Legislature by Lot: Envisioning Sortition within a Bicameral System*

John Gastil and Erik Olin Wright
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John Gastil: Pennsylvania State University
Erik Olin Wright: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Politics & Society, 2018, vol. 46, issue 3, 303-330

Abstract: In this article, we review the intrinsic democratic flaws in electoral representation, lay out a set of principles that should guide the construction of a sortition chamber, and argue for the virtue of a bicameral system that combines sortition and elections. We show how sortition could prove inclusive, give citizens greater control of the political agenda, and make their participation more deliberative and influential. We consider various design challenges, such as the sampling method, legislative training, and deliberative procedures. We explain why pairing sortition with an elected chamber could enhance its virtues while dampening its potential vices. In our conclusion, we identify ideal settings for experimenting with sortition.

Keywords: bicameral legislatures; deliberation; democratic theory; elections; minipublics; participation; political equality; sortition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:46:y:2018:i:3:p:303-330

DOI: 10.1177/0032329218789886

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