Batching the votes up makes a big difference in cost and turnout I suspect, Lucy: hold an annual vote, for whatever elected offices are open and whatever issues are up for vote too. Adding an extra "Rename our main airport after Stalin: []Yes []No" and counting the votes for each isn't a huge undertaking once you're holding an election already, particularly if you have an automated sorting machine to split into the two piles. I envy the Swiss system in concept at least, and wish we had something like it or the California system here in the UK.

Quote Originally Posted by Thorne
If your town votes to cut off essential services to the slum area, people die.
Really? OK, cutting off the electricity, water or drainage could do that (though none of those are provided by the city here in the first place) - but would the electorate seriously vote for that in the first place? (For that matter, my own city did cut trash collection by 50%, without any sort of vote - but not being much of a democracy, there's nothing I can do short of move.)