No Idiots Allowed
New Jersey, the neighbor-state we love to hate, may be the latest place to incorporate changes into its constitution in an effort to sound less asshole-ish and more PC. The State Constitution currently states that “No idiot or insane person shall enjoy the right of suffrage.”
Other states that categorize their mentally disables as idiots: Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Ohio.
On November 6th, New Jersey voters will decide whether or not to eliminate the offensive terms, which, according to the bill’s advocates, “perpetuate myths” about the disabled.
“The perception is still out there that if you have a disability that you can’t fully function, that you can’t be a participating member of the community,” said Colleen O’Dell-Multer, a Brick resident who has multiple sclerosis and is legally blind. “That perception is totally inaccurate.”
As a 1976 court opinion stated, “A mentally retarded person need not be an `idiot’ and a mentally ill person need not be `insane.’”
But don’t hold your breath — in 2002, voters in New Mexico rejected a bill that would remove the same terms from its constitution.
Still, when you think about it, even if they change the language of the constitution, the rule stays the same. So while mentally disabled people will continue to be excluded from the voting process, idiots will be granted ballots! Quite the conundrum.
