this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2025
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It would be proportional, but instead of your representation being based on your address it's based on a choice you make.
Think of it this way; you're a computer programmer who works from home in Hayseed, Iowa. Everyone lese in your town is a farmer or working in farm related business. Your voice will never be heard by the Congressperson.
Under the new system, your address would be irrelevant. You'd be voting for a computer person who knows exactly what you need.
That's one example. You might want to be part of the 'teachers' or 'gun owners.'
The original idea comes from a novel, "Double Star" by Robert Heinlein. He doesn't provide an actual constitution, but I do think it's a nice idea to play around with.
This sounds very much like the German electoral system, except in the German system your address and your preferred "group" are relevant. You get two votes, one is for a local representative, the other is just for a party (so you could freely vote for the "gamer" party if it existed), and both votes contribute seats to government.
TIL. Thank you.
But the reason it's based on address is because the person you vote for has power over that location. In this system, what would that person have power over?
The idea is briefly mentioned in the book "Double Star" by Robert Heinlein. He doesn't provide an actual constitution.
Governors and mayors would still run the local area, but the national laws would be passed by a legislature composed of people all elected 'at large.'
The Congressmember from Texas has no power in his state. He can't force anyone to do something. They can go to Washington and vote for a law that's enforced by the police.