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How should our elected representatives vote?
Posted on 6/24/26 at 6:35 pm
Posted on 6/24/26 at 6:35 pm
Which model seems most correct to you:
1. Representatives should vote in a way that reflects the will of the majority of their constituents.
2. Constituents elect representatives because they trust their judgment, intellect, and character. This grants them the freedom to vote based on their conscience and expertise, even if it occasionally diverges from public opinion.
1. Representatives should vote in a way that reflects the will of the majority of their constituents.
2. Constituents elect representatives because they trust their judgment, intellect, and character. This grants them the freedom to vote based on their conscience and expertise, even if it occasionally diverges from public opinion.
8
Posted on 6/24/26 at 6:37 pm to AUveritas
3. Representatives vote how their lobbyist tells them, regardless of their constituents, while making 100x year over year.
1 or 2 would be great, but 3 is what happens.
1 or 2 would be great, but 3 is what happens.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 6:43 pm to AUveritas
quote:
Representatives should vote in a way that reflects the will of the majority of their constituents.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 6:45 pm to AUveritas
I'd be curious to learn what the founding fathers wrote about this. I'm sure it's mentioned in one of their letters or papers.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 7:02 pm to AUveritas
Truly I think that a GREAT rep or senator would have a website and list the upcoming events (votes) say a week of so ahead of time. Joe Blow voter could go the said website and cast a ballot or suggest the way for him/her to vote. Let the majority win and they would be voting according to the majority of the people they are representing.
I realize that you would have to have to register for the website to make sure you are in said district and not voting outside your district.
Just my $.02 worth
I realize that you would have to have to register for the website to make sure you are in said district and not voting outside your district.
Just my $.02 worth
Posted on 6/24/26 at 7:11 pm to Barneyrb
Members of Congress are intended to represent the people, but the system creates incentives that often make them represent:
-Their party
-Their donors
-Their primary voters
-Organized interest groups
-Their own judgment
…sometimes more than the general population.
What the Constitution Actually Says
-Members of Congress are elected by the people of their states or districts, and the expectation is that they will act on behalf of those constituents’ interests.
-But the Constitution does not require them to vote exactly according to public opinion polls. It gives them broad discretion to use their own judgment.
Political scientists describe two models of representation:
Delegate model — vote the way constituents want
Trustee model — use your own judgment, even if constituents disagree
Most members of Congress blend these two approaches depending on the issue.
What They Are Obligated to Do
-Represent their constituents’ interests (broadly defined)
-Maintain regular elections as accountability
-Provide constituent services
-Communicate with the people they represent
-Follow constitutional limits and oath of office
They are not legally required to:
-Vote according to majority opinion in their district
-Hold town halls
-Respond to every constituent
-Avoid party-line voting
Source: Copilot AI
-Their party
-Their donors
-Their primary voters
-Organized interest groups
-Their own judgment
…sometimes more than the general population.
What the Constitution Actually Says
-Members of Congress are elected by the people of their states or districts, and the expectation is that they will act on behalf of those constituents’ interests.
-But the Constitution does not require them to vote exactly according to public opinion polls. It gives them broad discretion to use their own judgment.
Political scientists describe two models of representation:
Delegate model — vote the way constituents want
Trustee model — use your own judgment, even if constituents disagree
Most members of Congress blend these two approaches depending on the issue.
What They Are Obligated to Do
-Represent their constituents’ interests (broadly defined)
-Maintain regular elections as accountability
-Provide constituent services
-Communicate with the people they represent
-Follow constitutional limits and oath of office
They are not legally required to:
-Vote according to majority opinion in their district
-Hold town halls
-Respond to every constituent
-Avoid party-line voting
Source: Copilot AI
This post was edited on 6/24/26 at 7:12 pm
Posted on 6/24/26 at 7:20 pm to AUveritas
quote:
Which model seems most correct to you:
1. Representatives should vote in a way that reflects the will of the majority of their constituents.
2. Constituents elect representatives because they trust their judgment, intellect, and character. This grants them the freedom to vote based on their conscience and expertise, even if it occasionally diverges from public opinion.
Any elected politician who runs on a particular platform such as mass deportations, balancing the federal budget, congressional term limits, ending birthright citizenship, election security/integrity, restoring the US manufacturing and industrial production, etc. should be held to account for those campaign platform items. Furthermore any member of Congress who makes such campaign pledges should vote against any legislation that would be at odds to the campaign platform they ran on.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 8:33 pm to AUveritas
quote:
Constituents elect representatives because they trust their judgment, intellect, and character. This grants them the freedom to vote based on their conscience and expertise, even if it occasionally diverges from public opinion
Ok, I did some digging. Hamilton, Adams, Washington, and Burke all were pretty unanimous in believing in the trustee model, with Adams explicitly writing against the delegate model.
We should elect people based on trusting their judgement and general alignment, and if they fail us we vote then out.
Obviously that's not working out well. We don't vote out people nearly enough.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 8:41 pm to Marciano1
quote:
Representatives should vote in a way that reflects the will of the majority of their constituents.
What if your constituents are dumb on policies, specifically monetary policy, foreign policy, drug policy, and education policy?
Posted on 6/24/26 at 8:43 pm to AUveritas
The answer is in their name. REPRESENTatives. 
Posted on 6/24/26 at 8:57 pm to Marciano1
quote:
vote exactly according to public opinion polls.
How often are these polls wrong?
And which Party controls the polling?
Posted on 6/24/26 at 8:58 pm to jrodLSUke
quote:
How often are these polls wrong?
And which Party controls the polling?
I know he said polls, but I think the intent is more the representatives should be more in-tune with their constituency and vote based on their specific desires, etc.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 9:00 pm to AUveritas
We need freedom. Allowing people to choose for us was an intentional way to strip rights from the normal citizen from the beginning.
No matter who’s elected, they work for the same team.
No matter who’s elected, they work for the same team.
Posted on 6/24/26 at 9:00 pm to TigerFanatic99
The founders, at least the ones who were federalists, were partial to the 2nd option
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