airbreather

I've bought a few of these before (no affiliation) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCL7TJ48

Edit: this is a link to 1.5V rechargeable batteries, which I commented before OP's edit acknowledging them.

Another older blog post saying the same: https://sandimetz.com/blog/2016/1/20/the-wrong-abstraction

Combining the suggestions from 1 and 3 is where things fall apart for me. If the statute does not specify what objective standards must be met in order for someone to be eligible to vote, then the ruling party gets to decide on their own.

Maybe the next updates to the standardized test just "accidentally" favor the ruling party.

Some questions to challenge your proposal:

1. What test, specifically, do we implement to tell whether or not someone "know[s] the most basic of facts"?
2. How do we make sure that this test is kept up-to-date as information changes?
3. Who administers this test?
4. When is the test administered?

No matter how I try to answer these questions in a way that's consistent with reality, all my ideas dead-end at outcomes that suck and only get worse over time.

Feels like there ought to be a term... it's kind of a mix between "vicious circle", "feedback loop", and "echo chamber".

James, while John had had "had", had had "had had;" "had had" had had a greater effect on the teacher.

https://xkcd.com/1589

Pretty much just now, they rebranded to Legcord

I can't even imagine how my friend would take it.

OK, OK, time out. You haven't tried talking with them about it? If you have as strong a mutual (platonic(ish?)) relationship with them as you say you do, then it should be able to survive a serious conversation about your shared future, especially if you emphasize that you want to try to keep them in your life in a major way like this.

That conversation will probably be hard, and I really can't think of a solution that would feel perfect if I were in your shoes, but I would sure as hell rather have that conversation than the "I made a decision, and here is how you will be impacted" one, or the "I kept my life on hold because I was worried how you might react to talking about it" one.

I don't know your personality or your friend's personality, so I can't promise that you will sort it all out without emotions running high, or what the ultimate outcome of such a conversation will be.

But jeez, bud, you've GOT to be able to have serious talks with people whom you trust and care about.

Anything's possible, but...

I have a feeling that the people who are just smart and capable enough to pull this off without any prior legal training or experience are also smart and capable enough to realize how incredibly bad an idea it would be to try in the first place.

If you're going to fight the case on principle, then it is a no-brainer to hire at least some sort of legal representation. In terms of expected value, I imagine that it's practically buying free money, at least up to a point.