Citizen-Led Decision-Making and the Democracy Crisis with Terry Bouricius

In this episode, Terry Bouricius, prominent political theorist and former Vermont legislator, highlights the shortcomings of traditional electoral systems in achieving true demographic representation and effective decision-making. Drawing from his experiences in legislative bodies, Bouricius emphasizes the disconnect between lawmakers and the populations they serve, particularly evident in his work on a landlord-tenant bill. Inspired by his participation in a Citizens Assembly in British Columbia, Bouricius advocates for sortition-based democracy as a more democratic alternative to elections. He points to successful implementations of sortition in countries like Ireland, where citizens' assemblies have led to significant reforms, showcasing the potential for ordinary citizens to reach consensus on complex issues. Bouricius's push for sortition aims to reduce political polarization by gradually transferring policy decisions from elected officials to randomly selected juries, promoting a more inclusive and representative form of governance.