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Could a random lottery solve the sociopath problem in American politics? [1]
['Mark Frauenfelder']
Date: 2023-08-28
Stop having elections in the United States, writes Adam Grant in The New York Times. Grant, an organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, proposes using sortition (random lottery) instead of elections to select government officials, including presidents, legislators, governors, and judges.
Experiments show groups make better decisions when leaders are chosen randomly rather than through elections or based on skills, writes Grant. Randomly chosen leaders are more democratic and feel a greater sense of responsibility.
Elections tend to favor candidates with narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic traits, who can be dangerous leaders. Any system that allows someone like George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene, or Ted Cruz to win is broken. A lottery would make it less likely for these types to gain power.
Lotteries would also give equal opportunity to all citizens regardless of status or wealth, eliminate gerrymandering and disputes over the Electoral College, and save money and reduce corruption.
Under Grant's proposal, anyone who can pass a civics test like the ones immigrants take to qualify for citizenship would be eligible to put their name in the lottery pool.
From the piece:
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