In the landmark case Reynolds vs. Sims, the Supreme Court declared: "Especially since the right to exercise the franchise in a free and unimpaired manner is preservative of the other basic civil and political rights, any alleged infringement of the right of citizens to vote must be carefully and meticulously scrutinized."
             How would you distinguish between civil and political rights? Why are both types of rights important in a democracy?
             In general civil and political rights are set apart but they work together to protect our rights. Civil rights are the rights of citizens that is not based on race, age, status etc... Some of these rights are the rights to free speech and press, religious freedom, right to travel, and the right to equal social and economic opportunity. The political rights are the rights of the people to influence the government and what bearing they may have on the government (CivicEd.Org). These rights include the right to vote and the right to run for office; this right is given to every qualified citizen. Because our nation is based on the representative form of democracy, the right to vote is very important. If we did not have the right to vote then we would not be able to make decisions in our government because we could not elect anyone that would represent our ideas, because of this we could have our freedoms and liberties taken away. Both the civil and political rights are important to our government so that we may be fairly represented. The political rights work to protect our civil rights and our civil rights work to protect the people.
             Do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court that the right to vote "is preservative" of other basic rights? What evidence can you provide to support your answer?
             The right to vote is preservative of other rights because the right to vote is the basis for our democratic society. If we did not have the right to vote then our civil rights would not be assured. ...