Citizen Legislature

Callenbach, Ernest

Publisher:  Banyan Tree Books, Bodega CA 94710, USA
Year Published:  1985   First Published:  1985
Pages:  90pp   ISBN:  0-9604320-5-1
Library of Congress Number:  JF1059.U6C35 1985   Dewey:  328.3042
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX3310



Abstract:  Although this is a U.S. book, its basic idea could as easily be applied to Canada or other countries. Arguing from the premise that the present electoral system is unrepresentative and promotes corruption, it proposes going back to the Athenian system of choosing representatives: by lottery. They propose that representatives be chosen in a way very similar to the way juries are currently selected. They argue that this would produce a much better cross-section of the population than the current electoral system, which is heavily weighted in favour of the well-off rather than the less well-off, men rather than women, the old rather than the young, business people and professionals rather than working class people, dominant groups rather than disadvantaged minorities. They argue strongly that this system would produce representatives at least as competent and conscientious as the present system. They say that the "election process as practiced in our media age rewards candidates who have congenial TV images, have a convincing verbal delivery, and are adept at sensing transient public emotional moods. These qualities do not necessarily correlate with either intelligence or responsible political leadership. It is certainly not obvious, in any case, that our present representatives are really the kind of people we would ideally want to have making critical, life-and-death decisions for us. Nor is there any convincing evidence that they are superior in wisdom, judgment, compassion, and sense of reponsibility to ... people chosen by sortition from the citizenry at large. The latter would certainly have, among themselves, a livelier and more realistic sense of the life of the country and its pressing problems; they would have a more varied collective experience to draw upon, and they would not be constrained in their thinking by a desire to cosset corporations." They predict that under such a system a small percentage of representatives would just keep the salary and stay home. This, they say, is no different than what happens now.

[Abstract by Ulli Diemer]

Subject Headings

• Alternatives
• Democracy
• Democratic Values
• Direct Democracy
• Elections
• Electoral Reform
• Government
• Legislatures
• Politics & Government
• Representative Democracy
• U.S. Politics