If we didn't need hand-holding we'd just vote on policy directly.

The argument is that people aren't equipped to do that, but that's a muscle they've never exercised, because... they aren't equipped to do that, because that's a muscle they've never exercised, etc. It's self-sealing.

> If we didn't need hand-holding we'd just vote on policy directly.

That argument doesn't make sense to me. We elect people to work for us. They're not our parents; they're our employees. You have the relationship upside-down.

None of this has anything to do with voting on policies.

Don't know about you, but personally I don't like direct democracy bc i have shit to do besides deciding which law to pass. My states' ballot is full of ridiculous questions every year and takes me days to do my research. I can't imagine doing this year round without getting paid.

Voting on policy directly would be taking up everyones time. It's just not practical for anything bigger than a small village.

The problem with today's system is we have MPs or representatives instead of delegates. They are not bound to their campaign promises in any way other than risking a small fine if someone fights them in court for months to prove they were lying. Once you get elected you can do what you want until the next election unless you really piss off your colleagues and get kicked out.

Voters should be able to call an early election in their district and override their reps/force them to vote a certain way, without having to personally show up and decide every single issue.

Isn’t town hall a thing in the US? I’m not american, but voting on the scale of a nation is generally costly, and some country just keep it for a few important matters. Delegates are way more pragmatic.