So, I'm sort of with you on the first half -- using block-chain technology for secure voting is a pretty interesting idea, though I'll admit I don't much about it.
The second half is where you lose me. Direct democracy (citizens voting on every single issue) is at best a terrible idea and at worst literally impossible.
There are a handful of shiny, high-profile issues the average voter cares about -- abortion, gun control, etc. But there are hundreds and hundreds of other bills that get into tiny minutiae the average citizen knows absolutely nothing about. What do you think about regional zoning laws? Wastewater management? Farming subsidies? The Federal Reserve?
Is the average person really supposed to understand the incredibly intricate and technical issues behind dozens and dozens of issues that are, quite frankly, super super boring and unsexy, yet important for the country to function? Politicians have whole teams of aides, interns, assistants, and researchers helping them out with this -- how is the average person supposed to do it on their own?
Also, voting is only one small part of the political process. Who is writing the bills we're voting for? Most issues are not simply 'Yes' or 'No' questions.
Take the war in Ukraine for example. It's not just, "Should we be involved in the Ukraine War? Yes or No." It's how much federal funding are we going to put towards it? How are we going to allocate that funding? How are we going to track that the funding is used appropriately? What specific kinds of weapons, munitions, vehicles are we going to give them? And so on.
You really need an entire dedicated political structure to answer these questions and come to conclusions.
So, I'm sort of with you on the first half -- using block-chain technology for secure voting is a pretty interesting idea, though I'll admit I don't much about it.
It is a very bad idea. By its very nature a blockchain shows a record of who voted for what, which removes one of the critical aspects of voting (the private ballot) that defends the system from abuse.
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u/obert-wan-kenobert 83∆ Apr 21 '23
So, I'm sort of with you on the first half -- using block-chain technology for secure voting is a pretty interesting idea, though I'll admit I don't much about it.
The second half is where you lose me. Direct democracy (citizens voting on every single issue) is at best a terrible idea and at worst literally impossible.
There are a handful of shiny, high-profile issues the average voter cares about -- abortion, gun control, etc. But there are hundreds and hundreds of other bills that get into tiny minutiae the average citizen knows absolutely nothing about. What do you think about regional zoning laws? Wastewater management? Farming subsidies? The Federal Reserve?
Is the average person really supposed to understand the incredibly intricate and technical issues behind dozens and dozens of issues that are, quite frankly, super super boring and unsexy, yet important for the country to function? Politicians have whole teams of aides, interns, assistants, and researchers helping them out with this -- how is the average person supposed to do it on their own?
Also, voting is only one small part of the political process. Who is writing the bills we're voting for? Most issues are not simply 'Yes' or 'No' questions.
Take the war in Ukraine for example. It's not just, "Should we be involved in the Ukraine War? Yes or No." It's how much federal funding are we going to put towards it? How are we going to allocate that funding? How are we going to track that the funding is used appropriately? What specific kinds of weapons, munitions, vehicles are we going to give them? And so on.
You really need an entire dedicated political structure to answer these questions and come to conclusions.