What do you think about this as an electoral reform idea?

[eeniemeenie]

Don't shoot me down in flames,this is not my idea but I would be interested in knowing what your reaction to this would be. I have just heard this from someone I know, basically their idea was that voting rights should not be an automatic right. High tax payers would be given a vote automatically as they contribute the most to the 'pot'. Any lower or non-tax payers would have to take a sort of intelligence test which would make sure they actually knew what they were voting for regardless of what party they supported. I think it was brought up as there was someone on TV who had voted for the BNP as they thought the BNP's aims were to create harmony amongst the different races and religions of the UK? WTF? They were horrified when someone enlightened them as to the BNP's actual ideals! I know this is an extreme example and maybe most of the voters are intelligent enough to understand what's going on?

Well,this is what it used to be like in the dim and distant past,up to a point,isn't it?
AFIK until after the First World War voting was restricted on grounds of income/property ownership.When women won the vote,that was originally restricted on income and education grounds - so university educated womwn were included(to ensure that the women who voted were intelligent enough to understand the issues).And restriction of the right to vote was later thought to be a bad thing,and abolished.
There was never an intelligence test though!

LOL!

Mind you, I don't know which smacks of lack of intelligence most. The person voting for the BNP because they got the wrong end of the stick or the person who understands what they stand for but votes for them anyway.