[EM] language/framing quibble

[Terry Bouricius]

Although it may be off-topic for a VOTING method list, I have long 
advocated a greater use of sortition (the selection by lot) to select 
legislators (perhaps one chamber of a bicameral legislature?) Having 
served ten years as a state legislator in Vermont, USA, I can assure you 
all that legislators are not more qualified, nor wiser, as Burke hoped, 
but rather simply less-representative and more egotistical, than average 
people. The experience and excellent work of the Citizen Assembly 
established by the provincial parliament in British Columbia a few years 
ago is compelling evidence that elections may not be the key to genuinely 
representative democracy.

Terry Bouricius

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Gohlke" <fredgohlke at verizon.net>
To: <election-methods at lists.electorama.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 4:10 PM
Subject: Re: [EM] language/framing quibble


Whoops!

It was your entire post of Mon Sep 8 03:44:51 PDT 2008

I didn't cite it because I was responding to the entire post, which 
follows:

(clip)
One option is to select the legislature at random.  Stratified random
sampling would yield a highly representative legislature.  The
population would be split into N groups, such that each group is
reasonably homogeneous and then 1 person picked from each group.  This
also reduces the benefit from corrupting the random process.  Also,
corrupting the stratification just increases the random variance, it
doesn't actually change the expect result.  Corrupting both means that
you get to pick the legislature.

This has the advantage that it eliminates the point in campaigning.
Every 5 years, a group of people get a mail in the post informing them
that they have been selected for 'legislature duty' .. though unlike
Juries they would presumably be paid.

The disadvantage (or advantage depending on your viewpoint) is that it
leads to a legislature made up of average people.

I have suggested that a way around it is to have a multi-stage process.
  The people picked at random are asked to select the 'person they know
who they would most respect to hold office' and that generates a second
group.  The rule would require that the person picked is somehow
connected to them, say friends or family members.  After a few stages,
say 10, the final group becomes the legislature.

This should result in a reasonably competent legislature (assuming each
person picks someone more competent than themselves) and the rule that
you must pick a friend/family members for each link means that
campaigning is pointless.

This resulting legislature would then appoint the PM (or nominate 2
candidates for President) and approve any cabinet posts.

The big disadvantage is that it is unlikely that a person would be
re-elected.  This could lead to short term thinking.  OTOH, each
legislator would know that he will have to live in the country after his
term ends, so he won't want to mess up to badly.
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