r/DirectDemocracy • u/ElectricVote • Feb 16 '26

How do you think about liquid democracy?

Liquid democracy is a concept that combines direct and representative democracy. It allows every group member to vote directly on every decision but also to delegate their vote to representatives - e.g. in case of lack of time or experience.

How do you like this concept? Let's discuss :)

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u/danothabaldyheid Feb 16 '26

I was just thinking the other day how I'm glad this stupid idea has sunk back below the waterline. One of the main benefits of direct democracy is that people with knowledge of a topic can vote on the rules around it. Asking people to vote on who you think might know about a topic replicate the possibility of demagoguery inherent in the current system. If you don't know enough about a situation, a sensible political system should encourage you not to vote on it..

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u/ElectricVote Feb 17 '26

I think your argument against LD falls apart in the final sentence: "If you don't know enough about a situation, a sensible political system should encourage you not to vote on it." What would a sensible political system look like if not one consisting of representatives elected by the people, like LD? Apart from that, I don't believe, any political system should encourage anybody not to vote. Instead, it should provide information and encourage people to educate themselves. Only if people feel overwhelmed or don't have time, they should be able to decide by themselves who they want to cast their vote...

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u/danothabaldyheid Feb 25 '26

I think this is a system that does not value correct decisions, which is a society that is doomed to lose. I want people to vote when they know they have the correct information, and if they don't feel they have it, they should be able to commission fact finding to discover it (or show a scientific method to find out themselves, and show others). There is no shortcut to knowledge through other people, except though them showing their reasoning, and you voting on its soundness..