A Multi-Stage Civic Veto System: Integrating Cognitive Limits, Statistical Thresholding, Legal Feasibility, and Comparative Institutional Analysis

This preprint proposes a three-stage civic veto system designed to enhance democratic accountability by integrating insights from cognitive science, statistical thresholding, legal feasibility, and comparative institutional analysis. The model begins with a low-cost citizen-triggered review mechanism, escalates to a statistically grounded collective veto process, and culminates in a legally structured institutional check capable of halting administrative actions under defined conditions. Each stage is engineered to respect human cognitive limits, minimize false positives and false negatives through quantitative thresholds, and remain compatible with existing legal frameworks while introducing a novel form of citizen oversight. The paper situates the proposed system within international institutional comparisons, demonstrating how the multi-stage design addresses structural weaknesses in current administrative and democratic processes.