Randomness in Athenian democracy
Fifth century BC Athenian democracy developed out of a notion of isonomia (equality of political rights), and random selection was a principal way of achieving this fairness. . . administration was in the hands of committees allotted from the people and regularly changed.
Although it may seem strange to those used to modern liberal democracy --
Athenian Greeks considered elections to be essentially undemocratic.
This was because citizens chosen on merit or popularity contradicted the democratic equality of all citizenry. In addition, allotment prevented the corrupt practice of buying votes as no one could know who would be selected as a magistrate, or to sit on a jury.