Why Hybrid Bicameralism Is Not Right for Sortition

Bibliographic Data

ID2317409
AuthorsTerrill G Bouricius (United States House of Representatives, corresponding author), Terrill Bouricius (Former member, Vermont House of Representatives)
Year2018
Volume46
Issue3
Pages435-451
Publication date2018-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitics & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3292 • E-ISSN: 1552-7514
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0032329218789893
OpenAlexW2887065065
LanguageEN
Citations received14

Structural problems are examined with pairing two chambers, one selected by election and the other by sortition, into a traditional bicameral system. It is argued that an all-purpose legislative chamber modeled on existing elected chambers is a mismatch for sortition and that purported benefits of maintaining partisan elections alongside sortition are illusory. Alleged benefits of a hybrid bicameral system are shown to be outweighed by a variety of harmful effects. Furthermore, even if those harms are not substantiated, the continued existence of an elected chamber will likely result in the delimitation of the sortition chamber. Combining many different sorts of minipublics with different characteristics and functions is preferable, and a possible multibody sortition legislative system is presented. Finally, an alternative way forward for sortition is proposed by peeling away individual topic areas from elected bodies and transferring them to sortition bodies

Economics · Law and economics · Legislature · Political science · Variety (cybernetics) · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Game Theory and Voting Systems · Law · Local Government Finance and Decentralization

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