694. Does Democracy Really Need Elections?

Stephen Dubner recently served on a criminal jury. Twelve strangers — selected randomly and barely paid — took the job seriously. Afterward, he wondered: why can’t our politics work that way? A growing movement, inspired by Athenian democracy, says it can.

• SOURCES:
  • Terry Bouricius, author and former Vermont state representative.
  • Dj Hairston, public-defense lawyer.
  • Kathy Hochul, governor of New York.
  • Hélène Landemore, professor of political science at Yale University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Democracy Without Politicians: Government by the People, by Terry Bouricius (2026).
  • Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule, by Hélène Landemore (2026).
  • The Principles of Representative Government, by Bernard Manin (1997).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Has America Lost the Plot?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).

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