Continuous Civic Engagement in the Preservation of Liberty
A Compound Republic Sustained by Eternal Vigilance
The United States, a compound republic forged in the crucible of revolution, stands as a union of states and a national government, each vested with distinct yet harmonious powers under the Constitution to secure the blessings of liberty. This intricate design, with its separated and enumerated powers, checks and balances, and shared sovereignty, depends upon the unceasing vigilance of a virtuous citizenry to guard against the encroachments of unaccountable authority. The compound republic, a federalism model of local and national governance, demands our steadfast care to preserve its equilibrium and purpose.
To uphold this constitutional order in an era of complexity and distrust, we propose a technological framework, rooted in transparency, verifiability, and decentralized stewardship, to renew the promise of our compound republic, ensuring that both federal and state governments remain accountable to the sovereign people.
Consent: The Foundation of Our Compound Republic
“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.”
— James Madison at the Virginia Constitutional Convention, 16 June 1788
The principle that the people are the sole legitimate source of power, from whom the constitutional charter derives its authority, lies at the heart of our republic. This maxim, affirmed in the Declaration of Independence and embodied in the Constitution, holds that governance must rest upon the active, informed consent of the governed. Elections, though vital, represent but the pulse of this republic. True consent requires citizens to uphold the Constitution’s delicate balance, guiding the deliberations of Congress and state legislatures, overseeing executives at every level, and ensuring judiciaries remain within their prescribed bounds.
In a nation of 330 million souls, united under a compound republic of national and state authorities, the scale and diversity of our union can strain the bonds of self-government. Yet, this very scale, when harnessed through representation and federalism, strengthens our liberty.
To fortify these bonds, we commend a digital platform, fortified by the arts of blockchain, cryptography, and decentralized networks. This system transforms fleeting participation into perpetual stewardship, enabling every citizen to monitor the actions of federal and state governments, verify their adherence to constitutional principles, and direct their course. Such a platform is indispensable to the vitality of our compound republic.
The Perils of Liberty in a Compound Republic
The lessons of history, from the decline of Rome to the fall of Athens, warn that liberty erodes when power goes unchecked, whether wielded by national or state authorities. Our compound republic has endured such trials, testing the resilience of its constitutional framework. As Madison wisely observed…
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
— James Madison, Federalist No. 51
When citizens entrust their vigilance to elites or succumb to passion of the moment and distraction, the Constitution’s safeguards—its division of powers between nation and states, and among branches—weaken.
Today, a lamentable detachment afflicts our civic life. A 2024 Pew Research poll reveals that only 30% of Americans trust the federal government, an historic low, with similar skepticism often directed at state authorities. Factionalism, information warfare, and the opacity of governance at both levels fuel this distrust, rendering citizens mere spectators in their own republic.
A technological system, designed to restore clarity and empower agency, can reverse this tide. By enabling citizens to hold federal and state powers accountable daily—not solely at the ballot box—the compound republic may fulfill the vision of its Founders.
The Civic Ledger: A Safeguard for the Compound Republic
To reconnect citizens with their governments, we propose a civic ledger, a decentralized, blockchain-based platform ensuring transparency, verifiability, and accountability across the compound republic, while protecting individual privacy. Operating across independently verifiable nodes, it resists tampering or coercion.
This ledger rests upon several pillars:
Visibility
Every act of government—federal legislation, state statutes, executive orders, public expenditures, and judicial rulings at all levels—shall be recorded in real time upon a public blockchain. Citizens may examine these records, tracing their alignment with constitutional authority by issue, region, or official, whether in the national capital or their statehouse. Such transparency illuminates the workings of the compound republic.
Verifiability
Cryptographic tools ensure these records remain immutable. Each entry, time-stamped and linked to sources such as the Congressional Record, state legislative journals, or Treasury data, enables citizens to confirm the integrity of federal and state elections or agency decisions against the Constitution’s standards and constraints. In 2020, 150 million voters might have received cryptographic receipts to verify their ballots cast, fortifying trust in both national and local contests.
Oversight
A civic audit tool shall empower citizens to flag actions—federal or state—that deviate from constitutional bounds. Algorithms, guided by the collective judgment of the people, shall elevate widely supported concerns for review by independent, citizen-led panels, modeled upon the grand juries of our tradition. These randomized, anonymized panels shall refer findings to Congress, state legislatures, courts, or inspectors general. Such public auditing ensures that neither national nor state factions dominate the republic’s course.
Engagement
A civic forum, secure and grounded in constitutional principles, shall foster reasoned discourse across the compound republic. Through pseudonymity, citizens may speak freely without fear of reprisal; through verified identities, authenticity is preserved. Its decentralized nature guards against censorship, as proven by its resilience in blockchain networks.
Zero-Knowledge Proof Attestation and Privacy
The civic ledger shall enable citizens to attest to their ballot selections through zero-knowledge proofs. After voting in federal or state elections, individuals may generate a cryptographic receipt, verifying their citizenship, age, residence, and singular participation—without revealing their identity. This ensures the legitimacy of each vote while preserving privacy, allowing citizens to confirm their ballot’s inclusion. The system accurately verifies election results, ensuring no precinct, whether for Congress or state assemblies, is improperly represented. In a nation where 60% questioned the 2020 election’s integrity, as reported by Gallup, such proofs restore confidence.
This principle extends beyond elections. Through the civic forum, citizens may signal support for policies at both federal and state levels, ensuring alignment with the Constitution. Should a federal regulation or state law provoke debate, millions may express their will, granting lawmakers a mandate within constitutional limits. This continuous audit ensures that governance reflects the deliberate sense of the people, not the designs of distant elites.
The Duty of Signaling and Witnessing
Our compound republic thrives through the virtue of its citizens, cultivated when we publicly affirm our commitment to constitutional principles and bear witness to the acts of both federal and state governments. Technology may aid this endeavor, but civic duty remains its cornerstone. By openly signaling to representatives our fidelity to the Constitution, we inspire them to uphold the balance of our compound republic or face removal in the next round of elections. Silence, conversely, imperils liberty. The civic forum enables proactive engagement, fostering a republic animated by constitutional devotion.
Witnessing extends to the preservation of our collective memory. The ledger maintains an unalterable record of government actions, enabling citizens to verify their adherence to the Constitution’s separation of powers and constraints on power. This clarity affirms the people’s influence. As Alexis de Tocqueville observed...
"The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults."
The civic ledger equips citizens to uphold the Constitution’s framework across the compound republic.
Restoring the Bonds of Trust
Distrust undermines the compound republic. The 2024 Pew poll’s finding of 30% trust in the federal government, coupled with similar sentiments toward state authorities, signals a crisis. The civic ledger counters this with evidence, maintaining a transparent, immutable record of actions within constitutional bounds. This clarity fosters understanding, affirming the citizen’s role in the public good.
The civic forum restores trust among citizens. Through pseudonymous, verified discourse, it encourages honest debate, free from the rancor and manipulation of modern social platforms. Trust arises from provable accountability—a compound republic true to its Constitution.
A Compound Republic That Guards Itself
The American experiment rests upon the agency of its people, governing under a Constitution that unites nation and states in a compound republic. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. Republicanism, sustained by vigilance, remains delicate. The civic ledger enables this vigilance, transforming citizens into stewards of both federal and state governments. Every citizen participant may validate constitutional governance, guard liberty, and bear witness to the promise of self-government.
This framework—blockchain, cryptography, decentralization—preserves the constraints on power of our Constitution, while adapting to the exigencies of a digital age. It honors the intent of the Founders while embracing the tools of posterity. Let us build a compound republic where citizens watch, verify, and shape their governments from duty to the Constitution. Let us forge liberty anew, citizen by citizen, until our republic shines as a beacon for generations yet to come.
At United States Lab, we are implementing the United States Constitution's compound republic governance model in web3. If you are interested in this research, please follow our R&D work.