Great suggestions so far.
I think efficiency comes from simplicity. So most of my goals would be to try and simplify overly complex systems we all deal with and encourage participation by making the process of democracy easier. Participation is supposed to be what democracy is about and hopefully would make people feel like the decisions being made were their own (or at least their neighbors) rather than being forced on them by an establishment they don’t understand.
Some specifics.
> Create an application for all public offices, release the answers as public record and have them available at polling places (or online). If you want to run for office you have to answer clear questions regarding your positions, political history, past votes, and previous employment. Fact check them and release the findings. I get background checked when I apply for any sort of license or most jobs but have to wait for some sort of news expose to find out a presidential candidate’s work or voting history. Which is more important?
> Implement a flat tax with an exempt amount to keep it from being regressive. You pay x% on every dollar you earn over Y until the budget is balanced and part of the debt is paid. Once the debt is gone, everyone gets lower taxes. Yeah! I can’t think of a fairer, simpler system, and everyone would know exactly where they stand. If you don’t like this particular idea, that’s fine, let’s just start moving towards some sort of simplification that is acceptable. The current tax system is insane.
> Take advantage of technology to make voting simple. Make sure everyone has an opportunity and also make it so easy that we can get actually get voter turnout to mean something. What would voter turnout look like if I could vote online, by mail for a two week period, or show up on election day at a polling place? Include easy to digest candidate information so I can make an informed decision and suddenly people actually know who’s doing what. What would that be worth to a democracy?