  As quantum technologies (QT) advance, their potential impact on and relation
with society has been developing into an important issue for exploration. In
this paper, we investigate the topic of democratization in the context of QT,
particularly quantum computing. The paper contains three main sections. First,
we briefly introduce different theories of democracy (participatory,
representative, and deliberative) and how the concept of democratization can be
formulated with respect to whether democracy is taken as an intrinsic or
instrumental value. Second, we give an overview of how the concept of
democratization is used in the QT field. Democratization is mainly adopted by
companies working on quantum computing and used in a very narrow understanding
of the concept. Third, we explore various narratives and counter-narratives
concerning democratization in QT. Finally, we explore the general efforts of
democratization in QT such as different forms of access, formation of grassroot
communities and special interest groups, the emerging culture of manifesto
writing, and how these can be located within the different theories of
democracy. In conclusion, we argue that although the ongoing efforts in the
democratization of QT are necessary steps towards the democratization of this
set of emerging technologies, they should not be accepted as sufficient to
argue that QT is a democratized field. We argue that more reflexivity and
responsiveness regarding the narratives and actions adopted by the actors in
the QT field, and making the underlying assumptions of ongoing efforts on
democratization of QT explicit, can result in a better technology for society.
