In 365 days, another election day will be upon us. The election of 2012 however, will be pivotal as legislator positions at the state and federal level will be available. The people who will aspire to this calling will try very hard to sell the American people on there views on what America can do when they are elected. Those elected to power will have the option, for better or for worse, to influence America for years to come. But, suppose for a moment, there were another way? What if a way could be found to shape that elected official after the election, and not just before it? To that end, imagine what could happen if a politician were to voluntarily follow the will of the people? It only takes one to begin.
The technical side of this idea involves a group of volunteers developing, deploying, administering, and maintaining a hardened website where registered voters can interact with the politicians who serve them. No one from outside the elected politicians community, no “corporate citizens”, institutions, or political parties. Just the elected person and the registered voters who put that person there. Proposed rules, laws, day to day activities and potential courses of action can be discussed and debated between the politicians and the registered voters they serve. Only the site administrators would know the identities of the registered voters participating. As the administrators role would be that of a guardian of sorts, those administrator would have the responsibility to operate in a totally open fashion. The voters would be anonymous to each other, and to the politicians who serve them.
Valid concerns exist however, for an effect called the “Mob” mentality. By breaking down the problem, it can be addressed. From the elected politician’s viewpoint, that person would be able to interact only with the people who put that person in office. From the virtual speakers pulpit, the elected official can convey to the voters there personal views, reasons, and other information. From the voter’s viewpoint, that voter would be able to interact with any elected person from the local to the national level, anonymously both from other voters and the elected politicians who serve. Though it is not perfect, it can be a beginning. Perhaps the naysayers out there can help keep things honest?
At a designated time, debate would end and a vote cast on that course of action. The votes would be tabulated, and the results would then be forwarded to the elected politician for action. Though for starters the elected official would be acting on the honor system, that elected official should then honor the decision of there registered voters, and undertake said course of action.
Long story short, I believe this represents a huge opportunity to show what free and open source software can do for the common good. Beginning first with a hardened website, in time it could grow leveraging TPM chipsets and other cryptographic technologies to ensure the integrity of the process. I believe this crowd-sourced direct democracy can work, Granted, there are issues and problems with both implementing and maintaining this concept. But I believe, in the long run, it will fare much better than the corrupt system we have in place now. Challenge your candidates on this idea. It has to start somewhere and sometime. How about now?
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In 365 days, another election day will be upon us. The election of 2012 however, will be pivotal as legislator positions at the state and federal level will be available. The people who will aspire to this calling will try very hard to sell the American people on there views on what America can do when they are elected. Those elected to power will have the option, for better or for worse, to influence America for years to come. But, suppose for a moment, there were another way? What if a way could be found to shape that elected official after the election, and not just before it? To that end, imagine what could happen if a politician were to voluntarily follow the will of the people? It only takes one to begin. The technical side of this idea involves a group of volunteers developing, deploying, administering, and maintaining a hardened website where registered voters can interact with the politicians who serve them. No one from outside the elected politicians community, no “corporate citizens”, institutions, or political parties. Just the elected person and the registered voters who put that person there. Proposed rules, laws, day to day activities and potential courses of action can be discussed and debated between the politicians and the registered voters they serve. Only the site administrators would know the identities of the registered voters participating. As the administrators role would be that of a guardian of sorts, those administrator would have the responsibility to operate in a totally open fashion. The voters would be anonymous to each other, and to the politicians who serve them. Valid concerns exist however, for an effect called the “Mob” mentality. By breaking down the problem, it can be addressed. From the elected politician’s viewpoint, that person would be able to interact only with the people who put that person in office. From the virtual speakers pulpit, the elected official can convey to the voters there personal views, reasons, and other information. From the voter’s viewpoint, that voter would be able to interact with any elected person from the local to the national level, anonymously both from other voters and the elected politicians who serve. Though it is not perfect, it can be a beginning. Perhaps the naysayers out there can help keep things honest? At a designated time, debate would end and a vote cast on that course of action. The votes would be tabulated, and the results would then be forwarded to the elected politician for action. Though for starters the elected official would be acting on the honor system, that elected official should then honor the decision of there registered voters, and undertake said course of action. Long story short, I believe this represents a huge opportunity to show what free and open source software can do for the common good. Beginning first with a hardened website, in time it could grow leveraging TPM chipsets and other cryptographic technologies to ensure the integrity of the process. I believe this crowd-sourced direct democracy can work, Granted, there are issues and problems with both implementing and maintaining this concept. But I believe, in the long run, it will fare much better than the corrupt system we have in place now. Challenge your candidates on this idea. It has to start somewhere and sometime. How about now?