Should this person be allowed to vote? [View All]

[lapislzi]

OK, I'm being facetious. Everyone should vote. This I believe. But...the raging ignorance of otherwise functional adults is enough to drive me to despair.

Scenario: my small office. Friendly political discussions abound. Mostly Dems, no hard feelings. I strike up a conversation with a fairly new hire in an entry-level position. I suspect that she is no Einstein, but she's pleasant and interested, a quick study.

"Did you vote today?" says I.
She looks anxious. "I really, really want to vote for Hillary. It's important. I'll go on my way home."
"Good for you. It IS important to vote."
Another nervous look. "Can I just go anywhere and vote? Can I vote here?" ("here" is not where she lives.)
Me: "No, you have to vote where you live. We can look it up."
She: "I've never voted before." (She is in her 30s.)
Me: "Are you registered to vote?"
She: "You have to register? How do you do that?"
Me: "OK, you're probably not registered then. We'll call and check. But even if you aren't, you can still register to vote in November."
She: "November? What's in November?"
Me: "The general election."
She: "But I want Hillary to be president."
Me: "Today isn't the presidential election. Today is a primary election."
She: "What's that? Does that mean Hillary won't be president after today?"
Me: "A primary is where the two parties choose their candidates for the presidential election. The Republicans choose their candidate and the Democrats choose theirs. Hillary is a Democrat."
She: "Oh, so this isn't the big one?"
Me: "No, you get another chance after this."
She: (happily) "Oh, so it's like American Idol. Someone gets voted off."
Me: "It's just like that. Come on, let's get you registered to vote."

I can't help but wonder if I'm actually performing a disservice to my fellow citizens by encouraging this clueless person to vote. I will surely have my work cut out for me trying to cram some high-school civics into her head between now and November. I cautioned her not to get her news from the TV, but to read the paper or read the news on the internet. All the while wondering how representative she is of the general electorate. And how sad the state of public education that an ordinary citizen doesn't even know how to vote.

Mods, I am posting in GD because this is about voting, not a specific candidate. This is not about Hillary. The discussion would have gone the same way if she had said she wanted to vote for McCain.