Stop Elections! - The Dorylus Principle

The answer to the question of how societies can prevent totalitarianism, dictatorship, and general government overreach is plain and simple to stop elections! Does that sound strange and outlandish to you? If so, then maybe because you were brought up in a system that was already rigged long before you were born. Maybe you were taught to believe that a representative democracy with elected officials and professional civil servants is the best possible way to run a nation. But what if there is a simple solution to most of the world's problems that we are facing today?

Let's face the facts: Disasters like wars and economic crises are only created by a very small group of people and never by the masses. Many of them are deeply disturbed and mentally ill individuals. A random selection of current and past leaders makes this obvious to everyone.

But why do those buffoons very often make it to the top of the political food chain?

The answer is that Psycho- and Sociopaths gain power through decades of carefully developed relationships with other members of their species. Representative democracies with elected public servants, no term limits, and legalized lobbyism are their ideal playground. In such a system, corruption and abuse are inherent.

It does not matter if a nation elects new individuals. The driving forces behind the scenes do not permit any change. Only preselected candidates who are guaranteed to follow the agenda are presented to the public. This must stop if we ever want to make any progress and many of us are long aware of this. But how can we achieve this without an extremely painful and possibly violent revolution? The answer is the Dorylus principle. A straightforward approach to reform any nation peacefully and swiftly and to return the power to the citizens.

A nation-state with a political system following the Dorylus Principle fills positions in administrative bodies (parliaments, city halls, government departments, etc.) with individuals who are randomly selected from the working population through a permanent lottery. Every citizen, independent of education or financial status, is given the chance to serve the state for a time of twelve to eighteen months. At the beginning of his term, the citizen receives thirty to ninety days of training and preparation for the office that he or she will hold for the coming months. During his training period and the official term, the citizen receives a salary according to the position. While he serves, his job in the private economy is protected by law (comparable to USERRA in the United States). Possible financial losses of the citizen or his employer are compensated by the state.

A POLITICAL SYSTEM FOLLOWING THE DORYLUS PRINCIPLE

• Does not hold elections for public servant positions.

• Selects individuals for public offices through a state-operated lottery.

• Decouples positions in public offices from financial interests.

• Limits all terms for public servants to a maximum of eighteen months.

• Prohibits lobbyism.

• Prevents bad players from rising to political power.

• Closes revolving doors between public offices and the private economy.

• Eliminates the monumental costs for elections.

• Strives to downsize state administration to a minimum.

Q&A

Q: How does the selection process work?

A: The state establishes and operates a computerized lottery for public servant positions. Participation in the lottery is passive. Eligible are all citizens who meet the minimum requirements (age, must be literate, no capital crime record, etc). Citizens who have been selected through the lottery are offered to serve in a public office. They can choose from a list of up to ten randomized positions. To prevent conflict of interest, all offered positions are in parts of the country that the citizen has no relation to (e.g.: not the town of their current or former residence). A solemn statement that no conflict of interest hinders the citizen to assume the office must be made prior to the start of his term.

Q: Can a citizen refuse to serve if he is selected through the lottery?

A: Yes

Q: How can a working-class citizen be qualified for a public office without years of training and education?

A: The daily duties of almost all public positions do not require years of education and training. By preparing the citizen for his term during thirty to ninety days of training, everyone with an average perceptivity will be able to function in the chosen position. If a citizen does not trust his/her abilities to serve in a position, he or she has the right to refuse the service altogether.

Furthermore, the state will strive to deskill positions over time. The core idea of the Dorylus Principle is a state that operates with the highest possible efficiency, does not have to rely on exceptional political talent, and that renders corruption and abuse of power close to impossible.

Q: How does the training of the citizen for his term in office look like?

A: After the citizen has been selected through the lottery and has chosen a position, he/she will be assigned to a training resort. Training resorts provide educational facilities and offer also different options for entertainment and recreation. They shall be in a relaxing environment. By making the training and education phase a pleasant and rewarding experience, the Dorylus Principle incentivizes the active participation of regular citizens in the operation of the state.

During his thirty to ninety days of preparation for his term, the citizen attends several seminars and exercises that are targeted at his upcoming duties. The total seminar time during each day shall not exceed four to six hours. During the rest of the time, he can spend time within the resort and use all recreational facilities free of charge.

Q: Who designs the training classes and holds the seminars?

A: The basis for all duties in public offices are existing laws and regulations. All that is really required of a public servant is to safeguard that such laws and regulations are followed and implemented. Nothing more and nothing less.

The training classes and exercises that prepare a citizen for his duties are developed and maintained by permanent committees that consist of lawyers, teachers, and other relevant occupations. The committees establish modern audiovisual learning material that is used during the seminars. They maintain the up-to-datedness of the education and implement required adaptations. The committees also develop and maintain knowledge bases that support the citizen during his term through simplified, internet-based interactive dialog (expert-on-demand). While the committees are permanent, their members are not.

Q: After the term of a citizen has ended, can he be selected by the lottery again?

A: In general, all citizens shall have equal chances to serve in a public servant position once in their lifetime. A citizen who has already served is automatically removed from the lottery until all other eligible citizens were given a chance. Depending on the available number of public servant positions, the refusal rate of selected individuals, and other factors, it might be possible that a citizen can assume a public servant position more than once. The lottery committee develops and implements suitable algorithms to safeguard a fair process. However, the system prevents the same individual to serve in the same position twice.

Q: How can a state adapt the Dorylus Principle?

A: A state that has currently a political system of representative democracy can implement the Dorylus Principle without turmoil. Every citizen is introduced to the idea that he will have the chance to serve in a public servant position with the same or a higher salary than his current one. He is free to accept or refuse. If he accepts, his job in the private economy is reserved for the duration of his term. He will spend thirty to ninety days with full pay in a recreational resort with just a few hours each day of education and plenty of time for relaxation and entertainment. He has the chance to meet new people and participate actively in the organization of the state instead of being just a spectator. He is given the chance to understand and experience the system from within.

The implementation of the Dorylus Principle is a straightforward process. Public servants on active duty do not need to be forcefully removed from their office. Once they retire, they are simply not replaced by a different individual from within the hierarchy, but by a regular citizen that has been selected through the state lottery. The transition must be as smooth and fluent as possible.

The adoption of the Dorylus Principle requires a single change in the constitution of most democracies. Through a referendum, the citizens must eliminate elections and replace them with an independent state lottery for all public servant positions. In democratic countries that do not have elections written into their constitutions, just the relevant laws need to be altered.

My upcoming book “The Dorylus Principle” discusses many other aspects in detail.

• Continuity and long-term development goals.

• State administration: As small as possible; as large as necessary

• Positions that should be replaced with councils.

• Obsolete government bodies.

• The road to wide adoption.

• Law enforcement and the Dorylus Principle

The Dorylus Principle does not claim to solve all problems that societies face, but it can prevent a world in which a small group of individuals can gain enough power and influence to steer mankind into a future they have designed for humanity.