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Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find answers to the most common questions we receive - about this site, and about Direct Democracy in general.

What is Direct Democracy?

Direct democracy is a form of government where the people make decisions directly instead of being limited to electing representatives to decide things for them.  It can take various forms.  The purpose of this website is to facilitate a way for residents of Atlanta to communicate and participate in the law-making process. The Atlanta Direct Democracy Interface is an instrument that gives each registered user direct access to proposing ideas/laws, voting on bills, and suggesting changes.

Why should Atlanta have a Direct Democracy?

The current system of government is rife with inequality, misrepresentation, blatantly corrupt decisions, ridiculous laws, and ego-driven mistakes - all inflicted on us by our own elected officials. There is no doubt that reform is necessary. The key reason that Direct Democracy is the best solution is that it gives every voter a seat at the decision-making table, and gives each resident a voice in the public arena.
There are few cities outside of Atlanta that are better poised to take advantage of real democracy. The people of Atlanta display a unique urge to hold responsibility for their government. And no other city in the world has a greater supply of creativity, intellect, or diversity. We can use one district in Atlanta to check the excesses of concentrated power, to correct the deep cynicism engendered by the current system, and to give the people a political tool when their public servants are non-responsive or astray. The 21st century demands innovative solutions, and Atlanta has proven that it can be a leader on this front. This can be OUR city, powered by OUR solutions.

What about people who don't have access to technology?

There will certainly be issues regarding equitable access to the internet and technology. This direct democracy interface will incorporate internet, smartphones, and old-fashioned telephone hotlines for residents of all tech-user levels to participate. You do not need internet access to participate. As always, you will still be able to communicate with City Hall via telephone, mail, or visiting our offices in person.

Integrating Direct Democracy and technology into City Hall will not diminish the role or influence of residents who choose not to use technology. People who bank online are never given preference to people who prefer to walk down to their local branch and have a face-to-face talk. Although retailers like Best Buy and Target have opened online stores, they still cater to the needs of customers who want to visit their brick-and-mortar stores. We acknowledge that not everyone uses the internet; and we deeply value our communications with those residents who do not use technology. Jon Jones and his plan for Direct Democracy harness technology to make civic engagement easier for the general public by increasing the number of functions available to city residents over the internet. He would never institute a system that under-represents or alienates city residents who cannot log into ADDI.


The main effect of employing Direct Democracy is to lower the cost of participation for everyone. Getting the attention of an elected representative can be a challenge - especially if you’re not a deep-pocketed donor. But with Direct Democracy, a $20 cell phone or a 10$ house phone could give everyone an equal share of our district’s seat at City Hall’s table.

Has Direct Democracy ever worked before?

Though its history goes back millennia, Direct Democracy, and specifically an initiative process for citizens to propose and vote on laws themselves, was first instituted at the federal level by the Swiss in 1891. They had already provided for the right of the people to block government actions by referendum since 1848. And since then, for over a century, the Swiss have been successfully using Direct Democracy to govern their country. Large Swiss towns, with hundreds of thousands of people, have indeed demonstrated their ability to decide on complex issues, ranging from taxation to transportation ordinances.


In America a movement for initiative rights sprang up in many states toward the close of the 19th century. In the case of South Dakota the idea was homegrown. Most other places were introduced to the idea by James W. Sullivan’s 1892 book “Direct Legislation by the Citizenship Through the Initiative and Referendum”, which advocated for adoption of the Swiss process.

Atlanta, too, can make history by becoming the first city in America to have a Direct Democracy at the local level of government. By statring small, the people of District 5 can demonstrate that citizen-powered law making is a real alternative to the tired system in govermnet currently in place today.

California sort of has Direct Democracy. Is this the same?

No. The state of California has ballot measures - where people can organize to get a proposition onto a ballot by getting thousands of signatures. The process for one citizen to get an idea considered by the general public is arduous in that version of Direct Democracy. The key differences between California and Atlanta’s proposed process are scale and access. The cost of getting on the ballot in California and waging a state-wide campaign closes its initiative process to real participation by most people until election day. With Atlanta’s online portal, every resident is given a seat at the table by default. You don’t have to go around collecting signatures to get their ideas heard. Simply log in and write your comments in ADDI's open forum. And if your idea is particularly noteworthy idea, the people of your community will agree, and the idea will shoot to the top of the forum where it will earn District-wide attention and possible conversion into a bill before City Hall.

How will we write laws that involve using tax-payer money?

The people should always have a say in how their money is spent. Giving the people control of city expenses results in greater civic engagement, and lower rates of tax evasion.

Any proposal requiring a city expenditure or a loss or cap of city revenue will include a fiscal impact statement, authored by Jon Jones. Citizens can submit ideas freely, without consideration of the prospective costs of implementing their proposal. Jon Jones is a classically-trained Economist registered with the American Economic Association; and by profession, he is a full-time Pricing Analyst. Any initiatives brought before City Hall will be reviewed by both Jones, and an independent budget office to assess its monetary feasibility. As Councilman, Jones will act in accordance with the fiduciary responsibilities of his elected office, and prepare a fiscal impact statement for every resident-submitted proposal that goes before CIty Hall for a vote.

What about the influence of money/lobbyists?

As it stands today, if a lobbyist wants to sway votes for a bill in his favor, he just needs to set up a handful of meetings with members of the political class, and lavish them with gifts and campaign donations. We make the political process an easy game for lobbyists, because often, they only have to "buy" 2 or 3 votes. But in a Direct Democracy, every citizen has voting rights on the issues. A lobbyist would have to visit thousands of residents in order to try to persuade people to cast votes in his/her favor. In a Direct Democracy, the importance of voting belongs to THE PEOPLE.

​Furthermore, corporate interests wield tremendous power over politicians, and it's affecting everyday citizens. Lobbyists can threaten elected representatives with character assassination. Lobbyists can coax elected officials into agreement with expensive gifts and steak dinners. And special interest money is what lines politicians' campaign funds, and keeps them in office. This relationship is bad for everyone, especially YOU - because the person you elect to represent you no longer has your best interest in mind. Direct Democracy is the best solution to get corrupting money out of politics.

But aren’t citizens too uninformed/busy?

Jon Jones has a profound faith in the judgment of the people of Atlanta. Politicians want you to think they are special. They run campaigns that paint them as heroes with superior abilities, here to solve all of our problems. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Elected officials are regular people just like the rest of us. They should not be given rights to make decisions that will affect our families and our livelihoods - especially without our input.

Direct Democracy is an ideal based on the founders' belief that "All men are created equal." With ADDI, making informed deliberate decisions about laws that will affect you becomes simple. You don't have to attend council meetings. You don't have to read through pages of briefings or studies. Every issue will be simplified and communicated to you in a way that is unbiased and truthful. And with the click of a mouse button, or 60-second phone call, you can cast your vote. Voting on the next tax bill would be as easy as voting for the next American Idol.

In a Direct Democracy, who do we hold accountable?

In our current style of government, you are given the opportunity to see how each elected representative has voted. If you agree with your councilperson's vote, then you chalk it up as a job well done. If you disagree with their vote, you wait for the next election to exact your revenge.

In a Direct Democracy, the votes of each individual will be privately cast. You cannot see how your neighbor voted. All you can see is what the final total tally is once voting on an issue has been completed. The objective of Direct Democracy is not to assign one person whom we can laud or assign blame to once decisions are made. The purpose of establishing REAL democracy is to work collectively to devise solutions, and to govern ourselves by consensus. The outcome of decisions may not be favorable for everyone; but they will be more representative of the will of THE PEOPLE than a system that holds one person accountable.

Is this site active now?

Currently, ADDI is in the very early concept design phase. This website was built to show people at a very basic level what the tool for Direct Democracy will look like. This rough prototype demonstrates the important features that ADDI will have: the ability to cast votes on issues, the ability to write comments and and propose ideas, and the ability to see what issues are important to other residents.

On this page, you do not have the ability to log in with a personal username. Also, the "Yes" and "No" vote buttons are inactive - so you are not actually voting on any of the mock issues.

The actual development and implementation of a live ADDI would take 7 weeks. Jon Jones and team will commit to this time frame to have ADDI built by January 1, 2014, contingent upon election on November 5th (After all, why spend 7 instense weeks building something if the voters don't want it?). From time to time, the Committee to Elect Jon Jones and our developer team will release an updated version of ADDI for the public to browse and explore. Stay tuned for what's to come!

How can I make this happen?

This part of the movement to make Atlanta the first city in America to have a Direct Democracy is powered by the The Committee to Elect Jon Jones. We urge residents of Atlanta's District 5 to vote on November 5, 2013 for Jon Jones. Getting Jon Jones elected is the first step in making Direct Democracy a reality for our city.

For people who don't live in the district, you can help move this idea closer to existence by spreading the word. Get involved, tell a friend. Blog about it. Share on Facebook. And visit Jones4Atlanta.com to find out the latest news about the candidate representing REAL Democracy!

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​ADDI©, the ADDI logo, and the Atlanta Direct Democracy Interface ™ are all trademarks of the Committee to Elect Jon Jones. All rights reserved. Jones4Atlanta.com

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