From a reader:

Jonah,
I’m a self-proclaimed liberal and I agree with you on literacy tests. In fact, I’d even go further — unless you can pass a basic exam, similar to that of naturalized citizens that displays you understand our system, you should not be allowed to vote.
A friend of mine who works in a typical office with a citizen who had just been naturalized decided to take an informal test of his American-born office mates to see who else could pass the test. No one could. Only one person out of 11 could name the three branches of government, and that person could not correctly identify the functions of the branches. Yet they all can cast a vote. Cripes. Unless you care enough to educate yourself about how the system works, you shouldn’t be able to participate in the process.