迈克尔·瓦奎兹（Michael Vazquez）: 我们应该让随机抽选的人取代政治家吗？

我们应该让随机抽选的人取代政治家吗？

选举是保障每位公民都拥有平等政治发言权的工具。但这所谓的“平权利器”常常遭到腐败、党派分歧、盲目选民的侵蚀。这就是为什么一些最早期、最著名的民主实践者采用了另一个方式：抽签选举。迈克尔·瓦奎兹（Michael Vazquez）探索了这种制度如何解决当代民主中一些最显著的问题。
[由阿维·奥夫（Avi Ofer）执导，艾迪森·安德森（Addison Anderson）解说，WORKPLAYWORK 的塞姆·米斯里格鲁（Cem Misirlioglu）、米娅·提奥多拉斯（Mia Theodoratus）配乐]

Elections are meant to give every citizen an equal voice, yet they often result in power favoring the wealthy and well-connected. Ancient Athens addressed such pitfalls by choosing most lawmakers through a lottery system called sortition, which prioritized political equality but excluded many groups. Today, a modern version called lottocracy proposes randomly selecting citizens for specialized assemblies, offering training before they make policy decisions. This approach could counteract unequal representation, special interest influence, and political incompetence, but it also raises questions about legitimacy and public accountability.

Random Selection Can Revitalize Modern Democracy’s Flawed Elections

The idea of electing leaders is widely seen as essential to democracy, yet elections often reward the wealthy and connected. Ancient Athens chose most officials by lottery, believing sortition gave ordinary citizens a real say in government. Today, some propose reviving this method to address inequality, special interest influence, and policy expertise. At one point, half of US Congress members were millionaires, highlighting the deep divide between politicians and the public.