Elected officials flunk U.S. Constitution quiz

Elected officials flunk U.S. Constitution quiz

Select group clueless on basic questions over Electoral College, who declares war

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Posted: January 14, 2011
9:05 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2011 WorldNetDaily

In a survey of thousands of Americans, one subset –electedofficials – proved particularly clueless on questions about the U.S. Constitution.

In fact, fewer than half could correctly answer such basic questions as "Who can declare war?" and "What are the threebranchesof government?"

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute reports it conducted thequizof over 2,500 adults, asking 33 basic civics questions, many taken from nationally recognized instruments like the U.S. Citizenship Exam, including 10 questions related to the U.S. Constitution.

Of the sample size, 164 identified themselves as having been successfullyelectedto government office – whether federal, state or local positions – but the subset performed even poorer than the national average on questions about the government.

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For example, only 15 percent of officials answered correctly that the phrase "wall of separation" appears in Thomas Jefferson'sletters– not in the U.S. Constitution – and only 57 percent knew the purpose of the ElectoralCollege.

Twenty percent of the officials, reports Richard Brake in AOL News, thought that the ElectoralCollegewas a school for "training those aspiring for higher political office."

"The fact that ourelectedrepresentatives know even less about America's history and institutions than the typical citizen (who doesn't know much either) is troubling indeed," writes Brake, who is co-chairman of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's National Civic Literacy Board, "but perhaps helps explain the lack of constitutional discipline often displayed by our political class at every level of our system.

"Given this dismal performance," he continues, "it would seem that last week's House reading of the Constitution shouldn't be described 'presumptuous and self-righteous' [as a New York Times editorial dubbed it], but as a necessary national tutorial for allelectedofficials."

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