2018, bringing power back to the people. An idea for restoring democracy

Democracy, the least worse of all political systems. For decades this has been the system that a lot of governments use. Unfortunately, the system we call 'democracy' nowadays is a far cry from the idea that was thought of centuries ago.

In my home country, Belgium, every citizen is obligated to vote from now and then. But instead of giving the people a chance to share their ideas, all they are allowed to do is vote for someone who will represent them in the parliament.

This is where it all goes wrong, because no one can really represent a large group of individuals without making at least a couple of compromises. This system was okay because back in the day, people had to work their day jobs and they couldn't be a part of the parliament. But thanks to technological advancements, the day has come that the power will be given back to the people!

Welcome to 2018! In Belgium, more and more people have access to computers, internet and E-ID readers. This last one is key because it allows people to identify themselves online no matter where they are. Last year our country even launched an app called 'itsme' so people can even more easily identify themselves thanks to their smartphones.

This is where I had an idea. What if people could be a part of the parliament from the comfort of their homes. This way, people can still live their everyday lives, and if they would like to be a part of how to run the country, they can easily do so thanks to all the technological advancements.

The idea is simple: choose a certain period in which people can vote online (they are not obligated) with regards to current affairs and problems. There political factions can propose ideas and solutions, and people can vote on what they think would be the best for the country.

Let's say for instance that the country has to decide what to do about the increasing unemployment rate. People log in on their accounts and they go to the subject they would like to decide about (unemployment in this case). There they can read about the problem and every political faction has the opportunity to write out a proposition/solution for the problem. People can calmly read the ideas that they like, and afterwards they are allowed to vote. The idea that has the most votes then has to become the answer to the problem, or at least be discussed in the parliament.

What I really like about this idea for restoring democracy is that in the long term, there will be no more need for representatives in the parliament. All the problems with large companies lobbying, the average person not having any political power and all the corruption can be stopped thanks to the fact that the people can vote for what they believe is the right action for the situation.

It doesn't even have to be during a certain period or only for a couple of problems, it can be for the whole running of the country. When people will see how easy it is to really make their vote count, people will start to become more interested in politics because they can see again that what they think really does matter. Not only that, but politicians will be forced to change the way they present/market themselves. They will no longer have to represent the people but they have a chance to propose a good solution to each problem and then people can choose which option is the best in their opinion. You could see it as representing people's values, but leaving the choice to the voters whether or not they really agree with the proposed solution.

We're still a long way from implementing this completely into our political system, but I strongly believe that when people see the value of this new system, the interest in politics will increase. We're living in the 21st century, where almost everyone has access to a computer. So why continue using the same political system that hasn't fully worked in years when you could just give the power back to all the people?

Please let me know what you think of the idea and what could be improved. After all, changing the world can't be done alone.