Putting the E in Democracy

In my first blog posting on Turn up the Silence, I wrote about the phenomenon known as the democratic deficit. At that point, I wanted to broach the topic in the context of evangelizing for the voice of the customer.

Now, I think it's time to re-explore that topic. Last week, a colleague was speaking to a group of us about Nicholas Negroponte's seminal work, Being Digital, placing particular emphasis on the concept of transmuting atoms into bits--that is, replacing analogue and tactile ways of doing work and leisure with digital simulacra.

Looking around the room, I saw Blackberry's lighting up, iPods idling on desks, and literally twenty workstations bound together with RJ-45 cable, and I thought: dude, you're preaching to the converted. Few other segments of society went digital quicker than industry. Indeed, most companies have long had CTOs on the payroll just to ensure that they haven't obsolesced. I though to myself: he should be giving this presentation over on Parliament Hill.

Talking about governments and technology (other than in a military context) means stepping into an alternate world, where paper is still king. After all, we still scribble a check-mark on a piece of paper inside a ballot box to elect our leaders--an outdated means of communicating opinion, ignorant of the technological revolutions that have transformed the developed world in the last quarter century. A simple question: why isn't the internet being leveraged to make participatory democracy stronger and more user-friendly?

I'm not talking about grassroots online fund raising efforts or quixotic environmentalists that scribble manifestos on each other's walls in Facebook. I'm talking about transforming the most iconic signifier of political freedom--the act of voting--into a thoroughly digital process.

Electronic voting seems to me too beautiful an idea to pass up, with potentially wonderful implications for the 18 to 24 crowd. I can imagine a world where the participation rate in general elections is limited only to the market penetration of the internet, rather than the sub-50% youth turnout we've seen lately. It could go a long way towards turning back the political cynicism and apathy that have plagued the American and Canadian electorates.

Maybe I'm dreaming here, but I can also imagine a future where there are no more legislators and where every decision--be it a budget, an immigration bill, or a decision for war--can be put forward directly to the people in the form of an electronic referendum.

Yes, I think I'm dreaming there, and if any hackers are reading this, they're probably salivating over the thought of the political disruption they could carry out. I can't emphasize enough, however, my firm belief that the Internet can be the vehicle through which democracy itself matures even further. Businesses have been leveraging its potential for close to a decade; it's time now for governments to get on board.