Proxies for Citizens = Representation for All

John Adams offered this description of the ideal Representative Assembly in his Thoughts on Government (which was published in the Spring of 1776). It remains as useful and relevant today as it was then. Congress and state legislatures in America, however, have fallen far short of Adams’ ideal.

Common sense and observation tell us, and research confirms, that “economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.” Majority rule is the essential element of a true democracy, but “Majorities of the American public actually have little influence over the policies our government adopts.” [Both quotes are from a study by Benjamin I. Page and Martin Gilens.]

Implementing systems of Proxies for Citizens will put an end to this unfortunate (and anti-democratic) reality by transforming Congress and state legislatures into institutions that fully realize Adams’ vision of the ideal “Representative Assembly”.

Perfecting Representative Assemblies

What is a Proxy?

A “proxy” is a person legally authorized to act on behalf of another person. Giving someone your “proxy” gives the person you designate the authority to represent you – to act as your proxy.

Proxies are not a New Idea

Proxies have long been routinely used by corporations to allow shareholders to designate someone to vote on their behalf at annual shareholder meetings. Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party utilize proxies at meetings of their national and state committees. The U. S. House of Representatives used proxies among its members during the COVID pandemic.

How a System of Proxies for Citizens Would Work

A system of Proxies for Citizens will allow every citizen who is eligible to vote to assign a proxy to any one member of each legislative body that governs them, authorizing them to vote on their behalf, and then give each legislator a number of votes equal to the number of proxies they have been assigned, plus one for themselves, on all matters voted on in that legislative body. (Including votes in committees and procedural votes.)

To maximize the benefits of implementing systems of proxies, citizens should be able to reassign their proxies at any time. This would allow Politically Active Citizens to vote (indirectly) on legislation related to issues of concern.

To assign, or reassign a proxy, simple form could be completed and submitted electronically (or a paper form could be completed and mailed to the appropriate government official).

Implementing a system of Proxies for Citizens in the U. S. House of Representatives could be done with simple legislation. Implementing a system of proxies in the U. S. Senate would require a constitutional amendment because Article I, Section 3 of our Constitution stipulates that “each Senator shall have one vote” and Article V states that “no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.” The details of the legislation needed to implement Proxies for Citizens in state legislatures will vary from state to state but will not face an obstacle like that faced regarding the U. S. Senate in any state.

The Many Benefits of Proxies for Citizens

The many benefits that will flow from implementing systems of Proxies for Citizens may not be immediately apparent to most people. Proxies are not a new idea but using proxies as a way for citizens to choose who represents them in Congress and their state legislature is a fundamental and transformative alteration of politics-as-usual.

Most Americans realize that our political system is rigged in favor of special interests and fails to “promote the general Welfare”, but many people are uncomfortable with change. Implementing a system of Proxies for Citizens might seem like a major change, but a system of proxies can be implemented as a simple add-on to the system that is in place. And this relatively minor change would have many major positive impacts on our political system.

Politically Active Citizens will be represented by someone who votes as they would vote.

To fully realize Adams’ vision of the ideal representative assembly and make Congress and state legislatures exact portraits, in miniature, of the people at large, every citizen within a state, and within the nation, must be represented by a senator and a representative who thinks, feels, reasons, and acts as they do and, most importantly, votes as they would vote.

Within our present electoral system voters have very limited choices regarding who will represent them in Congress and their state legislature.

The way we conduct our elections – a “winner-take-all” system with plurality winners and single-member congressional and legislative districts – virtually ensures that we will have a duopoly (a system dominated by two major parties). That leaves many voters feeling that they are being forced to choose between the “lesser of two evils”.

In our present political system, states, not people, are represented in the U. S. Senate and congressional districts, not people, are represented in the U. S. House of Representatives. In state legislatures, legislative districts are represented, not people.

Nearly all congressional and legislative districts have been “gerrymandered” to strongly favor one or the other of the two major parties. With less than ten percent of the elections for members of Congress and state legislatures being competitive, most voters are left with something worse than a choice between the lesser of two evils – no meaningful choice at all.

In our bitterly divided two-party system, Republicans living in a state or district with a Democratic senator or representative do not feel represented. And Democrats living in a state or district with a Republican senator or representative do not feel represented. Citizens who do not identify with either major party often do not feel represented in Congress or their state legislature regardless of whether they are “represented” by a Democrat or a Republican. And even Democrats represented by Democrats and Republicans represented by Republicans, often find that their senators and representatives do not always vote the way they would vote on issues of concern to them.

Without making any other changes to our electoral and political systems, implementing a system of proxies will greatly increase the number of choices citizens have regarding who represents them in Congress and state legislatures. Instead of choosing between one or two viable candidates appearing on the ballot in the legislative district in which they reside, citizens will be able to assign their proxies to any of the 435 members in the U. S. House; any one of 100 senators; and any one of the senators and representatives their state legislature, authorizing them to act as their representatives and vote on their behalf. Every citizen will not only feel represented - citizens will truly be represented. And every senator and representative in Congress and a state legislature, will truly represent every citizen who has chosen them as their proxy.

Power is shared equally and as broadly as possible

Systems of proxies for citizens will bring one of the major characteristics of direct democracy within a system of representation - power will be broadly and equally shared among all Politically Active Citizens.

The truth of Lord Acton’s famous observation that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” has been consistently confirmed by experience. “Separation of powers” is a concept that was a small step in the right direction regarding minimizing corruption. In a true democracy, power is shared equally among all the politically active citizens of a community, state, or nation. In a direct democracy, that broad and equal distribution of power is accomplished by every politically active citizen having an equal vote. In a representative democracy, that broad and equal distribution of power is accomplished by every politically active citizen having equal representation. Voting has not proven to be an effective method of achieving equal representation. Implementing systems of proxies for citizens will result in equal representation.

Within our present political system, power flows to corporations and plutocrats who contribute most of the money to political campaigns and organizations. Within a system of proxies, power will be broadly and equally distributed among all the citizens who choose to be politically active. An average citizen will have the right to assign a single proxy to a member of each legislative body that governs them. A lobbyist will also have the right to assign a single proxy. Corporations will not be allowed to assign proxies because they are not people (despite the opinions of a handful of Supreme Court justices).

Within a Representative Assembly, power will shift to members who serve the common interest

Within our present system, power in Congress flows to the members with seniority and the members who raise the most money. A system of proxies distributes power within a representative assembly in a manner that increases the power of members you do the best job of representing the will of the people. For that reason, a system of proxies greatly reduces the influence of money within a representative assembly and minimizes the corruption of individual members.

Proxies will bring representative democracy as close as possible to direct democracy

James Madison stressed the importance of votes taken in a “representative assembly” correlating closely with how the people governed by a legislative body would have voted, if voting directly. Allowing every citizen to assign their proxies to the senators and representatives they believe are most likely to vote the way they would vote on issues of concern to them (and reassign their proxies at any time) will result in a near perfect correlation between the way Congress and state legislatures vote and the way the people would have voted, if voting directly.

Proxies for Citizens will also provide a solid foundation for additional reforms and for getting legislation supported by most Americans passed into law.

Proxies will replace gridlock with constructive action

The gridlock that has come to typify politics in Washington, D. C. has kept major problems from being solved and issues from being addressed. Proxies will provide concerned citizens with the means of breaking the gridlock in D. C. and getting major pieces of legislation passed.

Within the system that is in place, very little, if any, of the legislation favored by the people is likely to pass. Certainly not anytime soon. Once a system of Proxies for Citizens is implemented, in both houses of Congress (or in a state legislature) all the legislation favored by the people will be enacted in short order.

Utilizing the website Congress.gov (or other websites providing similar information), citizens will be able to learn which members of Congress have sponsored and cosponsored legislation they would like to see passed and reassign their proxies to one of those members (when necessary) to build the support needed to get critically needed legislation enacted. By focusing on one piece of legislation at a time, we will be able to end the gridlock that has paralyzed Congress for decades.

Citizens will have equal representation within a system of proxies

Implementing a system of Proxies for Citizens will immediately result in the achievement of the most essential element of representative democracy – equal representation for all citizens. Every citizen will have one proxy to assign to any one member of each legislative body that governs them. Lobbyists and billionaires will be able to assign one proxy to one member of each legislative body. So will average citizens.

“Equal interests among the people” will have “equal interest” in each legislative body.

Systems of Proxies for Citizens will ensure that those citizens who take advantage of the opportunity to assign proxies will have equal representation and bring Congress and state legislatures much closer to John Adams’ vision of the ideal representative assembly, ensuring that every politically active citizen is represented by legislators who vote as they would vote and that “equal interests among the people” have “equal interest” in Congress and their state legislature, making them a much more accurate “portrait” of “the people at large”.

Direct democracy is sometimes referred to as “pure democracy” because each citizen has an equal vote and votes directly as their community, state, or nation makes political decisions collectively.

The present system is also unfair to well-intentioned senators and representatives at both the state and federal level, who are left with the impossible task of attempting to represent all the people who live in the district they represent – people with an extremely diverse range of thoughts, opinions, and concerns. (A situation that is even more impossible for members of the U. S. Senate, who theoretically represent all the people in the state they represent.)

Proxies address all the major problems with our elections

A system of proxies for citizens will put an end to the duopoly (making political parties less relevant), neutralize the effects of gerrymandering, and minimize the effects of money.

It would still be a good idea to implement ranked choice voting combined with multiple member districts – which would provide a more diverse membership in legislative bodies, giving citizens a wider and better range of choices when assigning their proxies.

Proxies will provide instant relief for citizens who are the victims of voter suppression or gerrymandering, ensuring that they will still be represented in Congress and their state legislature. Citizens who are discouraged from voting by tactics such as having a limited number of polling places or voting machines (making it necessary to stand in line for hours to cast your votes), having been purged from the voting rolls, or requirements for photo identification that they do not possess, will still be represented by simply assigning their proxies.

Proxies will shift the focus of civic activity to issues instead of politicians

It is easy to vilify and demonize politicians and many of them invest a considerable amount of time and money attacking their opponents. Proxies will make it clear that the most important quality to look for in a senator or representative is that they share your views, values, and concerns – and most importantly vote as you would vote. That will shift the focus of politics in America to resolving issues and solving problems instead of quarrelling endlessly without ever getting anything meaningful accomplished.

When discussing and debating issues, being respectful increases your chances of persuading enough people to agree with you to get issues resolved and problems addressed in the manner you support. Over time, a focus on issues will unite our deeply and bitterly divided nation.

As more and more voters utilize their proxies in this manner, the focus of both legislators and media will shift from endless arguments and posturing by politicians to legislators proposing solutions to the problems we face as a nation (and in the states) and debating the pros and cons of each proposed solution. The response of the citizenry to various ideas put forward by our elected representatives will be tangible and objective – evidenced by the increases and decreases in the number of proxies held by legislators on both sides of an issue. That will shift the focus of political activity away from politicians and personalities to issues of concern - a much more constructive focus for political activity and media attention than which candidates have raised the most money and which candidates are ahead in the polls in the midst of one ugly, angry election after another.

Proxies will make being in harmony with the will of the people, not money or seniority, the source of power for legislators

Within our present system, the amount of power a legislator wields is strongly correlated to how much money they have raised and how long they have been in office (seniority). Within such a system, money is the dominant factor who is elected and reelected.

Within a proxy system, power will flow to legislators who hold the most proxies. Legislators who show leadership on key issues and help get legislation supported by a majority of the citizenry enacted will attract more proxies. Legislators who do not demonstrate leadership or who vote “with a view to the private interest” will see the number of proxies they hold shrink appreciably over time. The amount of money a legislator has raised will be of little interest to voters focused on actually and effectively addressing the problems we face as a nation. Making leadership on key issues, rather than raising the most money or seniority, the key to gaining power and remaining in office will be appealing to politicians who ran for office and serve for the right reasons.

To the extent that politically active citizens utilize objective information regarding what members of a legislative body introduce, cosponsor, and vote for the legislation they (each citizen) would like to see passed (and such information is readily available at Congress.gov and other websites), voting in harmony with the will of the people, not raising huge amount of money will be the primary way for a legislator to increase their power.

A legislator who introduces, cosponsors, and votes for popular legislation will see the number of proxies they have been assigned increase. A legislator who opposes popular legislation will see the number of proxies they have been assigned decrease.

Making leadership on key issues, rather than raising the most money or seniority, the key to gaining power and remaining in office will be appealing to politicians who ran for office for the right reasons – to govern with a view to the common interest.

The number of proxies each senator and representative has been assigned will be a powerful indicator of how closely they are aligning with the will of the people. With more voters focusing on each legislator’s voting record and record of support for the legislation favored by voters, the amount of money a candidate has raised will become less of a factor in reelection campaigns. Incumbents who are not in harmony with the will of the people will be easier to replace. Tallying the number of proxies each legislator has been assigned will make it easy to identify the legislators who are truly serving the common interest. Those members of Congress will not only have more power, but they will also have the inside track on leadership positions and justifiably be less likely to be voted out of office.

Power to the People

A system of proxies for citizens and will enable grassroots activists to join forces and utilize proxies to build support for legislation. A grassroots movement among the citizenry led by politically oriented grassroots organizations could focus on one piece of major legislation at a time (a federal job guarantee, a public option for health care, et cetera), with citizens giving their proxies to legislators who are sponsoring bills. Once the sponsors of a bill collectively hold a majority of the proxies, legislation favored by the citizenry will be passed into law. That is what democracy looks like.

Grassroots movements and political activists will be empowered

Proxies will empower active citizens and political organizations to build support for major pieces of legislation by reassigning their proxies as necessary, moving them to members of Congress and state legislatures who have demonstrated their support by introducing or cosponsoring the desired legislation. Once a majority of the members of a legislative body have signed on as cosponsors, the legislation can be brought to a vote and enacted.

Proxies will provide instant and continual accountability for legislators

Frequent elections have been the most common means of holding our elected “representatives” accountable. But the shortest term of office is two years for members of Congress and the House of Representatives in most state legislatures. U. S. senators serve six-year terms. And four-year terms are common for senators at the state level. Rather than citizens having to wait for an election that may be nearly two, four, or six years away to register their displeasure with legislators who are failing to keep their campaign promises or opposing legislation favored by a majority of the people of a state or of the nation, a system of Proxies for Citizens, empowering citizens to reassign their proxies at any time, would create a system of instant and continual accountability.

There is also a major drawback to frequent elections. Legislators end up spending inordinate amounts of time raising money for their campaigns and campaigning for reelection instead of legislating. This is especially true for members of the U. S. House of Representatives, who serve two-year terms and must engage in fundraising nearly non-stop if they wish to remain in office.

Proxies are a better way than frequent elections to hold our elected representatives accountable. Legislators who fail to keep their campaign promise or act in harmony with the will of the citizens who have given them their proxies would see the number of proxies they have been assigned decrease immediately. Conversely, legislators who are actively promoting and supporting legislation favored by the citizenry would see the number of proxies they have been assigned increase immediately. With enough citizens acting collectively, dramatic swings in the number of proxies held by each senator or representative would reward legislators who are responsive to the will of the people.

Proxies will enable citizens to immediately and effectively withdraw their support from a legislator by reassigning their proxy.

Proxies are the best way to obtain the consent of the governed

The Declaration of Independence says that governments derive their "just powers" from "the consent of the governed” but does not go into the details of how the consent of the governed is to be obtained. The implicit (and reasonable) assumption is that the “governed” give their consent through voting but the many problems plaguing our elections have rendered voting ineffective as the means of obtaining the consent of the governed. Giving every citizen a proxy that can be assigned to any member of the legislative bodies that govern them is the best means of properly obtaining the “consent of the governed”.

Voting has always been assumed to be the means by which governments obtain the consent of the governed. Voting has not proven to be a very reliable means of properly obtaining the consent of the governed. Assigning proxies is another way for “the governed" to give their consent. Implementing systems of proxies for citizens is certain to be a significant improvement over the present system and almost certain to be the means of achieving the form of a perfect democracy within a system of representation.

The role of a representative within a system of proxies

Within a representative assembly in which a system of proxies for citizens has been implemented, a representative will have the same choice that she or he does now. They can vote as her or his constituents want them to vote, regardless of their own personal beliefs or preferences. Or they can attempt to refine the opinions of voters and vote their conscience.

The problem within our present political system is that the true constituents of most members of Congress are the corporatists and plutocrats who write the big checks that help them raise the enormous amounts of money necessary to get elected and then reelected continually.

Proxies will forge a stronger link between citizens and their representatives.

Proxies will make it clear that the legislators to whom we assign our proxies are casting votes on our behalf. With that being the case, more citizens will pay closer attention to how legislators are voting, especially to the way the representatives they have chosen are voting on legislation addressing issues of concern to them. Any citizen who disagrees with the way the legislators to whom they have assigned their proxies cast their votes will be free to reassign their proxies to legislators who will vote the way they would vote. This will ensure that all citizens will not only feel represented but will be represented.

Citizens will be represented as soon as they turn eighteen or become naturalized.

Depending on where your eighteenth birthday or naturalization falls within election cycles for various offices, it may be up to two years before you can vote for who will represent you in the House of Representatives and as many as four to six years before you can vote for both senators from your state. With a system of proxies in place, citizens will be represented immediately upon turning eighteen or becoming a naturalized citizen.

Proxies are the best form of proportional representation

At the time Adams wrote, the term “proportional representation” meant that the number of seats each state had in a representative assembly was based on the population of each state, with larger states having more seats. Adams’ use of the phrase “equal interests among the people should have equal interest in it”, may be the earliest expression of the modern concept of “proportional representation”.

One of the primary reasons many European nations score higher than America on the Democracy Index (and do a better job of representing the will of the people) is that they have adopted some form of proportional representation. We have not.

A government with a system of representation is only a “representative democracy” if it is a true democracy. If we want to make America a true democracy, we must adopt some form of proportional representation in Congress and state legislatures.

Ranked Choice Voting, combined with multiple-member districts or at-large elections, would be a significant improvement. Implementing systems of Proxies for Citizens would be even better. And combining Proxies for Citizens with Ranked Choice Voting and multiple-member districts would be the best possible solution.

No need to change your proxy if you are satisfied.

Citizens who feel well represented and who are happy with their senators and representatives would not need to change their proxies as long as their chosen representatives are willing and able to remain in office. Many citizens, especially those with who have a minimal interest in politics, will choose a representative who consistently votes the way that voter would vote, or who, at a minimum, does not cast any votes to which a voter strenuously objects, and leave their proxy with that legislator.

Proxies will make elections less important.

Elections are expensive for governments to conduct. They are even more expensive for candidates. Raising enough money to win elections has become a major part of the job for most of our elected officials and is a major source of corruption. Members of Congress and state legislatures spend inordinate amounts of time “dialing for dollars” and attending an endless circuit of fundraising events. And, as mentioned above, the way we conduct our elections is deeply flawed.

Proxies will alleviate the need for such frequent elections. We could amend the Constitution to give legislators longer terms, which would reduce the pressure to raise money non-stop and allow legislators to focus on legislating.

How a system of proxies is likely to evolve over time

Many Americans who are eligible to vote, do not vote because they believe (with considerable justification) that their votes do not matter. Disengaged voters and low-information voters who pay little or no attention to politics may not even be aware at first that a system of proxies has been implemented. Minimally engaged voters may be aware that a system of proxies has been implement, but not fully understand how the system works or appreciate the opportunity they have been given to be truly represented in Congress or their state legislature.

The concept of geographic representation, with the voters of each congressional district, legislative district, and/or state electing representatives and senators who also reside in their state and/or district, is deeply embedded in American politics. Given the opportunity to choose any member of Congress or a state legislature as their representative, many citizens will simply assign their proxies to the legislators elected from their state and districts, especially when they identify as a member of the same political party as the candidates who are elected to represent their state and district.

The first major increase in awareness of, and appreciation for the benefits of proxies will come when voters who did not vote for the winning candidates exercise the option of assigning their proxies to someone other than the senators and representatives elected from their state and districts. The power of proxies will begin to show itself, when Democrats living in Republican states and districts and Republicans living in Democratic states and districts realize they can assign their proxies to any member of each legislative body that governs them.

As the many benefits of a system of proxies become apparent, especially the fact that citizens who have assigned proxies to legislators are getting to vote, albeit indirectly, on the legislation voted on in Congress and state legislatures, will, at some point, dramatically increase interest in civic participation and lead to a dramatic (and very beneficial) increase in civic engagement.

In the deeply and bitterly divided political climate we are in at present, when Republicans living in states and districts represented by Democrats and Democrats residing in states and districts represented by Republicans realize they can assign their proxies to a member of their own party, and engage in the process of deciding which member of their party they will choose as their senator or representative, and fully realize that they can assign their proxy to any member of each legislative body, the revolutionary nature of implementing a system of Proxies for Citizen will sink in immediately.

Voters who belong to minor parties and independent voters will, likewise, be extremely excited to discover that if there is a single member in a representative assembly that governs them who votes as they would vote on the issues of concern to them, they too will be truly represented.

And the most excited group of all will be political activists who devote a significant amount of time and money working to get issues they care about addressed. They will find that by focusing on one issue at a time and assigning their proxies to the cosponsors of legislation they are working to get enacted; they will experience something they rarely experience within the present system – success.

Proxies will increase civic engagement

When the full range of blessings that will flow as a result of making America a perfect democracy begin to shine brightly, citizens across the political spectrum, with varying levels of political engagement, who may not fully appreciate the benefits of implementing systems of Proxies for Citizens until such a system is put in place, will be energized in ways that are scarcely imaginable within our present corrupted, gridlocked, broken, and dysfunctional system.

Even with a system of proxies in place, Congress and state legislatures will not be perfect portraits of the people at large. Some citizens who are eligible to vote, and therefore eligible to assign proxies, will not bother to do so. It is also difficult to determine precisely how another person thinks, feels, or reasons. Within a representative democracy, the important shared attribute is that politically active citizens are able to assign proxies and reassign them as necessary, to ensure that they are, in effect, voting on the legislation that is voted on. The important act within a representative assembly, is that the senator or representative to whom you have given your proxy votes as you would vote on issues of concern to you.

Proxies will make elections less important

Elections are expensive for governments to conduct. They are expensive for candidates. Raising enough money to win elections has become a major part of the job for most of our elected officials and is a major source of corruption. Members of Congress and state legislatures spend inordinate amounts of time “dialing for dollars” and attending an endless circuit of fundraising events. And, as mentioned above, the way we conduct our elections is deeply flawed.

Selection Days Could Replace Election Days

One of the most interesting features of a system of proxies is that proxies work very well with or without elections as part of the system. We will reap tremendous benefits from implementing a system without changing anything else about our electoral or political systems. We could reap significant additional benefits by replacing election days with “selection days” in determining who serves in Congress or a state legislature.

It would be wise to give people time to adjust to the rather significant change resulting from implementing Proxies for Citizens before putting the idea of doing away with elections for members of Congress and state legislatures up for a vote, but selection by proxies could replace elections as a means of selecting members of legislatures.

Legislation could be passed stipulating that the seat in each congressional district (and legislative district for state legislatures) is to be held by the person residing in each district who holds the greatest number of proxies from citizens who reside in the same district. Citizens would still be able to assign their proxies to legislators residing in other states and districts, but those proxies would not count in determining who would represent each state or district.

Despite the fact that most citizens of the United States recognize that our government is broken and dysfunctional, many people are uncomfortable with change. Implementing a system of proxies for citizens might seem like a major change, but it really isn’t. Proxies can be implemented as a simple add-on to the system that is in place, making Congress and state legislatures more democratic by ensuring that they reflect the will of the people - with or without other reforms to the manner in which we conduct elections. And this relatively minor change would have a large number of major positive impacts on our political system.

If we simply hold our elections as usual, with no changes at all, and then give citizens a proxy that can be assigned to any member of the legislative bodies that govern them, a system of proxies would be very beneficial. Proxies would address, neutralize, and/or negate all of the problems with our elections by giving every citizen the right to be represented by any of the 435 members of the U. S. House of Representatives, any of the 100 members of the U. S. Senate, and any of the members in both the House and Senate in their state legislature.

With this being the case, proxies will provide instant relief for citizens who are the victims of voter suppression or gerrymandering, ensuring that they will still be represented in Congress and their state legislature. Citizens who are discouraged from voting by tactics such as having a limited number of polling places or voting machines (making it necessary to stand in line for hours to cast your votes), having been purged from the voting rolls, or requirements for photo identification that they do not possess, will still be represented by simply assigning their proxies. Proxies will allow voters who want to be represented by someone who resides in their state or district will be free to choose a representative on the basis of geography, while those who care more about other criteria will be free to assign their proxies to legislators who live in other states or districts.

Once a system of proxies is in place and seen to be working as anticipated, with proxies making frequent elections unnecessary, even if we decide we want to continue electing legislators, we could and should amend our constitutions to give longer terms to legislators who currently serve two-year terms, especially in Congress. Holding elections less frequently would not only reduce to the cost of conducting elections for the government but would reduce the amount of money that candidates need to raise, which would, in turn, significantly decrease the corrupting influence of money.

If we are going to continue having elections, we should also implement ranked choice voting, combined with at-large elections or multi-member districts. That would give citizens a more diverse group of legislators to choose from in Congress and state legislatures when assigning their proxies.

Pure Selection

The best system of all would be to forego even having elections for Congress and state legislatures, using selection by proxies to determine who serves in a legislative body. Instead of election days, we would have selection days, a designated day where the candidates with the most proxies would be awarded seats in a legislative body. This could be done by districts or at-large. At large selection would maximize the choices for citizens. People interested in serving in Congress or their state legislature could register to serve in much the same manner as candidates now file to run for office. They would then reach out to their fellow citizens, letting them know that they have filed to serve and can have proxies assigned to them. The citizens willing and wanting to serve as legislators would presumably provide their fellow citizens with information regarding the issues they view as being of most concern and how they would vote on those issues. As designated “selection days” approach, citizens who believe someone seeking their proxy would be more likely to vote as they would vote could reassign their proxies. If a non-incumbent holds more proxies on a given selection day than the incumbent for a particular seat or legislative body, the incumbent would be replaced.

Using selection rather than elections to determine who serves in Congress or a state legislature would save the government the expense of conducting elections, dramatically reduce the amount of money that needs to be raised to be selected to serve as a legislator, completely eliminate the ugly “attack ads” that dominate the airwaves as election days approach, shift the focus from politicians and personalities to how legislators vote on issues of concern to voters, and distribute control of a legislature to the legislators who vote as citizens would vote on issues of concern to the citizenry.

With some Republicans actively working to undermine faith in our elections. The fact that proxies could render elections unnecessary could make simply doing away with elections a more appealing option.

A primary consideration between these various alternatives should be how much change a majority of the citizenry is willing to make, or at least comfortable with making. It might be advisable to introduce proxies initially without making any changes with regard to elections. Sooner or later, as citizens come to realize that proxies do render elections unnecessary, the benefits of having selection days rather than election days would outweigh concerns about such a change being too much of a change.

Resources for People in Assigning Proxies

As a service to its members and a disservice to citizens who want to hold politicians accountable, Congress works in ways that make it difficult to assess the voting record of incumbents. Many issues are never brought to a vote, especially in the U. S. Senate with the abuse of the filibuster. Amendments are attached to bills that are unrelated to the issues addressed by the amendments simply as a means of getting legislation passed in a system that makes it difficult to pass major legislation and easy to defend the status quo. Our system of “checks and balances” could just as easily be called “Gridlock by design.”

Voting records are also, by their very nature, focused on the past. That often gives a sense of how a legislator might vote in the future, but people do change – sometimes even politicians.

Information that helps anticipate how a legislator will vote in the future, especially on matters of particular concern to each of us as citizens is much more useful in deciding which legislators are most likely to vote as we would vote on particular issues. In that regard, information regarding who has introduced legislation and which legislators have signed on as cosponsors is particularly useful and can be obtained at the official website - Congress.gov – among other places.

Numerous political organizations already keep track of which legislators do and do not support various reforms, laws, policies, or programs.

All this information is more readily available for members of Congress than for state legislators, but in states that implement a proxy system that would almost certainly change rapidly.

We already have web sites that help voters decide which candidates to vote for by entering information regarding your position on issues and matching that with candidates’ positions on the issues. Using voting records or co-sponsorship of various pieces of legislation in the same manner would make it easy for citizens to figure out which members of Congress or a state legislature would be most likely to vote the same way they would vote on the issues that are of most concern to each voter.

Once you get past the typical landing page asking you to make a campaign contribution and/or volunteer, the web sites for most candidates offer detailed information about a candidate’s position on issues of concern.

A "republican form of government"

Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution of the United States guarantees every state in the Union a “republican form of government”, but the government of the United States has not been able to keep that promise. If we define a republic as a representative democracy, with the attendant caveat that the legislature should reflect the will of the people, there is not a truly republican form of government in place in any state at present. The only way the federal government could “guarantee” the states a “republican form of government” would be to exercise its authority under Article IV, Section 4, to impose a system of proxies in every state. That is not the best way, or the proper way, to go about instituting proxies. Any state where the citizens are willing to do the work of getting a system of proxies in place will be instantly transformed into a true republic.

The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: A Citizen's Guide to Making America a Perfect Democracy by Winston Apple.

Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights are Reserved.

This website is paid for by Perfect Democracy - a 501(c)4 political action committee.

Government by the People