An Absolute Democracy
Nick Ortiz is a writer, a researcher, and a linguist/translator with over 10 years experience in research relating to Latin American history and politics, hemispheric approaches, and new definitions of democracy. He has studied under experts, such as Jerry Dávila and Jürgen Buchenau. Most recent articles include different political regimes and policies, such as the Vargas regime in Brazil, and the application of the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages in Spain.
The purpose of this essay is to explain what an absolute democracy is and the challenges involved in creating one.
Does the People’s Absolute Will Exist?
All governments throughout history (whether it be the politicians who “spoke for” the plebeians against the aristocratic senators in Ancient Rome, the elites who defended an Athenian “democracy”, the landowners that dominated the Polish and Dutch republics, or the senators, congresspeople, and deputies of present day nation-states) have possessed this fear or distrust of the people as the ultimate political actor. This is the original sin of all republican and parliamentary regimes. This fear and distrusts manifests in their insistence on “speaking for” the people instead of letting them do the talking. If representatives and other officials can control what the people say and propagate the illusion that the people are in control then they can keep the people from gaining any real power. Public opinion and political parties are two ways for elites to do this. Through public opinion, elites can listen to a mass of different opinions and choose to listen to them or not. Through political parties they can control public participation. In both cases, elites benefit the most from these arrangements because public opinion and political parties are not democratic at all but means of elitist control.
A real, absolute democracy allows the people to vote as one. It is a system that is true to the Greek words demos and kratia (“demos” means “the people” and “kratia” means “power.”) Together they mean “the power or rule of the people.” In other words, it is a system where the people wield real power. When people vote as one on legislation without the need for representatives to vote for them it constitutes a manifestation of the people’s absolute will. In today’s world divided by polarization and conflict, manifestations of the people’s absolute will is the best way to solve problems. An absolute democracy invites us to redefine what democracy is. When the people vote for themselves, no party, interest group, official, president, or monarch can claim to speak for them since the people are speaking for themselves.
But how does it work?
For starters, we need to think beyond the confines of republicanism and parliamentarianism in order to create the conditions for a people’s absolute will to manifest. However, there are many challenges that stand in our way. Below I have listed some issues that will need to be solved in carrying out such a collective project.
1. An absolute democracy must include everyone within a country or a larger political entity.
Everyone must vote in order for an absolute democracy to be possible. This is the path we must take if we are to rid ourselves of elitist rule completely. If we do not vote for ourselves and keep letting others vote for us then elites will persist in pursuing their own agendas at our expense, the people will continue to be used merely as an idea, and our countries (especially those in the Western Hemisphere) will continue to be plagued by polarization, corruption, wars, and other problems that stem from a refusal to let the people assume their rightful place as the country’s ultimate political actor.
This will raise issues about citizenship and who should vote. Does the people’s absolute will only include citizens? Or does it really mean everyone? Even though they are citizens, should prisoners be allowed to vote while they are serving time? Should sin papeles or the undocumented be allowed to vote for simply being in the country?
I think that in order to solve these issues we need to either completely reinvent the notion of citizenship or come up with a concept that goes beyond it. Citizenship is a nebulous idea that changes in meaning throughout the ages. If we are serious about defining an absolute democracy based on citizenship, we need to analyze the ways this idea has been used by elites to control political participation. If the idea of citizenship can be redeemed, how? Everyone must vote in an absolute democracy. Any system where a large part of the population is disenfranchised would just be a mockery of the idea and constitute another form of elitist rule. How citizenship is defined and used in an absolute democracy will not only vary from country to country, it will also depend on our willingness to redefine it.
Perhaps instead of barring sin papeles from voting, we should consider them citizens-in-waiting and allow them to vote while they get their citizenship. The issue around prisoners is more controversial in my opinion. We will have to decide if prisoners should be barred from voting as part of their punishment or whether or not citizenship is something that cannot be taken away regardless of the crimes one has committed.
2. We need to establish a system that will allow everyone within a country or larger political entity to vote simultaneously on any piece of legislation or policy.
This is a choice we must make if we are to create an absolute democracy. The first challenge is creating a new voting program that will allow everyone to vote simultaneously. The designers of such a program would have to be independent. However, in today’s age of polarization where legitimacy is a rarity, who would have enough authority to choose such a team without political backlash? A second challenge is how to enroll people in this system without risking their personal data or safety. How do we protect a national or supranational system of voting from manipulation by narrow interest groups and elites? These are questions that we will have to explore together.
3. We must define what is the people’s absolute will in cases where the vote is not unanimous.
The problem at the heart of most political conflicts is not being different and everyone thinking differently but, rather, that difference being perceived as something threatening or negative.
An absolute democracy is, in theory, a system based on every member of a country or larger polity voting at the same time. However, it is naïve to assume that everyone is going to vote unanimously every single time. The problem at the heart of most political conflicts is not being different and everyone thinking differently but, rather, that difference being perceived as something threatening or negative. In an absolute democracy, difference must be accepted. Difference is not a problem to be solved but a fact of life that must be embraced. This must be one of the founding principles of an absolute democracy if it is to function effectively. In an absolute democracy, you are accepted for your differences at an individual and societal level because, at the end of the day, it is not any one person or group that decides the future of a country but the people’s absolute will, a people who embrace their differences and vote as a whole.
Wars, polarization, corruption, and other problems are the result of the few deciding for the many. They are, in essence, problems caused by disagreement among elites and do not reflect who the people are as a whole.
With this in mind, we have to define what is the people’s absolute will in cases where the vote is not unanimous (which may occur very often). After more than a decade researching different political regimes and policies during my years in academia, I have found that a threshold of 80% can be an effective measure. This can apply to any given policy or legislation. If a policy or legislation has at least 80% of the vote with everyone voting then it is a manifestation of the people’s absolute will provided that there has been no voter fraud or tampering. If a policy or legislation receives less than that, then it needs to be modified in order to get 80%. This threshold can be changed by the people’s absolute will based on the political circumstances of the time. The establishment of a threshold may seem like a majoritarian measure but I think it is necessary to ensure government efficiency within an absolute democracy.
Another thing we will need to consider is what policies or legislation cannot be considered at all. Certainly policies or legislation that mandate the extermination or oppression of a particular group, faith, or people should be banned. Based on the idea that humans are positive, sentient beings at their core whose goal is to evolve and discover the transcendent role their Creator has given to them in the universe, then negative policies (such as ethnocide and genocide) are a contradiction to the people’s absolute will and must be rejected. I have no doubt that there are other negative policies that must be added to this list. We can add them once the idea of an absolute democracy becomes more concrete and viable.
We must be careful of leaders who will try to challenge a vote and the persistence of political parties after an absolute democracy has been established. There will be those who will claim that a vote is invalid that will be reminiscent of similar claims of election fraud today. The majority of these leaders will either be elites who will try to regain the power they lost in the previous republican or parliamentary system or will be individuals who want to become new elites by corrupting the system installed for an absolute democracy. Both will try to act through political parties and attempt to influence the people to adopt their agenda. Political parties are a modern instrument of elitist power and control and are not necessary in an absolute democracy. The people are capable of thinking for themselves without elites and parties telling them what to do. Stripped of power, political parties may survive the transition from an elitist republic/parliament to an absolute democracy. When constructing an absolute democracy we will have to be vigilant and monitor elitist influence during this transition period.
It is not any one person or group that decides the future of a country but the people’s absolute will, a people who embrace their differences and vote as a whole.
4. Does an absolute democracy need a constitution?
Traditionally, constitutions have been tools to restrict and regulate the power of elites. They also provide a mechanism for a nation-state or empire to define itself using its own narrative. These narratives typically use “the people” to justify elitist notions of the state and how powers within the state should be divided and exercised. Given the elitist history of constitutions, are they viable in an absolute democracy? The answer to this question will depend on the country in question.
In a country like the United States, where the constitution is revered as a religious document, an absolute democracy will likely have to coexist with a constitution at first. However, this does not exclude the possibility of radical change later if that is the desire of the people’s absolute will. The situation would be different in Latin American countries. These countries have a history of rewriting their constitutions. Therefore, a new constitution will probably be adopted to accommodate an absolute democracy. Regardless, in countries where a constitution is maintained, it will be used as an opportunity for elites to restrict the people’s absolute will.
I think this is the main risk with keeping a constitution in an absolute democracy. It gives elites a way to control the people’s absolute will and maintain an elitist regime. An absolute democracy does not need a constitution to survive like a republic. However, if the people of a country feel they need one and this desire is expressed through the people’s absolute will, then this desire cannot be denied.
5. Does the people’s absolute will need an executive and an administrative apparatus?
Throughout human history, monarchs, presidents, and other executives have either directly managed regimes themselves or delegated this task to others. The question is whether an absolute democracy can function without an executive or an administration. Voting on policy is one thing but administration is another. When legislation is approved who will enforce it? An administration is necessary to enforce the policies approved by the people’s absolute will. We have to figure out a way to ensure an absolute democracy without sacrificing government efficiency. The two must be combined in order to ensure that an absolute democracy stays stable and meets the needs of its members.
Which should come first? Absolute democracy or an administration?
Republics and parliaments in the Western Hemisphere and across the world are losing legitimacy because these regimes implement corrupt and ineffective policies (relating to areas such as prison reform and immigration for example). These policies are ineffective because they either ignore the problem, mitigate the damage, or fail to propose comprehensive solutions to fix the problems they were created to resolve. As these problems become more complex and larger in scope, a nation-state based on a republican or parliamentary system ruled by elites, becomes more and more inadequate. To solve these problems successfully, a country needs to vote as a whole instead of relying on an elite. If a government continues to be run by an elite, then it cannot meet the needs of its people. The people will then continue to lose faith in the government. Furthermore, if the people lose faith in a regime, then they will be reluctant to improve a regime’s administration and hire more bureaucrats. To them, it will seem like they are aiding in their own oppression.
We must establish an absolute democracy first that will engender the trust of the people by making them the ultimate political actor. Once that trust is established, the administration can be reformed because people will finally be in charge of creating their own policies. If the people’s absolute will is in control then people will not mind government expansion and hiring more bureaucrats to exercise their will.
If an administration is necessary to carry out the people’s absolute will, then it will need an executive to make decisions. It seems laborious for bureaucrats to call for a vote every time a decision has to be made. Therefore, an executive must lead this administrative apparatus and make the decisions necessary to keep it going. The people’s absolute will can vote on whether this executive or other administrative heads can stay or go depending on their performance and loyalty to the policies established by the people’s absolute will. That said, what will be the powers and title of this new executive? This question will depend on the country in question and whether the people of that country want to either reform their current executive (whether it be a president or prime minister) or create a new executive with new powers and responsibilities.
6. What role will the people’s absolute will have in interstate relations?
The people’s absolute will must be in control of domestic policies. That lies at the core of an absolute democracy. However, what role does the people’s absolute will have in crafting foreign policy and interstate relations?
We live in what is known as an intermestic world or a world where foreign and domestic policy are becoming more and more intertwined. Therefore, the people’s absolute will must be involved in some way in interstate relations. The question is to what degree? In terms of foreign policy, a 80% threshold can be adopted as with domestic policy. Policies are proposed and put to a vote by the people’s absolute will. If it passes the 80% threshold (or the threshold at the moment it is proposed) then it is adopted. If not, it is modified. Experts, bureaucrats, and others can propose how the country should behave towards other countries but the people’s absolute will ultimately decides the policy.
There should also be certain things that only the people’s absolute will can authorize. Without a doubt, only the people’s absolute will can declare war or send troops because these decisions are too important to be left with any one leader or group. An important issue is the authority to launch nuclear weapons and other weapons that have been denounced by human rights groups (such as vacuum bombs). In my opinion, nuclear weapons should never be authorized regardless of the regime or the circumstances. However, this stance must be determined by each individual country or entity that chooses to adopt an absolute democracy. The point is that the people’s absolute will makes the decision, not elites.
A final concern we must consider is who will make the tough, split-second decisions that are so characteristic of foreign policy in the United States and other countries? Will there be a vote of the people’s absolute will every time there is a plea for aid, a diplomatic conference, and the outbreak of a war? The solution I propose is that these decisions should still rest with an executive as long as this executive does not declare war, send troops, or use nuclear weapons without authorization from the people’s absolute will. If an executive takes an action without authorization or pursues a bad policy, then the people’s absolute will can always remove them.
7. Who has the authority to propose policies in an absolute democracy?
In an absolute democracy, everyone has the authority to propose a policy to the people’s absolute will. However, we have to keep in mind the delicate balance between democracy and government efficiency. This is why we need to set a threshold. In setting a threshold, we need to consider the source. If an executive or a head of state proposes a policy it should be considered immediately because it affects government policy. If a policy comes from an official or someone else then it has to reach a certain threshold in order to be considered. We can use the model a lot of countries use today when a certain number of signatures are required for an action or a policy to be considered in a congressional or parliamentary setting.
Establishing a clear threshold is difficult to determine at this moment because an absolute democracy is still in its theoretical stage. When an absolute democracy is established, I believe this threshold will change depending on the circumstances. Regardless, this threshold will have to be established by the people’s absolute will to ensure that this does not become another instrument of elitist control.
Conclusion
This concludes my preliminary analysis of what an absolute democracy is and the challenges involved in creating one. We have a lot to do and little time to do it. We live in an era not only of immense change, rebirth, and consciousness but also one of stagnation, death, and ignorance. Prophecies from around the world say that the moment we live in is one of transition where one world will die and another will be born. Whether you believe these prophecies or not, what the world will look like centuries from now will depend on what we choose to do right now.
We have a chance to create the first real democracy. We have the technology and we are in the right historical moment to do it. All we need is the will, the hope, and the initiative to build one.
The rise in political polarization, government corruption, wars, and other problems are evidence that old ways of thinking relating to politics and society are crumbling. Albert Einstein once said, “A problem cannot be solved with the same consciousness that created it.” Our generation faces a lot of challenges, probably more than any human generation has ever faced in a long time. However, I believe that this generation may be the most decisive. Perhaps it is better that we solve these challenges because we are the most equipped and the most determined. If we can solve these problems now then future generations will not have to. We must rise to the occasion, realize our potential, and help the human species evolve by creating this absolute democracy. If we do, it will not only be an important step forward in creating a bold, new, egalitarian democratic future but it will also be instrumental in helping humans become more conscious of themselves as a species and their true role in this universe.
I am humbled and honored to be a part of this unprecedented historical moment with you. This is an effort that belongs not to one person or group but to anyone who seeks to make a positive impact through the abilities given to them by the same benevolent force that created the universe; the same abilities that allow humans to hope, believe, and act. I do not claim to have all the answers. I merely wish to be part of a collective effort of immense positive proportions and significance. There is so much to explore, debate, and do. ¡Entonces, manos a la obra¡ ¡Realicemos esta democracia absoluta¡
