Legislating on the Direct Democracy Platform
The fluid democracy feedback loop
We are designing, building and will soon test-drive a platform that will give -to anyone with access to the internet- the ability to collectively decide on issues and legislate.
Instead of ‘electing’ legislators with an almost blank-check mandate to legislate on our behalf behind closed doors and under the overwhelming influence of special interests, we, ourselves, can make the laws that govern us.
A radical notion here is that laws are not superior to the collective or individual human survival and well-being. They should serve humans, not control them.
Do we really need complex, rigid, ambivalent laws that only specialized lawyers and judges can interpret, and that powerful people can manipulate to their benefit and our detriment?
Why not build a system that will amend and adjust laws any time we need, according to our current needs and new data?
Here is a design on how we can organize the decision-making process.
* listing the issues we want to address,
* discussing and voting to prioritize the few that we will focus on at first
* collecting reliable information on them (crowdsourcing/consultation/investigation)
* discussing the different perspectives of a problem
* proposing various solutions
* voting and deciding on which one to implement
* taking action on the decision
* collecting feedback
* assessing, absorbing new knowledge back into the citizen group, re-prioritizing next steps.
Presenting issues > Prioritizing > Focusing on priority issue > Gathering information > Presenting the aspects > Forming positions on how to solve > Deliberating > Voting on best plan/course of action > Forming a workgroup > Electing or assigning managers > Writing legislation > Executing.
Gathering feedback > discussing possible amendments/adjustments.
Pic temporarily borrowed from: Feedback Labs
After test-driving it, we will start presenting the opportunity to participate in decision making on social media and inviting people to join.
Decision making by the people themselves online, removes the cost and organizational challenge of in person elections at voting stations. It also removes the corruption of representatives by special interests.
Laws become subject to revision much easier, after they are tested on the ground and their results reported by the people.
That is what we call the ‘fluid democracy feedback loop’.
Also read, if you haven’t:
Read next:
Soon to come:
From a Direct Democracy platform to actual Direct Democracy