Prisoners can’t vote because they’re mostly bad people who shouldn’t get a say in how the country is run. It’s not incompatible with democracy to recognize that children aren’t smart enough to vote. So why is it incompatible with democracy to recognize other people shouldn’t be allowed to vote, due to low IQ or criminal behavior or whatever—as long as the criterion itself is meaningful?

IQ isn’t “phrenology.” It’s one of the most well established facts in social science. The military uses what’s essentially an IQ test to exclude people from serving in the military. If the military thinks you’re unable to serve competently, why should you be allowed to vote?

Similarly, limiting the vote to people with deep roots in America would give black people on average more power. Black Americans whose families have centuries of experience with American culture should have more of a say than my parents who came to America at 40 and have no cultural experience with participating in democracy. It’s an extension of something that’s already in the constitution: requiring the president to be a natural born citizen. We already recognize that depth of roots in the country are important.