] The primary intended use for this is to allow
] identifiable participants in the domain name system to
] vote on matters that affect the whole domain name system
] in an easy (and easily-verifiable) fashion. The method
] for voting is specifying a string in the whois data for a
] domain name.

I beleive that the primary problem with the DNS that has lead to the present difficulties with Verisign, as well as previous difficulties, and future difficulties as well, is that the regulatory body which controls the DNS, ICANN, does not have democratic legitimacy. ICANN attempted to enable open elections, but this process fell apart for various reasons. A former roommate of mine (for a short period of time) wrote this essay at circleid on the subject. I'd like to know what people think.

A Voting System for Internet by Domain Name Owners - Part I