Philosophy Now Forum

Under Evensonomics, there would be two fundamental changes in voting. First of all, everybody is entitled to cast a vote. It doesn't matter who you are or what your age. This includes convicts and children in utero (their votes to be cast by a surrogate if necessary). Secondly, the usual procedure of everybody casting a vote belongs in the dustbin of history. Besides a high percentage of voters not even bothering to vote (and for good reason), there is also a high potential for error tabulation and voter fraud. The modern way to conduct a democratic election is to have a reputable market research firm like the A.C. Nielsen Company develop a scientific sampling protocol. If it's good enough for TV ratings and measuring the flow of goods through retail establishments, it should be good enough to elect a president.

Democracy only worked in small communities where all knew each other.
It was really a compromise meant to include the disgruntled urban populations of the city-state into the political process.

The precursor to democracy was a far more superior system and it was called Timocracy.

In Timocracy only those who owed productive land could serve in the military and vote or hold office.
An upper limit was established, limiting the lands to be owned, by making the first-born son the only one who could inherit this land.
All other sons were forced to live under the authority of the elder son, once the father was dead, or could go off and establish their own lot in some other city-state.
This placed a limit on how much political power each citizen could have.

In Timocracy those who decided to go to war had to bleed in that war, making them careful when and with whom to fight.