proxy debates
Imagine a world where political decisions aren’t made through sound bites and attack ads, but through deep, thoughtful deliberation by ordinary citizens. This is the promise of election by jury — but how do we get there from here? The path to radical democratic reform doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Instead, we can begin building this future today through proxy debates.
The core idea is beautifully simple: we invite randomly selected citizens to participate in voluntary jury panels, carefully balanced to reflect our community’s demographics. These citizen juries don’t just watch candidates debate — they actively engage with trained proxies representing each candidate’s positions and ideas. Free from the constraints of television soundbites and campaign theatrics, these discussions delve deep into policy, character, and vision.
What makes this approach powerful is that it combines the wisdom of random selection with the pragmatism of voluntary participation. We don’t need to change laws or win ballot initiatives to start. We can begin tomorrow, creating a new kind of political institution that earns its authority through the quality of its process and the wisdom of its participants.
Picture a typical session: A hundred citizens from all walks of life, gathered in a modern forum. They’ve been carefully selected to mirror the broader electorate — different ages, backgrounds, political leanings, and life experiences. Over several days, they engage with proxy representatives who have deeply studied their candidates’ positions. The format encourages substantive discussion rather than rhetorical flourishes. Jurors can ask probing questions, request clarification, and challenge assumptions.
But this isn’t just another debate format. What makes proxy debates transformative is the evaluation process. Using score voting on a 0–100 scale, jurors provide nuanced assessments of each candidate. This isn’t about picking winners and losers — it’s about measuring the depth of support and concern across multiple dimensions. When published, these scores offer voters something far more valuable than traditional endorsements: a quantified measure of how well each candidate fares under serious scrutiny by informed citizens.
The beauty of this approach lies in its scalability and accessibility. While the full jury process might take days, we can distill key moments into compact presentations — a candidate’s core message in their own words, crucial policy distinctions, meaningful exchanges that reveal character and competence. These become resources for time-pressed voters who want more than campaign ads but can’t invest dozens of hours in research.
Over time, proxy debates can become a trusted source of political wisdom — a place where voters turn not just for information, but for insight. Each successful session builds credibility. Each thoughtful evaluation demonstrates the power of deliberative democracy. We’re not just creating content; we’re building infrastructure for a more enlightened democratic process.
This is how change happens — not through sudden upheaval, but through the patient building of alternatives. As proxy debates prove their worth, they create natural constituencies for broader reform. Candidates who excel in this format become advocates for its expansion. Voters who see its value demand more of it. The path to election by jury becomes not just imaginable but inevitable.
The genius of this approach is that it’s self-reinforcing. Success breeds success. Each well-run session attracts more participants, more candidate buy-in, more media attention, more voter engagement. We don’t need everyone to participate — we just need enough people to demonstrate the power of the model. The quality of the process becomes its own advertisement.
This is how we begin to transform democracy — not through revolution, but through evolution. We start where we are, with the resources we have, building something new within the shell of the old. Proxy debates offer a practical path forward that creates value immediately while laying groundwork for more fundamental changes.
The future of democracy isn’t in better campaign ads or more sophisticated polling. It’s in creating spaces where citizens can truly deliberate, where substance matters more than style, where we can collectively navigate the complexity of modern governance. Proxy debates aren’t just a stepping stone to election by jury — they’re a vital democratic innovation in their own right, one that could help restore faith in our ability to govern ourselves wisely.
This is an invitation to build something new. We don’t need permission. We don’t need to wait for systemic change. We can start small, prove the concept, and grow organically. Every successful session moves us closer to a democracy worthy of our highest ideals — one thoughtful conversation at a time.
