Great comments. A little different than common criticisms I have garnered over the years.

The first tier TDG elections will not select "the best" candidate. But they will select from "among the best." Some neighbors may indeed vote for "from the worst 20 people" in their neighborhood, but it is unlikely any of those worst would win the election. If they do, it is more unlikely they won't advance higher into the TDG.

My sense of the Dunbar's Number is not about "exerting social influence/control," but more about having a "social ease" of interacting. My interpretation is that we have a limit as to how many people we can have that social ease. It takes repeated contact to establish and maintain those bonds. But there is a limit. Dunbar said 150 (actually 148). Some people may be able to hold more; some less.

On a personal level, I have had many Dunbar groups in my life. There were no laws and enforcement for me to accept or reject these groups. They just happened as part of a human need to be socially connected.