Re: <nettime> Should Avatars Get to Vote?

[Phil Graham <phil.graham@mailbox.uq.edu.au>]

At 11:56 AM 15/11/00 -0500, Jon Ippolito wrote:
>Soshouldn't our system of government reflect this new, postgeographic
>electorate? Are the interests of people who spend time at Pregnancy.com or
>WheelchairNet any less deserving of protection than people who live in
>Massachusetts or North Carolina? What would an Electoral College based on
>nongeographic voting districts look like? Would iVillage be gerrymandered?
>Would avatars get to vote?

Well we're in a very advanced state of technology and democracy here in 
Australia. Our local labour party yesterday discovered it had someon'e pet 
cat registered as a voter for quite a while. Many dead people vote too -- 
in any number of electorates on any given day -- and we have the remarkable 
phenomemon of scores of voters living in a single two-bedroom apartment 
without actually existing in the first place. Talk about virtual space -- 
we don't even need the internet; we've had virtual democracy for years.

Whatever you do, just remember: "vote early and vote often".

Phil

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