Interactive Representation

INTERACTIVE REPRESENTATION

The Concept

If a representative and his/her constituents all share the same values, and he can communicate with them regularly to explain his actions, the representative is in the best possible position to justify creative solutions to difficult issues. So each representative is more likely to work with representatives for other groups to develop creative solutions.

IR Elections

What is the most practical way to forge this strong link between each representative and his/her constituents? The answer is easiest to visualize on a small scale. Say the residents of a small town want to elect a town council that will represent them as effectively as possible. For that purpose, the whole town meets in a large hall. Each resident who wants to be on the council hands out copies of his or her platform to the whole crowd. The person running the meeting then asks everyone present to gather around their favorite candidate. When everyone has gotten to their first choice, the emcee asks the candidate with the smallest following and each of the people gathered around him to make a second choice. Then, the emcee asks the next candidate with the fewest backers to step down. She and each of her supporters go to their next choices. And so on, until the number of candidates left equals the number of council seats.

Of course, limiting the number of council seats means that some people in the town will not be represented exactly as they would like. But, given that the council has to be limited in size, this process of weeding out the least popular candidates one by one, and giving their backers an opportunity to choose someone else, would ensure that each person in town was represented as well as is practical. Each council member would, in turn, understand and presumably share his or her constituents' political concerns as much as is practical.

Communication

Each council member could then ask his or her constituents to write down their names and addresses, so that after council meetings, each member could send his constituents written reports about what he had done. He could also solicit feedback from them.

One Person, One Vote

Each council member would likely have a different number of constituents. So, to ensure that every citizen's vote counted equally, each council member would have voting power on the council equal to the number of people he/she speaks for.

Motivation

Throughout each council member's term in office, he or she would be aware that, at the next election, his backers would have many other candidates to choose from. So, each council member would likely feel pressure to produce results. The only way to produce results would be to negotiate with the rest of the council.

IR on a Larger Scale

Any community of any size can create this same kind of council, in which each member speaks for a group of constituents who share his or her political orientation. It takes four steps that correspond to the process that this small town used.

First, the community holds an at-large election. That means many candidates compete for all the council seats in one combined election.

Second, each voter gets a "preferential ballot," which means that each voter marks which candidate is their first choice, who is their second choice, and so on.

Third, the ballots are counted just as in the town example: That means, initially, every citizen's first choice vote is counted. The candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated from the running. All the votes for that candidate are redistributed to his voters' second choices. Then, the next candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The votes for her count for the candidates listed next on her ballots. In this way, the lowest drawing candidates are eliminated one by one - until the number of candidates left equals the number of council seats. (Of course, these ballots can be counted by computer to produce the final tally shortly after the polls close.)

Fourth, the day after the election, every voter is mailed a card that lists the election winners. Each voter is asked (but not required) to check off the name of the winner they prefer and mail the card to him/her. Thus, each representative gets his constituents' names and addresses. So he can send them regular reports about what he is doing on the council.

Committees

Lawmakers themselves can use a preferential ballot to elect their committees. That way, each committee member speaks for a bloc of legislators who share similar views. To advance his or her own bloc's agenda, each committee member needs to negotiate with other committee members. If they reach agreements, each committee member can explain to his or her own faction how the agreements will advance their agenda as much as he can realistically get.

In effect, Interactive Representation has two levels: among legislators, and between legislators and citizens. In both cases, each representative gets constituents who are as politically aligned with him/her as is practical. IR thereby motivates legislators to negotiate until they resolve issues as well as they can. IR also makes lawmakers more accountable. Citizens, in turn, know they will be represented, which gives them more incentives to participate.

With Interactive Representation, the win-lose paradigm might no longer dominate local politics. New, vibrant groups could spring up around real agendas. Every citizen and every policymaker would be motivated to think and solve problems in ways that serve the whole community.

For more information, email dem2000@igc.org