The Merriam-Webster dictionary simply defines democracy as “government by the people”. What if, through technology, we could extend that definition… literally? If the incredible success of the Obama political machine, which leveraged an unprecedented amount of social networking technology to galvanize a grassroots movement, can be termed Politics 2.0, then I propose Politics 3.0, where technology enables constituents to vote securely online on every issue that will be presented at your political assembly of choice, e.g., city council, parliament, congress, senate.
Your elected representative takes the results of the online votes, along with the strongest supporting arguments (determined Digg-style), and presents them at the appropriate assembly. Your elected official becomes bound to the voice of the majority in his/her riding, immediately removing any chance of ambiguity or influence by lobbyists and other special interest groups.
A secure authentication system and process that could enable such a system doesn’t yet exist… but it will, eventually. Our next generation of politicians, who are growing up today under the influence of Web 2.0, will embrace this approach. Within the next 5 years, look for a candidate that will define his/her platform using this very approach (or variation thereof) running for City Council, Congress or Parliament.
Filed under: On Demand, Technology , Politics
