Every citizen is a legislator in Felicia. The political transformation that produced this system is described in Centiki: Mirror of the State, where the future State of Felicia first takes shape. The State of Felicia does not elect legislators to mediate between citizens and state. The Citizen Forum is where citizens exercise that power directly. They do not simply elect representatives and surrender political authority until the next election. Citizenship itself carries the right to participate in governing the country. 

Most modern democracies are representative democracies. Citizens elect a relatively small number of people who debate laws and vote on their behalf. Felicia follows a different principle: if political power belongs to the citizens, why should only representatives exercise it? The answer in Felicia is simple: One citizen. One vote. A citizen who joined yesterday has the same legislative vote as someone who has participated for years. Wealth does not increase voting power. Popularity does not increase voting power. The number of posts a citizen has written does not increase voting power. Citizens may give one another likes in the Citizen Forum. Likes recognize a useful argument, a thoughtful contribution, a good idea, or simply something another citizen appreciates.

A like is not a vote. A citizen with ten thousand likes still has one legislative vote. A citizen with no likes also has one vote. Social recognition and political power remain separate. This distinction is important because many online communities create ranks, reputation scores, badges, or weighted voting systems. Such systems may be useful for encouraging participation, but they conflict with Felicia’s basic political promise if they give one citizen greater legislative authority than another.

The Citizen Forum can recognize contribution without creating a political hierarchy. Felicia does retain ceremonial offices, but those offices do not replace the legislative authority of the citizens. Political power remains with the people of Felicia.

The internet makes this form of government possible in a way that would have been difficult in earlier societies. Two billion citizens could never gather inside one physical legislative chamber. They do not need to. A digital forum allows political discussion to take place across an enormous population.

Not every citizen will participate in every debate. Not every citizen will vote on every question. But every citizen retains the right to do so. Representative democracies ask citizens to choose who will govern. Felicia asks something different. It asks citizens to govern.