Proportional Representation

The National Assembly in Nicaragua is composed of legislators that proportionally represent the vote rather than by a "winnter take all" medhod. While proportional representation is not uncommon (Germany has it, for example) the concept and, possibly more important, the implications are not understood by most people in the U.S.

The idea behind proportional representation is that if the legislature reflects the makeup of the population rather than only the most popular positions then real debate of issues can happen. For a quick example, think of the state of Utah. The majority of the population is Mormon and, while I don't know this for a fact, I would expect all representatives from Utah are Mormon. That would clearly represent the majority but it also would leave out the positions and opinions of the rest of the population.

Without proportional representation, deals tend to get made in private and, in many cases, before elections. This helps support a system with only two parties. That is, if you know you have to get over 50% of the vote to get any representation you either cut deals or moderate your apparent position to get those votes. A good example was when John Kerry was portrayed as a war hero (which he likely was) even though he really was anti-war for the last 30 years.

With proportional representation things that matter to the people get discussed in the legislature. Deal-making also will tend to be public. For example, in Germany, when neither major party has a majority in the legislature because of Green legislators winning seats, you see open discussion of topics that would likely just "happen" if a single party controlled a majority of the legislature.

In a book called "A Citizen Legislature" the idea of the US House of Representatives being selected much like people are selected for jury duty. At first, I thought this was totally crazy. I mean, would I want a gay steelworker or a industrial banker representing me? But, after thinking a bit I realized they weren't representing me, they were representing other gay steelworkers or industrial bankers and that I would likely have someone that represented me as well.

Think about the implications with regard to the war in Iraq. Most current members of Congress will have a way to keep their son, daughter, cousin, ... out of the fight. But, with a representative legislature (whether it is selected by a proportional vote or some other system), the realities of the war for the general population will be a subject of discussion.