[mikegreen]

I had an idea (that quickly faded once the last elections were over, and I try not to think about the upcoming hell of another) to try to get a candidate into office based on a few simply premises: Your elected official will vote the way the majority of his/her constituents decided via individual vote. No takebacks, no frills. The elected person is simply a conduit to the commoners.

The constituents get a text message, email or <gasp> phone call saying their elected official is going to vote on an issue. They get a summary of the issue at hand, written by a third party (like the vote tracking sites use, to prevent sway in the text).

Then, the individual uses their app, or website, or <gasp> phone IVR to submit their vote on the issue.

Shortly after (time period permitting), the elected officially votes the way the majority of his constituents want him to.

Now, do we want all votes to go the way the people want? Do people really understand what they're voting for? I don't really know, but damn, I think it would be more effective than what we have now.