Local Voting System

June 1, 1995

Q: If all voting were through trades and cooperatives, how would retired people, disabled people, and mothers at home vote? Would hospital and social service groups be considered trades? Would doctors and nurses both be in the same trade?

In a social service group, trades would be function based, not job based. So a farm coop will have the farm workers, the fertilizer workers, the compost workers, the planters - all will be a part of the trade. In medical service, all medical personnel will be in the trade. So trades will be function based and interdisciplinary.

Now regarding voting, each will have a vote. If the person is retired or in poor health, at home with children, or for other reasons not actively employed, they will also have a vote through a center set up for them, to represent them. They will have their own cooperative. If a women raises the children, her value is no less than the person who works in other capacities, and she should have the same rights and the same supports. There should be an organization, a cooperative, for women with children. Likewise, for those who have medical difficulty, they should have their own cooperative, and each of these will be registered. They will vote, and if they have profit they will pay tax. Otherwise no tax will be paid. But all will have voting rights who are sound and of age. But vote will not be in the populace; it will be through the cooperatives.

Q: What are the individual cooperative votes for? Who is being elected by the members?

The cooperatives will elect representatives who will represent them in local government. So, if there are ten cooperatives in one trade, then they will elect ten representatives who will then choose one trade representative who will be a member of the local government. In that way, local governments will be organized. And through local government, issues of larger governmental bodies will be determined.

Q: This is rather indirect, as people would have little control over the higher levels of governments like we do today. Is it that most of the issues in today's government are economic, and in a Proutist society those issues are dealt with at a local level and that the higher levels of government deal with interregional affairs?

That is correct.