UNITED STATES: US democracy goes online

US democracy goes online

"In the current election system, the voter is a product to be sold to the corporations. But they're being sold through this convoluted method of advertising, consultants, [and] travelling. Voteauction is making a more direct line — the old cutting-out-the-middle-man approach", James Baumgartner, a New York student and co-founder of a new US web site was quoted as saying in a recent Wired online bulletin.

In the midst of stage-managed political conventions and slick public relation machines moving into top gear, Baumgartner's move is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to make "US-style democracy" more efficient.

Voteauction points out that the Democratic and Republican national committees raised a record $255,977,550 in "soft" money [donations for which the donor does not have to be publicly identified] during the first 18 months of the 2000 election cycle. Republicans raised $137.4 million, Democrats $118.6 million.

"The person who raises the most money is the person who almost invariably wins", Baumgartner's site says. It therefore provides a venue where people can sell their vote to the highest bidder through an online auction.

Although legal action is expected against Voteauction, there has been a mixed response as to the legality or otherwise of the site. One lawyer commented that a case could be made that buying elections is seen as acceptable, and therefore buying individual votes is merely the next logical step. Voteauction can be viewed at <http://www.rpi.edu/~baumgj/voteauction>.

BY ARUN PRADHAN

From GLW issue 417