Cory 2004-10-15

From Summa Bergania

From : David Bergan

Sent : Friday, October 15, 2004 5:30 PM

To : Cory Heidelberger

Subject : Voting meets eBay

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Hi Cory,

Thanks for the insightful commentary, as always. In the interest of keeping things simple, let's stick to this direct democracy issue for now. Dad and I have run a few scenarios and we'd love to hear what you think.

For starters, let's analyze the theory of direct democracy as opposed to its practice (the LD rather than the policy). For the sake of theorizing, we get magic wand privileges... can spend all the money we need, get to assume that our secure online voting will be secure and tamper-free, etc. Here's my first brainstorm:

-The direct democracy system is all online with secure everything. There is no possible way that anyone could login as someone they are not.

-There are two parts to the website - the petition page and the ballot page.

-Anyone can suggest a new law on the petition page with absolutely no restrictions. (ie. 'AK-47s will be banned.' 'Optometrists can prescribe Prosac.' 'Area51 will be open for the public.' 'David Bergan can marry as many women as he wants.') Every suggested law requires a domain (local, state, national) and gets an ID#, and a due date.

-Everyone can login and browse all suggested laws for their domain on the petition page, and if they are in favor of seeing the issue come up for a vote, they can click their support. Because there will be hordes of suggested laws, you can look one up by the ID#. That way whoever suggested the law just needs to advertise the ID# to get support-clicks. (TV ads of optometrists saying, "Support-click 879392 by May 1st, so that we can prescribe marijuana for glaucoma.") The suggested laws page is also sortable by current number of support-clicks or date, so you see the top issues and the new issues each with one click.

-If the suggested law gets X number of support-clicks, then it goes to the ballot page. X is determined by a certain percentage of the registered voters in the domain.

-Once an issue gets to the ballot, it gets a new due date (6 months from the day it started on the ballot page). Everyone in the domain can login anytime before that due date and vote yay or nay. Moreover, they can change their vote as many times as needed so long as it is before the due date.

-Midnight comes after the due date, and the votes are finalized and tallied.

-Any issue that fails (or succeeds) from the ballot page can be resubmitted on the petition page, but it takes more support-clicks each time around to get it to the ballot page.

Other things to think about:

-Filing fee for the petition? (ie $10 or something, so that there isn't a run on stupid 'The City of Madison gives David a Mustang' laws)

-Maybe after a suggestion makes it past the petition page, there is a lawyer (or panel of lawyers) who cleans up the law and puts it in proper legal terms before it shows up on the ballot page.

Ok, quick example:

I login and suggest a law banning alcohol in America. The system gives me an ID# (555555) and a due date (5/5/05). I then have until May 5 to promote my number and get 500,000 support-clicks across the nation. Once I get to 500,000, this law then goes on the ballot page with 0 votes. (Anyone who support-clicked it would still have to login again and vote.) I get a new due date (11/5/05) and then run ads and propagandize until its time runs out.

Now either way, if my law succeeds or fails, for the issue to come up again, it would need 750,000 support-clicks to make it on the ballot the second go-around.

Well, let's start there. Bring on the criticism.

Yours,

David

--David Bergan

"I wish I had never been born," she said. "What are we born for?"

"For infinite happiness," said the Spirit. "You can step out into it at any moment..."

-CS Lewis (The Great Divorce)