Meritocracy instead of a Democracy.  the US actually has a democratic meritocracy.  in presidential elections, people dont really vote for the president but for the representatives of their state, the electoral college which in turn votes in the president. thus, even if the stupid masses where voting for a dumb/fascist/fill-in-the-blanks-of-idiocy, its the electoral college - meritocracy - that decideson who is going to be the next president. i have been holding the meritocracy idea for decades.  democracy can be extremely stupid - if people arent educated, they usually vote with their wallet. thus, the idea of having people answer some basic questions before they can vote in a citizen referendum.  if you have no clue, youre out.