From Sam Edge, Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
Roger Morgan worries that citizens’ assemblies can become self-selecting due to large-scale refusal to participate, and hence polarised. The simple solution to this, hinted at in the original article, is to make participation compulsory in the same way that jury duty and, in some countries, voting are, allowing for rare exceptions due to personal circumstances. Failure to participate could result in criminal proceedings and risk a prison term and financial penalty (Letters, 2 November).
Combine that with truly random selection from the whole citizenry – including children or those who are homeless or imprisoned – and you have a representative sample.
