text: Most people barely understand the idea of "representation by population" which is how Canadian democracy works, let alone more elaborate approaches. The Swiss have a very direct democracy where for a given issue the vote is from the citizenry. In Canada it goes through many layers before it's implemented. One is fast and prone to volatility, the other is stable but slow to move. I do remember reading how it can be proven mathematically that in the US with it's electoral college is a necessary part of the US system. Without it, smaller states would have almost no voice, and would be subject to a kind of electoral tyranny because of their smaller populations. So you see, things are more complex than they appear.