[Election-Methods] delegate cascade

[Michael Allan]

Abd ul-Rahman Lomax wrote:
>
> You can see a little at http://beyondpolitics.org/wiki/ but most of that is 
> old, the site needs work, and there is a lot of ferment and discussion in 
> various places going on. We call it delegable proxy...

You foresaw it!  I'm deeply impressed.  I read half the Wiki, and the
server went down - I'll come back to it.  But so far it's clear that
you've envisioned:

  * basic voting mechanism (delegable proxy, DP)

  * application to communities (free associations, FA)

  * effects of DP + FA on other parts of society, particularly power
    mediated organizations (government, business firms, etc.)

For my part, what I can contribute (if it's actually new) is:

  * combination of DP with a peer-to-peer drafting medium (recombinant
    text) for consensus on norms (laws, plans, policies)

  * tentative connections with social theory (communicative action)

  * trust network to authenticate voter lists, so a city or region can
    be an FA

  * implementation in code (alpha stage)

I hope this brings it closer to realization.  It's been running in our
imaginations - your's longer than mine.  But when the electoral system
is opened up, and the voters begin to provide feedback - even then -
the only way to interpret will be with a vision that sees a little
further ahead, beyond what's obvious.  I think you have that in
abundance, and I hope we can work together!

Highest regards,
-- 
Michael Allan

Toronto, 647-436-4521
http://zelea.com/