I do agree with your second point (emotional voting seems to be common imho). "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people" -

I do agree with your second point (emotional voting seems to be common imho). "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people" - Probably Jefferson? I wish that the voting population were more knowledgeable about civics, the issues at hand and basic economic theory (i.e. no such thing as free money/services, that someone pays and not just everyone but you). I get a spew of party talking points for any interaction. I don't get a sense they even understand what they are saying. (Hence the reason for the first quote). A lot of people I see (or am exposed to), don't read the news and base their decisions on clickbait-y articles (without even reading it) or shared/liked articles with dubious authenticity from their family/friends. I get a sense of massive tribalism and am completely dumbfounded about it all. To quote Jefferson again: “The government you elect is the government you deserve.”