do you think that direct democrocy will work over

[katie mccready]

i think it will work over the internet and i think representive democrocy is crap but it works

[SonofRage]

There is definitely some good potential in the use of the internet for direct democracy but there is always the danger or votes being electronically manipulated. In the United States, there has been many issues with electronic voting machines not being accurate and it is particulary troubling considering the companies producing these devices are long time Republicans.

[Blackberry]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13 2003, 09:57 PM
There is definitely some good potential in the use of the internet for direct democracy but there is always the danger or votes being electronically manipulated. In the United States, there has been many issues with electronic voting machines not being accurate and it is particulary troubling considering the companies producing these devices are long time Republicans.
I suppose only time will tell. More progress in technology is needed.

[SonofRage]

If the software handling the voting is open source (meaning the code is freely available for viewing so no cheats can be built into the system) and there is a paper record of the vote so that people can confirm their vote has been correctly registered, then it can definitely be a good thing.

[monkeydust]

I don't think it's a question of security or effieciency, with the kind of money America or Britain has I feel that creating a secure, viable system is easily possible by current technology if there would be any motivation to do so. I personally think direct democracy is a great idea but I feel it would need to incorporate public decision making (e.g. if you have enough people in a petition for proposals it should be held to vote on)

[Marxist in Nebraska]

I am a believer in democracy...

What is fundamental to democracy is that it must be open... we cannot have private factions getting to count the votes and be unaccountable for the results...

Sorry to be so general on such a specific thread, but I find openness to be fundamental to a functional democracy...

"Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything." --Stalin... think about it.

[Bradyman]

Sounds like a great idea, but maybe not yet. Not everyone has easy access to the internet in America, yeah they can go to the library and stuff, but that means they'll have to actually commit themselves to doing something. And Americans are usually inclined not to do much.

[BuyOurEverything]

Are we talking about actual direct democracy, like actually voting on bills over the net? Regardless of security, it's a horrible idea. People can't possible be informed about the issues regarding the complexities of running a country. If the could, they would have no time to work.

[monkeydust]

Originally posted by [email protected] 14 2003, 03:53 AM
Are we talking about actual direct democracy, like actually voting on bills over the net? Regardless of security, it's a horrible idea. People can't possible be informed about the issues regarding the complexities of running a country. If the could, they would have no time to work.
A lot of people on this message board work and yet are well informed on several issues, often enough to make decisions better than that of representative governments. I think that if more people were allowed to influence decision making then more people would become interested and informed on issues that are relevant to them

[RebeldePorLaPAZ]

It would work but like most people said just not now and give it time. It could work but remember it has to be able to work. We can't have people from another country voting for our issues. It has to be invested more because it can serve a lot more better than what we have now if done correctly.

[flayer2]

Me.. I never vote. I don't think democracy works. Most vote according to their wants rather than the needs of the nation.