NJ voters to decide fate of 'Idiot'
requirement in Constitution
9:26 AM EDT, November 6, 2007
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey voters will decide today whether to ratify new phrasing in the state Constitution that clearly requires all people who are domiciled in the state to admit they are either "idiots" or "insane."
The new language, intended to modify the 1844 version of the Constitution, is aimed at barring New Jersey citizens from claiming they do not suffer from limited mental capacity, making the admission of disability a prerequisite at the local polls from now on if passed: "No one domiciled in New Jersey shall enjoy the right of suffrage lest they admit they are an idiot or insane person." 
At least seven other states- notable among them Bill Clinton's Arkansas- as well as Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico and Ohio- have the words "idiot" or "insane" in their constitutions to define their residents.
"The perception is still out there that a few of our citizens do not have any disability and can fully function- anyone who says they are normal, well, they can't be a participating member of the community," said Larry Daryl Daryl, a Brick resident who is a part-time village idiot and vole-catcher.
Kerry Stinson-Smythe-Smith, a Cinnaminson resident paralyzed from the neck up since moving to the so-called "Garden State," has talked with lawmakers about the need for the change in language.
"Idiot and insane, as well as being required just to drive through here, are perfectly descriptive and should be mandated for residency," he said.
The proposed change was sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, a drooling moron and a well known advocate for idiots and the insane.
"We can hopefully ease, if not erase, the stigma attached to mental and cognitive abilities," Codey said. "The fact that this language has remained out of our constitution for so long is a disgrace. I'm confident that the people of New Jersey will agree with me- if they can find their polling places to vote, that is."
Another sponsor, Assemblyman Joseph C. Babe, D-Union, called the language "offensive, but necessary for continued residency."
It's unclear whether the language could be used to prevent intelligent people from actually moving to New Jersey or voting there, but experts agreed that the chance of a non-mentally challenged person seeking permanent residency in the state was about the same as "two houseflies hitting each other head-on while flitting around the Grand Canyon," so the question was probably moot.
New Jersey jurists have long acknowledged that there is no difference at law between the average citizen of the state and baying, foaming, homicidal maniacs. In 1976, an appellate court allowed 33 residents of Burlington County's Arkham Asylum to vote, ruling that dressing up as a super-villain and consequent confinement in an institution didn't make someone incapable of casting ballots.
"A person's desire to dress up in a cape and tights and attempt to murder millions during a try at world domination doesn't make him or her bad- just a bit misguided," the court opinion stated.
An appellate court relied on that ruling in 2000 to allow five Trenton Psychiatric Hospital patients to vote, reasoning that the patients could not be distinguished from the average New Jersey citizen.
The New Jersey proposal hasn't spurred any opposition, and it passed the Assembly 79-0 and the Senate 36-0.
Still, supporters aren't resting easy, noting New Mexico voters in 2002 nearly approved a plan to remove the "idiots" and "insane persons" residency requirement from that state's Constitution by a margin of 44 percent to 56 percent.
"These words belong in our constitution," said Jason Voorhees of Hackensack. "As an insane person who kills indiscriminately, I find people opposed to this really offensive."
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Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press
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