America: Land of the free, home of the uninformed -- Wait that’s not right...Or is it? According to a study done by "Newsweek," when 1000 randomly chosen participants were asked to complete America’s citizenship test, the results spelled out catastrophic ignorance. 29% of those surveyed could not name the Vice President, 44% couldn’t explain what the Bill of Rights is, and a handful couldn’t even manage to point out Independence Day on a calendar. Other studies have substantiated "Newsweek’s" claims of American ignorance, going on to assert that while half of individuals surveyed could identify characters off of the Simpsons, only a fourth of them could name rights guaranteed by the first amendment and 6% failed to locate the United States on a geographic map of the world. I hope I’m not alone here when I’m shaking my head in utter confusion and astonishment. How did we get like this? How did we end up with a society that can follow "Breaking Bad" religiously but can’t tell you who is in the White House or what’s going on in the U.S., let alone the Middle East? More importantly, how do we fix it?

You might think I’m exaggerating here; making a big deal about nothing, but this epidemic of ignorance throughout the general American public has tremendous backlash. Besides the obvious consequences of ignorant masses making decisions that affect an entire nation, (Hello future President Trump), serious ethical dilemmas are also arising from those seeking remedies to the problem. For instance, the proliferation of uninformed voters has brought about talks of a ‘solution’ that would bar uniformed individuals from participating in elections, stripping them of their constitutional right to vote. This idea is surprisingly even more popular with free-thinking, liberal-leaning millennials than the critical, conservative, older demographics. Now, as appalled as I am at the staggeringly low levels of political intelligence the general public possesses, I am even more disturbed by this proposed solution to the problem. How could anyone think that dividing a nation into the intellectually elite and the uneducated other, could possibly be the answer to an increasingly politically unaware nation? Seriously, people, this is the stuff Hunger Games is made from.

Instead of trying to oust them from the political system they are governed by, we should be encouraging them to become more educated about it and other major political issues. A certain organization known as BallotReady is getting an ambitious head start on just that. BallotReady’s website aims to inform voters about issues and candidates they will be voting on in elections. It is simple, easy to use and just the key to turning around the status of ignorance too many American voters are slumping into. This initiative to educate, rather than alienate, is exactly the model society should be following when it comes to informing the public.

Take a second to look at it this way: If you consider yourself an informed voter, ask yourself why you are that way. Did you just fall onto a pile of political science books and your education was thrust upon you? Or did someone, somewhere along the line, take the time to explain a concept to you, give you the tools to engage the discussion, and guide your interests? Now imagine not having that person, or those tools. Imagine being someone that actively pursues the ideology behind depriving people of the opportunity to be engaged on an educational level. For those stubborn few, yes, ignorance is a choice and they will continue to choose it regardless of educational resources provided to them. However, these people are still a part of our nation and are just as affected by political policy as the rest of us; which means they should have the same access to a voice, and a vote, as everyone else. Always, on the other end of the spectrum, though, is generations of people who just never saw the opportunity to learn. Wouldn't it be tragic if instead of being motivated to learn, these people became apathetic towards political education because they are denied the outlet to use what matters most?

Let’s abandon this elitist notion of separation between the educated and the uneducated. Instead, let’s bridge that gap and give everyone the opportunity to be just as informed as the rest of us. Maybe then, we'll be able to enjoy a society that can rattle off their state senators the same way they can T.V. show characters.