I'm in favor of the only form of democracy with a demonstrated track record of success, the draft. It's the way the Venetian republic was run for 400 years. The city state was lead by the Doge who was nominated and elected by the noblemen. Neither the nomination nor the post could be refused. The noblemen generally picked fellow noblemen who were advanced in years so it was unlikely that he would get any ideas. He then had the honor of moving into the Doge's palace (at his own expense).
The Doge's post was largely ceremonial. The Doge had a magnificent office with view of the Grand Canal. The Doge could not engage in any commercial activity, nor could his family. The real power was held by the prime minster. The prime minster had an oversized broom closet with no adornments. In 400 years Venice had only one coup attempt and executed a grand total of 4 people.
To quote Arthur C. Clarke "There are some jobs, like president of the United States, that are too important to ever be given to the people who want them." I think you could come up with a formula that would consist of say 5% of the population that would consist of qualified individuals. You could do the same with Congress.