An innovative suggestion for a middle ground between direct and represantive demo

[Terxpahseyton]

Here is the problem: Both direct and representative democracy have obvious and grave flaws as well as advantages compared to each other. Instead of a long ramble I try to wrap it up as quickly as possible:

Rep:
+ Representatives are better equipped with valuable resources
- Representatives' interests differ from the the peoples' interests (and the mechanism supposed to bridge that is extremely crude) + Representatives my lack an understanding for the people's situation and desires

Direct:
+ Interest and destiny of the ruler and ruled is identical
- Average citizen lacks resources

While slowly waking up I just had a random idea.
How about a middle ground of the two?

Say we incorporate significant powers for direct democratic elements. Powers which have to be regularly exercised. However - when it comes to votes, not every citizen can vote but every citizen who gets say 25 citizens to vouch for him or her. So basically instead of merely representing the whole population by a few hundred representatives (which I think also has its place, don't get me wrong) we would not so much have a representative body of the people but more like a filter which tries to reduce the population to a - representative - sample of the people which is willing to invest the time and energy to make good voting decisions.
They wouldn't be professional politicians, they would be ordinary citizens with extraordinary investment into political matters. No pay would be involved. Somehow paying your vouchers for a vote other than with your political work would be punishable by death jale time. Because that would be hard to enforce by so many representatives I am considering weather this whole voucher-system - contrary to usual voting procedures - shouldn't be entirely transparent.

What ya think guys?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I think getting 25 people to vouch for you even if you had no clue what was going on would be pretty easy to do. Perhaps I am missing something in the mechanics here...

 

[Terxpahseyton]

The idea is of course is not that every single one is wholly proficient and dedicated. That is also a weird standard, since traditional Representative democracy can neither guarantee that. Given the large number of vouched voters, it is also wholly unnecessary.
The idea is simply that the negative traits of direct democracy are - on the whole - considerably softened. That the average vouched voter will be significantly more dedicated and proficient than the average voter. While the positive traits of direct democracy would - I think - be basically wholly preserved. The mere act of trying to be a vouched voter means a more-than-average interest, for starters.
You will most certainly get a large number of not so high-quality vouched voters - but presumably most of the high-quality voters would also get through.

 

[Kozmos]

Personally I am for voting licenses combined with free civic education (so people don't whine and moan about lack of representation) to gain it and to educate people about the variety of current issues that face a nation. I would tie this in with kind of an e-democratic parliamentary system where people vote for specific individuals that would propose legislation (voting on the a specific bill or law would be done by people much like a referendum) and have a Watson like electronic system that reviews voters and the votes they made and if they voted for a law (that passed) and such law turns out to be good or bad for the nation the weight of their vote would go either up or down as judged by the theoretical Machine. So it would in theory entice due consideration and thinking about benefits and downsides of specific law or proposition because voting on it would affect your future vote weight. Human run governments will always be flawed to various degrees but if administered by an intelligent, impartial Machine that is not self-aware we might make something that works.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

History of the California state referendum system...

Legislature responds to public demand for balanced budget and fiscal responsibility.

Legislature recognizes that of the many things they would like to get done they can only afford a few of them.

Legislature deadlocks over which items to choose to fund.

Legislature abdicates their responsibility, presents public referendum on each project.

Based on individual merits of each proposal, public passes them all.

Legislature points to balanced budget requirement and raises taxes to pay for projects public demanded through referendums.

Public replaces legislature with new legislators, all of whom promised to cut taxes, maintain balanced budget, and fund everything the public wants.

Public wonders what happened to honesty in government.