Why not select members of Congress by lottery?

Why Not? Is a bi-weekly newsletter from Post Opinions written by columnist Daniel Pink, who will explore bold, surprising ideas to improve our world. Click the “subscribe” button above to make sure you receive every edition of this newsletter.

By Daniel Pink, Contributing Opinion columnist

The U.S. House of Representatives is not representative at all.

Of its 435 members, 71 percent are men, 72 percent are White, one-third are lawyers, and more than half are millionaires.

Compare that with a nation in which women outnumber men, Whites constitute less than 60 percent of the population, a scant 1 in 128 American workers has a legal background, and 4 in 10 people lack the money to cover a $400 emergency expense.

A House of Representatives with the demographics of a House of Lords isn’t the only reason for legislative dysfunction and public disdain. But it doesn’t help. And legions of Why Not? readers believe they have a solution.

“Why not transform the House of Representatives by including members who are chosen by lottery . . . and drafted to serve for a defined period of time?” wonders a reader in Vero Beach, Florida.

On Election Day, we affirm with our actions an unspoken principle of governance: The fairest and most democratic way to determine who wields public power is by asking citizens to cast ballots.

But what if there’s an alternative — not autocracy or monarchy but a more radical form of democratic representation and popular sovereignty?

“Why not make serving in Congress like jury duty?” asks a reader in Salt Lake City. “If you meet the criteria, you could be selected to serve for a term, which would give a broader cross-section of people representing regular Americans.”

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