27 October 2005 : Lawmakers voting for dome-ocracy


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Letter to 809 Australian parliamentarians

Note in this web version does not use automatic sign-in links however the original email did.

Dear Parliamentarian,

I am sending this letter again because many parliamentarians who read it wrote or called to express interest in the idea. No one has found fault with it. This letter also includes additional information.

Malcolm Mackerras said, "I think this is a great idea and I hope all Members of all Parliaments will join it".

You, along with more than 800 federal and state parliamentarians have been registered to vote in the new lawmakers' DOME of Conscience. Only parliamentarians can vote, not candidates or the public. However, all can see at www.domeaus.com.

The "Who's Voting" page in the DOME lists your title, name, parliament, house, electorate, party and the date of your last vote. At the moment the only thing missing is what you stand for. Your name is linked to your personal vote page which lists all the opinions selected in your last vote. You can link your vote page to your website.

In this voting chamber all parliamentarians have equal control over the voting agenda and all can speak at the same time. Voting is transparent. Everyone can see exactly how each parliamentarian votes and who does not vote. Yet it shows much more -- an integrated representative voice of all participating parliamentarians, understood at a glance -- and this is the first thing you see as you enter the forum. With a single click you can also see the integrated voice of each parliament, each party and the separate voices of the upper and lower houses.

You can vote every day but, even if you invest just one minute a month, the DOME will create a window into the parliaments connecting the seat of power to the people. Those parliamentarians most passionate about democracy will lead by voting first and create the momentum to make it happen.

How the DOME works

The DOME uses the free speech polling technology invented by BigPulse.com. Any parliamentarian can float a new opinion at any time by clicking the "Submit New Opinion" button. Opinions are expressed as concise single line statements called "placards". All opinion placards compete continuously for votes from lawmakers and are ranked live for all to see. Repeat voting is encouraged and never causes vote stacking as the system counts the last vote only for each forum member.

Click any opinion to see the names of all people who voted for it. Click the names to see all opinions voted for by lawmakers the last time they voted. Click the "Who's Voting" link to see a complete list of who has voted and who has not voted.

New opinion placards are published live but the author's identity is suppressed and no vote is recorded in the process of floating a new opinion placard. It means you can float ideas you do not intend to vote for. All votes are counted live and your personal vote page, showing your last vote selection, is updated live.

On the far right of each opinion placard see a dedicated debating forum where you can post comments and speeches.

Vote now

Click here to vote. Notice you are signed in automatically with your assigned sign-in name and password. Use the search box to help find suitable opinions to vote for. The 95 opinions currently listed were taken from the older DOME which has mainly candidates voting. But don't be concerned. Remember here you control the voting agenda -- just click the "Submit New Opinion" button.

Select up to ten opinions and then click "Submit Vote". The first time you vote you will be prompted for any missing data. At this time you can enter your web address and make any corrections to your name, email address and other registration details. We recommend you use your most direct email address so that your vote receipts are sent directly to you.

You can also change your sign-in name which is currently [....] or password which is currently [....] to something easier to remember. You can edit your personal details any time. First click a DOME link in this email to sign you in then click Members Area/My Details.

Warning, be careful if you forward this email because the links in this email contain your sign-in name and password.

Accessing the DOME

Click a DOME link in any email we send you to be signed in automatically. You can also access the DOME directly from your web browser any time by entering www.domeaus.com. In this case you will need to sign in manually.

You can instruct a staff member to vote for you

You can instruct a trusted staff member to record your votes. This is safe because voting is fully transparent. You receive a vote receipt immediately and you can correct any vote simply by voting again the same day. Only the last vote on any day is recorded as your vote for that day and only your last vote is counted in the leaderboard vote tally.

Example

To get a glimpse of how it looks with a few more voters visit www.ukdome.com and see candidates for the UK Parliament voting in the DOME in the leadup to the May 05 election.

History

For the history of this initiative see the DOME home page at www.domevote.com.

It's the DOME-ocracy Of Mass Enlightenment.

Ralph McKay
Founder -- DOME of Conscience