Cambridge, Mass. – To prevent chaos on America's streets, the law requires every driver to know the rules of the road before hitting the highway. When the stakes are high, testing for competency is essential. Yet, when it comes to voting, we let everyone participate once they turn 18.

We've always trusted history teachers to provide a fundamental understanding of government, but it's not working. A 2007 Tufts study showed that only 50 percent of college students could name their US representative while 91 percent knew the winner of the TV show "Dancing with the Stars." In 2008, an Intercollegiate Studies Institute survey found that only 24 percent of college grads knew that the Constitution forbids the government from establishing a state religion.

Mandate Civics 101
This radical problem of civic illiteracy requires a radical solution. We should amend the Constitution to mandate Civics 101. Before he or she can vote for the first time, every young citizen must demonstrate a basic understanding of how our government works.

Under this proposal, states would retain the authority to design their own unique course, blending lessons related to federal and local government. Automatic eligibility of voting would rest upon the completion of a year-long civics course required in both public and private high schools. Every state has a similarly conceived system for awarding drivers' licenses: Why isn't it the same for voting?

Civic education is not a partisan issue. Whether electing conservatives or liberals, the country has suffered from consistently low turnout and disengaged citizens.

Even in the landmark 2008 election, less than six out of ten eligible voters made it to the polls. Recent college graduates are no more knowledgeable than their lesser-educated grandparents, and present-day schooling hasn't created greater civic aptitude. Only 35 percent of Millennials know Congress can override a veto, and 49 percent think the president can suspend the Constitution.

According to think tank studies on both the left and right, social studies teachers believe that their subject matter is not viewed as “top priorityâ€