I always find it interesting how, when MAGA supporters are pressed on whether they think that Donald Trump’s actions represent a threat to democracy, they often retort, “The United States is a republic, not a democracy.” Not only are they missing the point and focusing on unimportant semantics while the larger threats to our freedoms remain unchecked, but they are also revealing that they don’t understand that a republic is simply one variety of democracy and that the two are not mutually exclusive. The definition of a republic is a representative democracy. However, this distinction usually seems to be lost on them.
I wonder, however, if being a republic is still the best alternative for the United States. Could modern technology make direct democracy feasible for our nation? Would the implementation of a direct democracy be one way out of the mess we currently find ourselves in as a result of our dysfunctional Congress and a corrupt and illegally stacked Supreme Court? I believe that advances in artificial intelligence, digital security, and biometric identification now make it possible to imagine a practical system of direct democracy that would give citizens a far greater voice in governing themselves.
Back in 1787, when the United States’ Constitution was written a representative democracy made sense. The population, although smaller than today, was geographically dispersed, communication was slow, and elections were difficult to conduct. Today, however, technology has changed everything. With the advent of the internet and smartphones, information can be distributed instantly. Additionally, even though experts agree that Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud are completely unfounded, perhaps it is time to retire the antiquated voting system with the digital identify verification technology that facilitates secure online banking and other commercial activities. If technology has transformed every other part of society, why should our political system remain largely unchanged?
I am envisioning a modern direct democracy in which every citizen would be automatically enrolled upon their eighteenth birthday. This would eliminate voter registration hurdles and would allow young people to begin to view voting as a normal expectation of adulthood. Smart phones are commonplace among 18-year-old Americans and biometric technology such as fingerprint and/or facial recognition already exists. It would seem that the combination of biometrics and multi-factor authentication would provide protection against fraud and duplicate voting. The emphasis should be on making voting both secure and effortless.
Another major problem with the current system is that not everyone takes the time to become an informed voter. Artificial intelligence technology could be used to help. While AI would not become a replacement for human judgement, I believe that AI could go a long way in providing voters with clear and unbiased information to enable them to make better voting decisions.
For example, each citizen could create a profile indicating which issues matter most to them. Environmental protection, taxes, education, immigration, gun rights, healthcare, labor rights, and privacy might be some of the issues from which citizens could choose. Whenever legislation is being proposed, AI could send a detailed, but plain-English analysis to citizens before voting begins. Perhaps, the analysis could even be interactive with voters able to ask about estimated costs, who the law will benefit, who will bear the costs, and potential secondary impacts.
AI might also be able to provide a “values alignment score” showing how closely a piece of proposed legislation matches each citizen’s stated priorities. For example, “This bill aligns with approximately 86% of the values you’ve identified as most important.” The voter could then opt to read more details, disagree with the AI assessment, change their preferences, and vote “Yes” or “No.”
There could also be the potential for proposed legislation to be improved by the citizenry with the help of AI before the law is put to a vote. AI could identify ambiguous wording, conflicting provisions, possible unintended consequences, and potential constitutional violations. It could be programmed to suggest improvements to the laws which voters could then submit to lawmakers, giving everyone the ability to suggest amendments and revisions to the laws that would directly affect their lives.
This collaborative process would help to eliminate many of structural distortions that plague our representative political system today. Allowing citizens to play a larger role in the legislative process lessens the importance of the congressional district maps. Party affiliation becomes less central to the process and gerrymandering loses its power. Candidates for all offices would be forced to compete on competence rather than party loyalty.
Although AI could revolutionize the voting process in the United States, it is important to acknowledge that no system is perfect. There would need to be strict protection against cyberattacks and constant monitoring to ensure that AI remains politically neutral. Ensuring voter privacy would be of the utmost importance and there would need to be safeguards to prevent misinformation by media or wealthy individuals operating through SuperPACs from unduly influencing public opinion. While these concerns are real, they need not be insurmountable.
I honestly believe that a change like this could strengthen democracy in myriad ways. Voters would be more informed and more engaged. There will be fewer opportunities for partisan gridlock. Legislation would more accurately reflect the will of the people and the politicians that did remain would be more accountable to the constituents.
For more than 200 years, the United States has relied on a representative form of government with decidedly mixed results. However, if secure technology and artificial intelligence can empower millions of citizens to thoughtfully participate in self-governance perhaps it is time to trust “We, the people” to guide our own destinies.
quietlyradical 