Power to the People

The Governance System Of Vegan-Hills

8th May 2017

“Direct democracy (also known as pure democracy) is a form of democracy in which people decide (e.g. vote on, form consensus on) policy initiatives directly. This differs from the majority of modern democracies, which are representative democracies.” Wikipedia

Direct democracy can also be used for decision making processes. The way we implement direct democracy on Vegan Hills is a “Self-Responsible, Direct Democracy Without Any Leaders”.

Based on four principles:

  1. Everyone is free to do whatever they want as long as
  2. nobody feels concerned or limited, or
  3.  it is not recognised by 90% of the members as against our rules/manifesto, and
  4. they are willing to be fully responsible for their actions.

This means we implement a cherry-picking blend of anarchy, democracy and regulationbased system. Everybody wants and needs their personal freedom, but one person’s freedom ends where another’s begins. (Direct) democracy gives everyone the same power to protect their own interests, even when they are not the strongest / the most
assertive. And we need rules/regulations mostly to live in peace with the outside world.

Main Advantages:

  • No one has to take on responsibility for others.
  • No one has to take care of things that do not personally concern / interest them.
  • No one is ruled by others (heteronomous).
  • No one needs or has to fight for their interests.
  • Everyone can participate in decisions by a simple vote.
  • Complete transparency.
  • Easy to understand.
  • Avoidance of conflicts and focus on a functional social life.
  • Groups in this system are free to have their own system (like sociocracy).

Reasons Why:

(short version)

  • Unlike all other democracies (direct or representative) we have no representatives. Everyone represents themselves. 
  • Too little participation from only a fraction of people leads to both power concentration and emotional burnout in those who do participate.
  • All minutes and notes accessible to all members. We don’t want separatism within working groups.
  • Whenever there is a disagreement in the community that cannot be resolved through conversation, we have a vote. 
  • Our definition of direct democracy makes this decision making process fast, flexible, easy to understand and transparent.
  • A direct democracy ensures that everyone is equally powerful as everyone else, online or offline. Every vote carries the same weight.
  • People who don’t like to talk / be the center of attention / are not very assertive (A) can still influence the decision making process just as much as people who talk and do a lot (B) – and who could otherwise overpower the former (A), simply by being louder / more assertive / more aggressive / by ignoring (A).

 

“Power to the people.”