Teaching them to vote more wisely
The TDG will start with about 1% of the population. Maybe less. The people who accept the TDG project will realize that the world really needs a much different democracy. And to get that better democracy, they know they have to cast aside some outdated aspects of today’s voting—and apply the TDG approach.
So these early TDG builders will easily assume the new way of voting. Like voting for good character and capacity for governance. As well, the builders will eschew campaigning: any member that seems to be campaigning for a TDG job should not be voted for. The early TDG builders must base their voting decision along these lines.
The early TDG builders will also know they are building a new political culture. So part of their early duties are consistent reminders of how to vote. These reminders need only be short excerpts somehow placed before all members before the election. Just a few words. Maybe written. Maybe spoken. Maybe both. Just ensure the message gets out at the right time.
The TDG will grow. New people will join this social/political movement. But how will these new members vote? Will they bring in the former ways of voting? Like partisanship, self-interest, or flashy campaign tricks? Such voting could easily upset the good intentions of the early TDG builders—and the TDG becomes just like any version of western democracy. If TDG representatives become elected on these lines, nothing will have been gained by building the TDG.
Some of these new people will readily accept the new ways of voting. They just need to be taught once, and they are already voting similarly as the longer-serving TDG members.
Other new members will not be convinced into this new way of voting. Rather than taking seriously the wording of the voting reminders, they will bring their former ways of voting. They might be looking for a campaigner who tells them things they want to hear. That’s how they will cast their vote.
In the early and middle stages of the TDG, the number of members who have adopted the TDG way of voting will easily outnumber the members who are bringing in the old ways, at least 80% to 20%. So yes, these new members can still vote the way they want. But their numbers won’t overpower the wiser votes. Most TDG representatives will be elected on their character, capacity, and previous service to the community.
Remember that the TDG elections are annual. The errant voters will be getting more exposure to the TDG way of voting. As well, they are seeing the results of the TDG elections first-hand. When these voters see credible representatives are being elected, they will be more agreeable to following the guidance of the TDG voting reminders. If they see an ineffective representative being replaced in the next election, that too will build credibility for the TDG. I estimate it will take three or four election cycles for these voters to understand and internalize how the TDG elections actually work. These voters will now be mature TDG voters. And by joining the ranks of mature voters, the mature voters will continue to dominate any new errant voters.
So let’s expect that some new TDG members will not be voting wisely. But in time, they will be.
The TDG is about deliberately building a new political culture, starting at the bottom.
Published on Medium 2024
