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Single Idea 20508

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / b. Consultation ]

Full Idea

Mill believed in an open vote. People should be held accountable for how they vote, and therefore it should be a matter of public record.

Gist of Idea

How people vote should be on public record, so they can be held accountable

Source

report of John Stuart Mill (Representative Government [1861]) by Jonathan Wolff - An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Rev) 3 'Representative'

Book Ref

Wolff,Jonathan: 'An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Rev)' [OUP 2006], p.97


A Reaction

Nowadays it is a mantra that voting should be secret, because coercion is an obvious problem, but MPs vote publicly, and are held accountable for their voting records. People like the mafia seem to make open public voting impossible.


The 4 ideas from 'Representative Government'

How people vote should be on public record, so they can be held accountable [Mill, by Wolff,J]
People can only participate in decisions in small communities, so representatives are needed [Mill]
Direct democracy is inexperience judging experience, and ignorance judging knowledge [Mill]
Voting is a strict duty, like jury service, and must only be aimed at the public good [Mill]