Virtual voting districts

Related Articles

 * Governmental Brainstorming
 * Voting Systems
 * Voting in the United States

Shoehorning
"Instead of representation being based on the chunk of land you live on, it would be based on your own interests and concerns." This seems an idea worth exploring further, partly because of the large variety of ways in which it might be implemented, but also because I think it could be shoehorned into the existing system – where it would ultimately create the ability to replace the current system if it seemed to be working well.

It seems to me that if you get enough people together online in support of any cause or a set of values, this gives you a kind of power and a means of negotiation with the holders of more traditional power. The exact means of such negotiation aren't entirely clear to me yet, but imagine Online Group A telling Senator X "if you will vote for Bill Y, I can bring in approximately N voters to support you on {other cause}". This has obvious problems as stated, but I'm pretty sure that it could be further refined into something usable.

In other words, online groups would coalesce around common interests, and then engage in collective bargaining with the existing governmental power structure.

In a way, I see this already beginning to happen via such groups as MoveOn.org, who publicize a cause and set up easy mechanisms for supporters to make their voice heard via tranditional means (e.g. via online petitions).

At-Large Representation
Another variant of this would be that representatives should be elected "at large" and thereby solely represent voters who are in favour of them, taking gerrymandering to its ultimate, much fairer, conclusion. (Suggestion by "firefall", Contrary Brin) Perhaps this is a system which could be implemented once the above "shoehorning" approach has made sufficient progress to be able to effect changes of that scope.

Queries
Is anyone aware of any other non-partisan activist organizations, such as MoveOn.org? Yes, I know they are heavily Democrat/liberal-leaning, but at least they do not seem to make the mistake of labeling themselves as such or automatically rubber-stamping any causes with those labels. Their one serious omission may be that they don't seem to have a forum wherein MoveOn supporters can decide which issues MoveOn should focus on and which side it should take. (Wikipedua quotes CNN "Any member can propose priorities and strategies to which others can respond, and the most-supported ideas rise to the top", but I was not able (2005-10-01) to find any section for discussion. "Signing up" may be required, which (to my way of thinking) should not be necessary, at least just to see that the forums exist and perhaps view some of the postings, if they do in fact exist.