Government of the
People by
People chosen by Lottery.
A theory of
government run by
people recruited for office via a public lottery system. The lottery system would largely resemble the various systems in place today for choosing jury pools.
There would be no repeat public service required - previous service would be a valid exemption. Holding a position for two terms would be almost impossible. Some individuals would not qualify, just as they would not qualify for jury duty. Some would qualify for a temporary or hardship exemption. Eligibility would be based on age and residency. Citizenship may be required for some posts.
A Lottocracy makes wealth and fund-raising non-issues for a candidate for public office, as we would all be candidates with a more or less equal probability of being chosen.
Additional checks and balances may be required that do not exist in America'
s system of Democracy. For instance, no single position could hold ultimate power over any individual, group or organization. However, a Lottocracy would be almost free of special interest groups and so-called partisanship. It would also guarantee equal representation - a concept proposed by the founding fathers of the United States, but one sorely lacking in today's
government.
Joe Plumber: You know,
democracy kind of sucks.
People that really want to run for office are probably the
people that should never hold office.
Jane Plumbed: Yeah. ... Hey! Maybe you should run for President!
Joe Plumber: Nah! That job would suck. But maybe it would be better if we picked someone by lottery!
Jane Plumbed: Yeah. We could call it a Lottocracy.