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/feb/12/theobserver.worldnews12 (on the two fishermen killed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaPYwlXOTzQ (attempted contact video)

[Јas]

It seems to me that the island is very possibly not Indian territory to begin with; so there would be no question of voting in Indian elections there.

[Jacobtm]

Personally, I wouldn't try to change the status quo. It just seems odd to me that this is OK with most people, and I'm trying to work out why it is...

Well if you get them to interact with the outside world, then you are changing the status quo.

That's what I'm saying, I'm not actually advocating that India go in and try to change their society and set up polling stations. However, my own natural inclination strikes me as odd and I'm trying to work it out through discussion.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Personally, I wouldn't try to change the status quo. It just seems odd to me that this is OK with most people, and I'm trying to work out why it is...

Well if you get them to interact with the outside world, then you are changing the status quo.

That's what I'm saying, I'm not actually advocating that India go in and try to change their society and set up polling stations. However, my own natural inclination strikes me as odd and I'm trying to work it out through discussion.

     Thing is that is a case of a group abstaining from exercising their voting rights (through isolating themselves from outsiders) rather than being denied voting rights. As such, there is no real controversy here. It would be like if the Amish decided they wanted nothing to do with the outside world & refused to vote.

[minionofmidas]

Since they don't want to exercise their "rights" granted by an artificial body they want no part of, what's the problem?

How do you know what they want?

They throw spears in the direction of anyone who attempts to land on their island. I think it is safe to deduce that they do not want anybody to land there, not even if they bring polling equipment.

[Хahar 🤔]

India does not administer this island, although they do claim it (much like China claims Arunachal Pradesh, but does not administer it). Therefore, it is safe to say that these people have no right to vote, as they are not Indian.

[Ban my account ffs!]

They have a right to vote.  The Red Lake Indian Reservation to our north is considered its own sovereign entity connected formally only to the federal government through certain treaties.

They vote in our elections and send their kids to public schools funded by the state... but they also have their own police force and their own elected government.

Sure, we can argue whether it is fair to afford them the rights of American citizens when they want to be their own separate entity... but they were here several thousands of years before us...

I think such a system could work here, if they want to be part of it.  If not, leave 'em alone to do their thing.