Department of Direct Democracy
The Illuminatia Department of Direct Democracy (DDD) is the agency of the Illuminatian government that administers all elections, referenda, and other democratic votes taken to make decisions about the operations of the government and its elected personnel. The DDD operates under the Ultrabureau of Control.
The DDD's most significant undertaking is the operation of the Polling and Balloting Network Illuminatia's advanced electronic vote-taking system. This continent-wide network provides every person of age in Illuminatia with a device that connects to the voting system remotely from anywhere and allows that person to securely vote with no possibility of fraudulent activity. The Polling and Balloting Network makes voting quick, simple, and effortless, maximizing voter participation and eliminating problems that might arise from a slanted representation as a result of low voter turnout. Virtually everybody who can vote does vote and votes often thanks to the voting system, in conjunction with an overall culture of civic duty.
The DDD coordinates the registration of candidates running for office, curates ballots, collects votes, tabulates results, and reports those election results to the public.
A single universal nation-wide entity to administer elections became necessary thanks to Illuminatia's passionate affinity for voting. Being polled and registering a vote is an almost-daily part of civic life in Illuminatia, with votes taken regularly for a variety of issues needing the public's input. The personal voting technology makes this frequency and pervasiveness of voting possible.
Such an undertaking requires consolidated coordination continent-wide through an agency representing the entire Illuminatian populace, which is an advancement that would not be possible with a fragmented system of locally-run elections authorities, such as was commonly found on Earth. Dedicated Illuminatians who were building this new civilization's governmental structures considered patched-together local election operations and regulations to be a severe threat to a stable and representative democracy, based on the plentitude of points of exposure for potential fraud, underrepresentation, and other perils.
The Department of Direct Democracy's position under the Bureau of Control ensures the department's independence from any real or perceived interference from the branches of government for which it administers voting. The BOC, as Illuminatia's check on the balance of power among government, does not operate under leaders with elected positions. Decisions regarding the DDD are made by a self-perpetuating roster of personnel. As a result, the DDD is insulated from outside pressures and intrusion and also has no motivation or conduit for activities that would adulterate a democratic vote to alter the department's own fortune.