We are brought up to think that voting is important, that it is a necessary condition of being a politically serious person. But, is it really?

Our Western societies are currently afflicted by what we might call “democratic fatigue syndrome,” says David Van Reybrouk. The symptoms include, low voter turnout, declining party membership, governmental impotence, political paralysis, lack of recruitment, compulsive self- promotion, exhausting media stress, widespread public distrust, and populist upheaval.
As a result, democracy is in a bad state. It is not that democracy is the problem. It is not people’s or politicians’ fault. Even with the best intentions those who govern the people without involving them, govern then in only a limited sense. The problem is voting. And we can’t continue to stand still.

David Van Reybrouck suggests an ancient solution: Sortition. It is an ‘aleatory-democratic’ (‘aleatory’ meaning ‘based on chance’) system which is based on the representative system of classical Athenian democracy, and is commonly described as a form of “direct democracy.”

It is a radical and innovative proposal that develops a system of check and balances to avoid the current traps of our democracies, prevents any concentration of power, and above all it brings politics back to the citizens. “The elitist distinction between governors and governed is abolished completely, returning us to the Aristotelian ideal of having people alternate between ruling and being ruled.”

Questioning age-old ideas about elections, representation and the division of powers David Van Reybrouck opens up a discussion, about the ailments and, perhaps, the cure of our political systems. Well worth a read!