E-democracy

Under E- democracy involves simplifying and handling processes relating to information, communication and transactions within and between institutions of the legislature, citizens, businesses and other government institutions through the use of information and communication technologies.

Here, however, also plays the will and opinion formation or choice, so the run-up to the occupation of the institutions involved. The use of e -democracy offers is voluntary, as long as Internet voting (I- voting) have not been established nationwide. The media used for e- democracy rather close even potential users of such policy enthusiastic citizens without Internet access. It is part of e-government.

Forms of e- democracy

A distinction between " top-down " and " bottom-up " actions. In the first case include measures of e-democracy tools of office-holders, initiated in the second case of citizens. For example, Liquid Friesland distinguishes between " administrative procedures " and " civil proceedings" within the framework of the project.

In addition, there is the distinction between direct democracy and indirect democratic forms of e- democracy.

Direct democratic forms

• Internet elections offer the opportunity to cast a ballot over the Internet in elections or referendums.
• E- protest creates shortcuts for protest actions, such as on the website of a citizens' initiative.
• E- Activism is an umbrella term for Internet -based bottom-up initiatives, which mostly are based very directly on the enforcement of a particular policy objective or the release of political interests.
• E-participation allows citizens to influence political decisions on the Internet, such as construction or planning processes.

Indirectly Democratic forms

• E- information serves as an entry into the electronic decision-making, such as a provision of information on the website of individual politicians.
• E -Parliament involves the citizens in parliamentary work, such as discussion forums on the website of the parliaments.
• E- Party offers party members opportunities to collaborate over the Internet.
• E- Petitioning ( online petition ) offers citizens the opportunity to petition committees of the parliaments to ask questions directly and pointing out shortcomings
• Internet campaign provides information of campaigners.

Other Approaches

In addition to the described elements of e- democracy, which focus primarily on direct influence or the image of existing policy processes in the network, there are other approaches. The focus of new services that make use of social software, does not focus on the formalized influence but to a sustainable improvement of communication between citizens and political actors. With its democratic structures, the Internet offers a number of ways to involve the citizens in political decision-making. Here, elements such as user-generated content, evaluation platforms and online communities are taken up and adapted to the policy. The aim is to make political participation easy and exciting to communicate clearly by aggregated reviews " will of the people " to the policy and to allow through the social community thought a networking policy concerns.

In the design of the Liquid Democracy basic idea of ​​e- democracy have been further developed.