Which is why Thomas Jefferson introduced public education, because he said that in order to be a democracy, it must be well educated and intelligent. When the public is ignorant, the system fails. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Jefferson set forth four standards for a healthy electorate:
1. "that democracy cannot long exist without enlightenment.
2. that it cannot function without wise and honest officials.
3. that talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition.
4. that the children of the poor must be thus educated at common expense."
Unfortunately, we have the poor dropping out of school at an alarming rate, greater than 50% in many urban areas, we have dishonest officials and people are not enlightened or educated concerning political issues. You can put a pen in the hand of a chimp and get a random vote. Most people are hardly that intelligent.