The reactions by the public to the suggestion to require secret balloting by all political bodies at all levels of government is immediate and passionate.
- I need to know how my representative votes on issues so I will know whether to support him in the future.
- I have the right to know.
- Politicians must be accountable to the public.
These opinions most certainly have merit and are globally, the generally-accepted principles in most democratic countries.
Unfortunately, this universal requirement for open balloting has a serious downside. Open balloting at the political level causes most of the major problems that the public abhor about politics. Corruption, influence peddling, backroom deals, special interest group coercion and the concentration of power in the hands of a few dominant individuals that do not represent the will of the people.
This Accountability Enigma is worth investigating. A new perspective will give you hope that although historically we have been condemned to a political system that continually disappoints, there may be hope.
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