> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nationalism.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nationalism.io/the-future-of-nation-states/ancestral-nationalism-adoption-plan.md).

# Ancestral nationalism adoption plan

The first step in adopting any new model of governance is to identify a practical and legitimate starting point. This is important when you are operating within an existing political system that might reject or even try to suppress other ideas like ancestral nationalism.

Rather than attempting to replace a national political system immediately, a more realistic approach is to begin with tools that can create an environment where political change can be more easily discussed and voted on in the future.

One compelling starting point is the adoption of a privacy-preserving digital identity system that allows citizens and residents to participate more easily in opinion polls, consultations and referendums.

From there, local and regional communities can gradually expand their capacity for self-governance. This can allow communities to protect their culture, traditions, environment, public services and way of life whilst also creating an environment that could enable the replacement of the existing national political system.

## **1. Implement a self-sovereign identity solution**

A strong starting point for democratic reform is the adoption of a self-sovereign identity system. Self-sovereign identity, often shortened to SSI, is a digital identity model in which individuals control their own identity credentials rather than relying entirely on a central authority to store and manage their personal data.

In practice, this means a person could prove that they are eligible to participate in a local poll, consultation or referendum without exposing unnecessary personal information. For example, someone might be able to prove that they live in a particular municipality or region without revealing unrelated private data.

This kind of system could benefit political life in several ways. First, it reduces dependence on centralised databases that may give governments or corporations excessive control over identity and personal information. Second, it can make democratic participation easier and cheaper. Once people are verified as eligible participants, they can take part in opinion polls, local consultations and referendums with much less administrative burden.

A self-sovereign identity system could also be useful at the local and regional level. Communities that want more influence over education, policing priorities, infrastructure, environmental protections, taxation, housing or cultural policy could use secure digital voting and polling tools to better understand public preferences.

The main advantage of SSI is it enables incremental reform. A single town, county, municipality or region could adopt the technology first. If the system proves reliable, transparent, secure and popular, other regions may choose to adopt it later. This gradual approach allows technical problems, scaling issues, security risks and public concerns to be identified before any broader national rollout.

The first step, therefore, is to create and adopt a trustworthy self-sovereign identity solution that can be used for democratic participation while protecting privacy and civil rights.

## **2. Hold local and regional referendums**

Once a reliable identity system is in place, the next step is to use it for local and regional democratic decision-making. This could begin with non-binding opinion polls before moving toward formal referendums.

Initial votes should focus on practical local issues. These might include education priorities, public transport, infrastructure spending, housing development, policing strategy, environmental protections, cultural funding, local taxation or community planning.

The purpose of these early referendums is not to transform the entire political system overnight. Instead, they should demonstrate that the identity and voting systems work, that participation is secure and that communities can make informed decisions on issues that directly affect them.

These referendums could also help shift some decision-making power away from distant national institutions and toward local communities. In many countries, people feel that national governments are too centralised and too disconnected from regional needs. Local referendums can help communities take greater ownership over their own affairs.

Transparency is essential. The identity and voting systems should be open to independent audit, public scrutiny and expert review. Citizens need confidence that votes are counted accurately, that eligibility rules are fair and that personal data is protected.

These initial votes would lay the groundwork for larger decisions in the future. The best approach is to begin with limited, clearly defined topics and increase the importance of decisions only after the system has earned public trust.

## **3. Continue adoption of identity solution across the country**

As the identity and voting system proves successful in early adopting areas, other regions may become interested in using it. Expansion should be based on demonstrated success rather than pressure or central mandate.

Before wider adoption, there should be clear evidence that the system is secure, accessible, transparent and trusted by the public. This could include proving that elderly people, disabled people, rural communities and those with limited digital access are not excluded from participation.

Different regions may use the system for different purposes. One area may prioritise infrastructure and housing. Another may focus on language preservation, cultural events, environmental management or education. A third may use it to consult residents on local budgeting or public safety.

This flexibility is one of the strengths of a decentralised democratic model. Local communities do not all have the same needs, and a good governance system should allow regions to express their own priorities.

At this stage, the identity solution should be sufficiently tested and legitimate enough to become a recognised part of the wider political system. It could function alongside existing democratic institutions while helping make them more responsive and participatory.

## **4. Hold an ancestral nationalism opinion poll**

Once the identity and voting system has gained enough adoption, it could be used to gather opinions on broader questions around local autonomy, cultural continuity, constitutional reform and ancestral preservation.

Some regions with a large ancestral population may want greater control over who can live alongside them. A large-scale opinion poll would help clarify where public support exists and what forms of autonomy people actually want.

This process can be accompanied by public meetings, debates, educational content, policy papers and open forums to discuss the merits and opportunities with an ancestral nationalist solution. People should understand the existing political system, the proposed reforms and the possible consequences of changing the system from a civic nationalist one to an ancestral nationalist one or for adopting ancestral solutions at a regional level.

Any citizen in the existing civic system would be able to sign up and use this voting system in the initial stages of adoption. It would not prevent people based on ancestry as this solution has not yet been implemented.

What this means is an opinion poll on the topic of ancestral nationalist solutions would include all citizens at this stage. A majority of the ancestral population might vote in favour of these changes but non-ancestral citizens could vote against it. Therefore you don’t need a majority of the existing citizens to approve an opinion poll to justify a future referendum on ancestral nationalism. You just need to see enough meaningful support to justify a ancestral verification process to hold the referendum more formally with a legitimate process. The goal of the opinion polls is to gather feedback and overall sentiments towards the adoption of a new political system.

## **5. Create a ancestral verification process**

If there is sufficient interest for more ancestral autonomy and national political system change, the next step is to establish a fair process for determining who can participate in specific votes.

This will likely mean creating a genetic reference panel to determine who is part of the ancestral population or not. Official records and documents will help with creating the reference panel that other people can be tested against. Many existing genetic testing companies already exist that have created these reference panels so collaborations with these companies could be appropriate. It should be expected that this reference panel is updated over time as edge cases are identified and corrected and more genetic testing is carried out.

There could be an opportunity to hold an ancestral referendum in situations where there is still a sufficiently large majority of the ancestral population who have voting power. If a large majority of that population want to adopt a new system a referendum could speed up the process in which it is adopted. Even if that referendum was successful there is still a need to formally determine who is part of the nation or not with the adoption of a new political system. So eventually a verification process will be necessary for determining who is part of the ancestral population. This verification will be necessary to politically act and respond to any preferences on a local, regional or national level.

## **6. Hold an ancestral nationalism referendum**

Once eligibility rules and identity credentials are in place, a region could hold a formal referendum on adopting self-governance solutions for the long-established ancestral population.

Regional areas are likely a good starting point as it allows for more time to let other regions get verified using the ancestral verification process. It could take weeks or months for a large base of the population to become verified. Once people are verified they can be issued with a credential that proves they are part of the ancestral population. This credential could then be used to determine who is eligible to vote in any ancestral nationalist referendums. The credential can also be used at any point in the future for doing opinion polls or referendums.

Once enough people have been verified across the nation-state a national referendum could then be considered for adopting ancestral nationalism to replace civic nationalism at the national level.

## 7. Self-governance for the ancestral population

Both regional and national adoption of ancestral nationalism would result in a gradual process of political change.

If a regional or national referendum succeeds, the long-established ancestral community can begin exercising greater self-governance. This can help them with shaping their own future more directly and preserving aspects of their culture, heritage, economy, environment and social institutions.

Success with a national referendum should mean that a formal process can begin to replace the existing civic system with the ancestral one. This can mean starting a process of revoking existing citizenships for individuals that are not part of the ancestral population and ensuring only the ancestral population is given citizenship and political membership.