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Goodbye Elections.
Hello Democracy.
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See the inspiring way forward for America: from elections to lotteries
Goodbye Elections. Hello Democracy. is a groundbreaking documentary that shows how we can finally make government of, by, and for the people.
Be the first to see the film, and finally feel hopeful again.
Goodbye Elections. Hello Democracy. is a groundbreaking documentary that shows how we can finally make government of, by, and for the people.
Be the first to see the film, and finally feel hopeful again.
Democratic lotteries finally put power in the hands of the people
A democratic lottery fairly selects a group of representatives that matches the makeup of the population. It selects from all citizens who meet basic requirements and are willing and able to serve a limited term.
And because lotteries remove campaigning, they remove parties, politicians, super PACs, and so much of what is tearing America apart.
We can use democratic lotteries instead of elections to fill legislatures like Congress, and to transform how we choose executives like the President.
This is well established but little known
In recent decades, democratic lotteries have been used thousands of times to call on citizens to develop policy on challenging issues. And they were central to government in Ancient Athens.
But few have had the chance to see this transformative paradigm for themselves. Until now…
Use of democratic lotteries around the world
Our groundbreaking film will let you see it for yourself
Goodbye Elections. Hello Democracy. tells the true story of 30 everyday Americans, selected by lottery, trying to find common ground on the most charged issue in the most divided state—while a bitter election rages around them.
A film giving hope to people across the political spectrum
A film made by an award-winning team
Director & Producer
Adam Cronkright
Finalist for the 2016 Democracy Innovation Award for his work with democratic lotteries
Director & Producer
George Zisiadis
Award-winning visual artist
Editor
Eric Frith
Recent work won a 2021 Emmy (Power On: The Story of Xbox) and a 2021 Press Academy Award nomination
Assistant Editor
Leah Andrews
Assistant editor on dozens of major film productions
Post Supervisor
Todd Soliday
Emmy award-winning director, editor, post supervisor, and visual effects artist
Composer
Bradley Laina
Composer for films like “Dirtbag” and “Super Frenchie”, apprentice of the legendary Philip Giffin
We’re in the final stages of production
- Pre-Production
- Filming
- Editing
- Motion Graphics
- Narration
- Test Screening
- Final Editing
- Scoring
- Color Grading
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Early Access
- Public Release
- mid 2020
- late 2020
- all 2021
- late 2021
- early 2022
- early 2022
- mid 2022
- late 2022
- late 2022
- late 2022
- late 2022
- 2023
- 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
About this new direction for America
How does a democratic lottery work?
A democratic lottery selects from all those who meet basic requirements and are willing and able to serve.
It uses proven polling techniques and three rounds of selection to ensure accurate representation across age, gender, geography, income, and race, and political leaning.
Would lotteries select Presidents, Governors, Mayors?
No. A democratic lottery only selects a group of representatives—like for Congress or state legislatures—not individual executives.
But citizens selected by lottery would be empowered to find qualified Presidents, Governors, and Mayors without parties or divisive campaigns.
How do lotteries ensure the use of expertise?
Calling on expert testimony is a critical part of what representatives are supposed to do.
Because representatives selected by lottery don’t owe their position to any party or donor the way elected politicians do, they’re free to actually listen and learn from subject-matter experts and use that to inform their decision-making.
And just like current members of Congress and state legislatures, they’re supported in their service by knowledgeable staff who assist with crafting the details of policy. The role of the citizens is to represent our different values and priorities as Americans and to make the final call.
How do lotteries guard against corruption?
Campaign contributions are the primary way that politicians become corrupted by lobbyists and special interests.
But with a lottery, there are no campaigns. So this inherently prevents the outright buying of influence that elections make so easy to do.
And once representatives are selected and in office, lotteries further guard against corruption by enabling confidential voting.
Where have democratic lotteries been used?
In the past 50 years, there have been over 2,000 uses of democratic lotteries across 116 countries.
Topics that citizen representatives have covered include the economy in the US, community healthcare in the UK, energy generation in South Korea, nuclear waste in Australia, climate change in France, and constitutional change in Ireland and Mongolia among many others. The Economist video below highlights this modern-day resurgence.
How much public support is there for this?
When asked, 2/3 of Americans believe that selecting Congress through a democratic lottery would be better than elections.
And this has equal support across the political spectrum.
This data comes from a robust national survey conducted by one of the nation’s most respected polling companies, Survey USA. You can see the full results here.
Why have I never heard of this?
Democratic lotteries have typically been pigeonholed in modern times as merely a way to inject public input into our current dysfunctional and distrusted political system, instead of being framed as a way to transform it.
For the first time ever, this film stands to change that.
How could we make this change?
Making the shift from elections to democratic lotteries at the highest levels of government will ultimately require federal constitutional change.
An amendment to the Constitution can be adopted by appealing directly to citizens for popular ratification.
This film is the first major step in a larger, long-term movement to build the broad and deep popular support necessary for popular ratification.
About the film
When will the film be released?
The film will be released in 2024. We'll have a better sense of an exact date toward the end of 2023.
Those who sign up now will get early access to see it before its publicly available.
Who is behind this?
This film is a collaboration between OF BY FOR and OF BY FOR FUND, who are working to bring about government that truly reflects and serves its people.
We do not take stances on substantive issues, we do not support candidates for elected office, and we do not take money with strings attached.
We are an active member of the Democracy R&D network, and our advisors are among the most accomplished experts in the democracy field, including:
- Lawrence Lessig - Constitutional Scholar - Harvard University
- Hélène Landemore - Professor of Political Science - Yale University
- James Fishkin - Director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy - Stanford University
- Debilyn Molineaux - Co-founder & Executive Director - Bridge Alliance
OF BY FOR is a 501c4 non-profit incorporated in Arizona. EIN 84-2536942.
OF BY FOR FUND is a 501(c)(3) charity recognized by the IRS and incorporated in Arizona. EIN 85-1620534.
How can I support?
As a non-profit initiative, we need the support of people like you to ensure that when the film is ready we can share it with people all across America.
If you would like to step up and contribute, please donate here.
About
Goodbye Elections. Hello Democracy. is a collaboration between OF BY FOR and OF BY FOR FUND, who are working to bring about government that truly reflects and serves its people.
OF BY FOR is a 501(c)(4) non-profit incorporated in Arizona. EIN 84-2536942.
OF BY FOR FUND is a 501(c)(3) charity recognized by the IRS and incorporated in Arizona. EIN 85-1620534.
Contact us at team@goodbyeelections.film.