Strengthening Democracy

8/8/2019 Strengthening Democracy

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Conference Report &Policy Recommendation

Engaging Citizens in Governance


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Fr mr ifrmti, p ctct:

Stuart Comstock-GayDirector, Democracy Program617.232.5885 [email protected]

Joe GoldmanVice President o Citizen Engagement, AmericaSpeaks202.775.3939 [email protected]

Patrick ScullyDeputy Director, Everyday Democracy860.928.2616 [email protected]


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Table oF ConTenTs

excutiv summry 1

A ChAmpionfor ExpAnding CiviC EngAgEmEnt: A WhitE housE offiCEof CiviC EngAgEmEntAnd morE 1

nAtionAl disCussions: millionsof voiCEsAtthE tAblE 2

A lEgislAtivE AgEndAfor dEmoCrAtiC rEform 2

Itrducti 3

bACkground 3visionofA nEW dEmoCrACy 3

a Chmpi fr Civic emt: Whit Hu offic f Civicemt, d Mr 5

ElEmEntsofA fEdErAl CommitmEnt to CiviC EngAgEmEntAnd dEmoCrAtiC pArtiCipAtion 5

Cvi nti Dicui: Mii f Vic t th T 8

millionsof voiCEs 8

mAkingit hAppEn 9

a litiv ad fr Dmcrtic Rfrm 11

implEmEnt ElECtorAl rEform 11

inCrEAsE dEmoCrAtiC pArtiCipAtion 11

WElComE nEW rEsidEnts into dEmoCrAtiC lifE 12

biirphy f Ky Rurc 14

edt 15

Cfrc Prticipt 16


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eXeCUTIVe sUMMaRY

What ollows is a practical agenda or addressing the increasing loss o peoples trust inand sense oconnection toour systems o politics and governance.

In July 2008, 49 advocates, scholars, and thinkers met in Washington, D.C. and came to agreement on theoutlines o a broad agenda or democracy reorm. In the weeks that ollowed, the participants broke intoworkgroups and developed the recommendations outlined in this document.

Our ideas rest on a set o shared convictions about what democracy ought to mean. We envision an Americathat encourages the maximum levels o voter turnout, practices people-centered governance, and actively seeksand genuinely values everyones participation. o this end, we must build an inrastructure o participationand governance that welcomes everyone, while also taking steps to ensure that the voices o the powerul are

not unduly elevated.

We take up this mission not simply out o principle, but because we are convinced that a more inclusivepolitical process will generate better policies, develop the public knowledge and will to carry them out, andlead not only to a more just society, but to a virtuous cycle o economic, social, and political progress.

We have three sets o recommendations.

a Chmpi fr expdi Civic emt:a Whit Hu offic f Civic emt d Mr

One o the most important things the next President can do to oster greater civic and electoral participationat the ederal level isto create a White-House level Oce on Civic Engagement. Tis oce would serve asa ocal point o government-wide commitment and provide leadership to a wide range o ederal agenciesRelated steps the administration should take include:

Create an interagency network to provide agencies and sta with capacity-building services such astechnical support and training in how to engage citizens in policy making.

Charge Federal agencies to coordinate with each other and with state and local decision makers onbehal o critical local and regional goals.

ake inventory o existing public engagement practices, in order to assess what works and whatsneeded.

Direct new political appointees to become amiliar with the Administrations policy in regard to theimportance o civic participation, and with their respective agencies civic engagement activities.

Provide leadership on an aggressive electoral reorm agenda.


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nti Dicui: Mii f Vic t th T

Te next President should signal a new kind o governance by calling on the American people to take part

in a series o national discussions, each engaging one million Americans or more, on the issues o highestpublic concern, such as the economy, health care, oreign policy, energy and climate change. Te nationaldiscussions will provide policy makers with an independent, non-partisan means o assessing the inormedopinions and collective priorities o the American people and orge a stronger link between Americans andtheir government.

Tis initiative could be overseen by a non-partisan working group o citizens appointed by the Presidentand the majority and minority leadership o the House and Senate. Te new White House Oce o CivicEngagement should manage the national discussion and ensure a strong link to the President and Federalagencies.

a litiv ad fr Dmcrtic Rfrm

Te next President should work with Congress to pass an aggressive set o policy reorms to enhancedemocratic participationelectoral and otherwise.

In the electoral arena these reorms should include:

Committing to universal voter registration or all eligible Americans, beginning with Election DayRegistration or all Americans, and ull implementation o the National Voter Registration Act.

Passing meaningul public nancing o Congressional elections, and restoring meaningul publicnancing o Presidential elections.

Adopting a broad set o voter-convenience measures such as early voting and vote by mail.

Developing national standards or election administration.

Supporting ranked-choice ballots and instant-runo elections as another way to protect voters romunrepresentative outcomes and ensure a air refection o voter sentiment.

In the broader democratic engagement arena, these reorms should include:

Passing the Public Engagement Act, to create constructive incentives and requirements or ederalagencies to gain ull benet rom public engagement activities, consultation and collaborativeprocesses.

Developing model legislation, new measurement tools and technical assistance programs or statesand local governments, to encourage and support their use o participatory practices.

Finally, Congress needs to adopt a series o policy reorms to encourage and support new residents oAmerica as they enter democratic lie. We oer a series o recommendations to encourage greater access tonaturalization and voter registration, and call or adequate unding or the 2010 Census to make sure that

new residents are counted and their voices are heard in policymaking and governance.


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InTRoDUCTIon

bckrud

Te year 2008 has witnessed a renewed excitement about our democracy. Candidates on all sides haveinspired voters across the country. Millions o new voters have registered, including vast numbers o youngpeople who are engaging in electoral politics or their rst time. Tese are positive signs that our democracyis dynamic and evolving

Yet at the same time, American democracy has allen on hard times. In one public opinion survey ateranother, Americans express eelings o proound disconnection rom the ocials and institutions o nationagovernment. Only 24 percent o Americans now expect Washington to do what is right most o the time.

Only 34 percent believe that government generally cares about what people like me think. 2 Regardlesso where people lean on this or that particular issue, most Americans are dismayed by the heightenedpartisanship that so oten seems to block all possibility o agreement or action. And the recent economiccrisis has bred a new round o cynicism.

Policymakers, or their part, nd it increasingly dicult to govern. Tey describe a political process dened byshallow media coverage, narrow-minded lobbying, and a continual need or campaign unds. Special-interescampaigns and polls have become substitutesvery poor substitutesor robust electoral participationthoughtul deliberation and citizen input. In this poisoned environment, it is all but impossible or electedleaders to nd common ground and serve the public interest.

Tere are plenty o reasons or the breakdown o trust and civic engagement, and loss o engagement in ourpolitical system that we have seen in recent decades. But there is also very good reason to believe that it canbe reversed. Building on the recent surge in political engagement, the time has comeand the means are athandto take Americas ailing democracy in our hands and enable citizens to breathe lie back into it.

Vii f nw Dmcrcy

In July 2008, 49 advocates, scholars, and thinkers met in Washington, D.C. to consider these issues. Overtwo days o stimulating discussion and debate, we came to agreement on the outlines o a broad agendaor democracy reorm.3 Our specic proposals, some ocused on the election process, others on a broaderconcept o deliberative democracy and new orms o community-building, are spelled out in the subsequentsections o this report - our blueprint or a stronger democracy.

Our policy ideas rest on a set o shared convictions about what democracy ought to mean. It should not be abattle o contending actions and their moneyed backers; the public should not be satised to see one sideget its way. All Americans, we believe, should expect to benet rom the exercise o their political rights;indeed, that expectation creates the common ground on which democracy is built. Expert knowledge, bythe same token, cannot be enough to meet our challenges. We need to seek out everyones vote, voice andparticipation.


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We must eliminate barriers to voting, the most basic orm o political participation. We must build aninrastructure o participation and governance that provides a voice or everyone in the policy makingprocess. But we will have to do more than just invite all people to take part. rue democracy requires steps to

ensure that the voices o the powerul are not unduly elevated. Public, open and participatory processes areessential. We envision an America that encourages the maximum levels o voter turnout, practices people-centered governance, and actively seeks and genuinely values everyones participation. From increased levelso voting to new orms o public deliberation and collaborative decision-making and problem-solvingthisis the America we seek.

As our systems o governance embrace these practices and principles, we oresee higher and higher levels oengagement:

Te proportion o people voting in America will increase and the electorate will be a diverse andaccurate representation o our society as a whole.

Public service, whether elected, appointed or voluntary, will be open to all Americans and will createa political system that is a diverse and accurate representation o our whole society.

We will change the way Americans view their government, and the way government views thepeople. No longer will ordinary people be merely consumers o government services. We will beactive partners with government and with each other.

Te routines o our public lie will change. It will be a regular occurrence or ocials and the publicto listen to each other, and or citizens to nd ways to work together.

Te quality o our lives will be improved, as the people know their voices are heard, and as thepartisan ragmentation o society lessens.

Tis newly empowered denition o what it means to have a voice will make it more likely thatmany people, o all backgrounds, will use their voices and energies to make a tangible dierence.

We take up this mission not simply out o principle, but in the aith that when we all have meaningul waysto be inormed, engaged, and heard - when all our voices are valued - neighborhoods and communities will bestronger, and our government will make better decisions. A more inclusive political process, we are convinced,will generate better policies and lead to a virtuous cycle o economic, social, and political progress.


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a CHaMPIon FoR CIVIC engageMenT: a WHITe HoUseoFFICe oF CIVIC engageMenT, anD MoRe

Te Federal government has no government-wide commitment to the goal o greater civic participationNor does any government-wide agency have the responsibility or serving as a steward and champion o thequality and reach o our democracyeither at the voting booth or in our community lie. Existing activitiesare largely conned to a small range o Federal agencies, and best practices are not readily shared acrossagencies and programs. Although many statutes explicitly call or civic engagement, some administrativelegislation, such as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, actually make civic engagement more dicult.Within certain agencies, there is bureaucratic and political resistance to greater involvement because it isperceived as impeding the discretionary actions o agency leaders.

Tere is nothing new about the idea o Federal government action to support civic engagement.4 For over

40 years, individual Federal agencies have been engaged in eorts to catalyze and, in some cases, mandateengagement, both in policymaking and implementation, at the national, state, and local levels. Among theagencies that have recently engaged in some o the most innovative work are the Centers or Disease Controand Prevention, the Oce o Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Maternal and Child HealthServices unit o the Department o Human Services, and the Department o ransportation.

Unortunately, support or these eorts has been tul, partly because the responsibility has allen toindividual administrators who, in some cases, have questioned either the readiness and interest o citizensand other key civic partners, or the value o civic engagement itsel. Some agencies, moreover, have not beengiven the resources or more than a symbolic eort.

Now is the time to broaden and deepen this commitment. Federal agencies and ocials should reach outto citizens and include them in policy making, strategy development, and service delivery. Tis is not onlyimportant to the health o our democracy; it strengthens our countrys capacity to solve important publicproblems. Greater engagement and inclusion will improve decisions, reduce the risk o political gridlock ondicult questions, and increase the legitimacy o government action.

emt f Fdr Cmmitmt T Civic emt d DmcrticPrticipti

o oster greater civic participation at the Federal level, the next President should carry out the ollowinginitiatives:

1. CrEAtEA WhitE housE-lEvEl offiCEof CiviC EngAgEmEnt.

Such an oce could serve as a ocal point o government-wide commitment and provide leadership to a widerange o Federal agencies. Te existing Oce o Faith-Based and Community Initiatives could be a useulmodel. Potentially, we envision the new White House Oce:


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Serving as a coordinator and champion or a network o agencies that will oster civic participationin their agencies policy making and programs;

Helping implement existing civic participation laws and requirements;Identiying existing barriers within the Federal government to advancing civic participationand developing strategies to overcome these barriers (e.g., statutory, regulatory, and bureaucraticculture);

Fostering improved civic engagement by Federal agencies by identiying best practices, oeringtrainings, building agency capacities, and linking to other related networks among Federal agencies,like the networks or alternative dispute resolution and customer service measurement;

Leading or piloting government-wide, innovative approaches to engaging the public, like nationaldialogues and online input on agency rule making;

Encouraging civic engagement eorts by local, state and regional governments through best practices,trainings and mechanisms or improved communication and collaboration;

Including an external advisory council and liaisons within relevant agencies that will champion civicengagement in the Federal government;

Acting as a ocal point or a new Federal commitment to ensuring the right o every American to voteand participate in the electoral process.

Championing a Public Engagement Act, described in the policy section below.

Te White House Oce could also be a leader in the ollowing:

2. buildAn intErAgEnCy nEtWork.

Agencies should create departmental centers o citizen engagement and designate sta to serve in the network(e.g., beginning with the existing network o career ocials engaged in public participation programs andaliating as appropriate with the present Alternative Dispute Resolution network). Te network wouldprovide agencies and sta with capacity-building services such as technical support and training in how toengage citizens in policy making. It would share best practices as well as monitor the government-wide publicparticipation eorts (including reporting and eedback mechanisms).

3. ChArgE fEdErAl AgEnCiEsto CoordinAtEWith EACh othErAndWith stAtEAnd loCAl

dECision mAkErson bEhAlfof CritiCAl loCAlAnd rEgionAl goAls.

Until the early 1980s, the Federal government maintained regional councils to coordinate among agencies andwith state and local decision makers. At present, no mechanism exists to compel agencies to systematicallycollaborate with state and local agencies on cross-cutting issues such as reducing greenhouse gases, youth


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development, or reducing concentrated multi-generational poverty. A pilot eort that begins with a smallnumber o agencies could generate vital learning and the opportunity to phase in more comprehensivecoordination over time. An Executive Order could establish and rene the Federal Regional Council mode

to better oster coordinated place-based strategies.

4. tAkE invEntoryof Existing publiC EngAgEmEnt prACtiCEs, in ordErto AssEss WhAt Works

And WhAts nEEdEd.

Te last such scan was done thirty years ago, and was not sustained. No current record exists o the ull rangeo engagement practices employed by the Federal government. Tis complicates the eort to identiy themost promising opportunities to strengthen public engagement and cross-agency coordination, and retardsthe growth o a community o practice around public engagement strategies. Such an analysis could beachieved through a directive memo, perhaps rom OMB, with the support o the CIO Council, the Nationa

Academy o Public Administration, and the General Services Administration.

5. dEvElop ExpECtAtionsfor nEW politiCAl AppointEEs.

Te President should direct that, in the orientation process, new political appointees become amiliar withAdministrations policy in regard to the importance o civic participation, and with their respective agenciesactivities, enabling them to reinorce the Presidents level o commitment. Te orientation should provideresources and ways or individual ocials to take personal action to promote eective civic engagement.


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ConVenIng naTIonal DIsCUssIons:MIllIons oF VoICes aT THe Table

A healthy democracy needs the capacity to involve its citizens in key decisions. Government cannot be letto leaders, experts, and pundits with the public only weighing in on election day. People rom all walks o lieshould be encouraged to wrestle with tough questions, seek common ground, and develop and articulate theirviews. Policymakers should see themselves as part o this larger process, not as a world unto themselves.

Te next President should call or regular national discussions o one million Americans or more on the issueso highest public concern, like oreign policy, energy, taxes, health care, and jobs. Every citizen should havea seat at the table. National Discussions could be one o the signature initiatives o a new civic engagementagenda that signals a new way o governing. We see them as a way to:

Provide policy makers with an independent, non-partisan means o assessing the inormed opinionsand collective priorities o the American people

Help public ocials - and the nation - get past instinctive (and oten adversarial) positions on dicultquestions

Dilute the infuence o special interests and build political will or policymakers to act in the commongood

Stimulate local and regional action on national problems by public agencies, private businesses,nonprots and citizens themselves

Forge a stronger link between Americans and their government, while providing policy makers withpositions that command wide public support

More than 80 percent o the respondents in a recent survey expressed support or the idea o organizednational discussions on critical issues. Te sentiment was bipartisan: 60 percent o Republicans and 70percent o Democrats described themselves as strongly in avor o the idea.5

Mii f Vic

National discussions will use a variety o methods to ensure that more than one million Americans can takepart in a meaningul way. Some people will weigh in by participating in massive national town meetingsthat link gatherings around the country together by satellite, so that Americans in Bualo can speak withAmericans in San Jose, Boise, Birmingham and other communities around the nation.

Others will host their own conversations in their homes, places o work or community centers. In smallgroups, they will wrestle with the challenges acing our nation and then submit their ideas over the Internet.Still others who cannot attend the national discussion in person will join the process online, where they willwork with a small group in a virtual discussion space beore registering their priorities.


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Each National Discussion will engage Americans rom every walk o lie and every corner o the nationBy providing so many people with a meaningul voice, we can help restore public trust in our governinginstitutions and energize the civic spirit o America.

Mki it Hpp

aking public deliberation to a national scale will not be easy. While a broad array o non-governmentalorganizations can acilitate the process, the Federal government must play a pivotal role. Te most realisticway to begin, we believe, is through executive sponsorship. We envision the President taking the rst step byidentiying an issue o high concern and calling on the American people to take part in a national conversationin order to orm and communicate a set o conclusions.

Tis initiative could be overseen by a non-partisan working group o citizens appointed by the President

and the majority and minority leadership o the House and Senate. Te working group could be modeledater the Citizens Health Care Working Group, created by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvementand Modernization Act o 2003. Te new White House Oce o Citizen Engagement should manage thenational discussion and ensure a strong link to the President and Federal agencies.


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0

Te ollowing elements are crucial to the credibility and utility o a National Discussion:

Scale and diversity. A diverse group o more than one million Americans, refecting the rich diversity

o the nation, must be recruited or each national discussion.Balance and context. Participants should receive balanced, accessible educational materials to ensurethat everyone begins with adequate context to come to inormed judgments.

High-quality deliberation. A national network o skilled, neutral acilitators should support high-quality deliberation among participants.

Report and feedback. Following the national discussion, a summary o the considered views andpriorities o the participants should be conveyed to Congress and the President.

Congress and the President should provide regular information about their response to the

publics input..

Local and Regional Action. Recognizing that sustainable solutions to our nations problems requireaction by the public and private sectors, as well as by local, state and Federal policy makers, thenational discussions should be designed to identiy actions that can be taken by multiple sectorsand at every level o government. Where possible, discussions should be designed to encouragecitizens to take action, and or communities to build local and regional capacity or continued publicengagement.

Link to Policy-Making. Ater delivery o the report, the committees o jurisdiction in the Houseand Senate should be required to hold hearings, and the President should be required to issue awritten response.

Once we have demonstrated the possibility o conducting meaningul National Discussions, the long-termchallenge will be to develop a national inrastructure that can support people coming together to deliberateabout policy issues on a regular basis. With such an inrastructure in place, National Discussions could bequickly convened when pressing issues arise. A National Discussion o terrorism and oreign policy mighthave occurred, or example, in the atermath o the September 11, 2001, attacks.

While it may be some time beore we have the capacity to support regular deliberations o this kind, even asingle National Discussion would do much to demonstrate the value and ecacy o the idea and to set thestage or uture discussions.


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a legIslaTIVe agenDa FoR DeMoCRaTIC ReFoRM

In addition to executive branch initiatives, a stronger democracy will require real leadership rom CongressWhat ollows are a series o policy reorms that will be required to improve the ability o citizens to participatein elections and to play an active role in our our communities and policy making processes. ogether, theseconstitute a legislative agenda with enormous promise.

Impmt ectr Rfrm

Te integrity o our electoral system is a undamental pillar o democracy. We must guarantee the reliabilityo the primary mechanism through which citizens determine their leaders. Te President and Congressshould take the ollowing steps.

Move toward universal voter registration or all eligible Americans. o help get there, we should, rstadopt Election Day Registration or all Federal elections; and, second, ensure that the Departmento Justice ully enorces the National Voter Registration Act, notably Section 7, which mandatesvoter registration through public assistance agencies.

Protect our electoral system rom the distorting eects o money and empower ordinary citizens withinthe political process, through public nancing o Congressional as well as Presidential elections. TeDurbin/Spector bill is the model to ollow or Congressional elections, while the Feingold/Collinsbill goes in the right direction or Presidential candidates. Both systems ampliy the power o smalldonations and increase the ability o voters to hold their elected ocials accountable.

Make elections easier through broad adoption o voter-convenience measures such as early votingand vote by mail.

Develop national standards or election administration, so that voters anywhere in the countryhave a similarly simple experience, with a similarly high degree o condence that their votes will becounted airly and accurately. Tis will require unding. Te process could be overseen by the WhiteHouse Oce o Civic Engagement.

Support ranked-choice ballots and instant-runo elections as another way to protect voters romunrepresentative outcomes and ensure a air refection o voter sentiment. Tis is a reorm avored by

both o the 2008 Presidential candidates.

Tese policy reorms have been recommended and drated by a variety o election reorm organizationsDetails about them can be ound in the resources section at the end o the document.

Icr Dmcrtic Prticipti

Tere are a number o policies beyond election reorm that will both expand democratic participation, andensure that a broad diversity o voices are heard.


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pAssA publiC EngAgEmEnt ACt.

Te Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), while created as a saeguard against corruption, has come to

pose major bureaucratic barriers and imposes perverse incentives on agency coordinators. New legislationor executive guidance should be issued to create constructive incentives and requirements, allowing Federalemployees to take real advantage o public consultation. FACA reorm needs to involve Congressionalcommittees (Senate Homeland Security and Government Aairs Committee, House Oversight andGovernment Reorm Committee), OMB, and the GSA, which controls the FACA disclosure database. Anew public participation law should: a) provide broad authority or agencies to use a variety o models orcivic engagement, including innovations in public deliberation, online public involvement, and dialogue; b)require that agencies appoint a collaborative governance specialist to build expertise and capacity and providetraining; and c) authorize networks o public, private, and nonprot stakeholders to collaborate and provideor their accountability and transparency through civic engagement.

Tis legal ramework would be one o the building blocks o a robust inrastructuremechanisms, processesand governing structures that place citizens in a meaningul and on-going role in policy development in theederal government.

EnAblE stAtEAnd loCAl govErnmEntsto improvE thEir publiC EngAgEmEnt prACtiCEsthrough

modEllEgislAtion, nEWmEAsurEmEnttoolsAndtEChniCAlAssistAnCE.

Te Federal Government sometimes supplies viable models o legislation to state and local governments,which oten lack the capacity to develop their own careully researched models. A Federal directive memo

could call or a scan o current practices ollowed by the development o model legislation, comparable to aPublic Engagement Act or Federal agencies.

Wcm nw Ridt It Dmcrtic lif

As the country welcomes more and more people rom other countries, and with other experiences, we wantto make sure we are welcoming them into ull participation in our democratic processes. For new citizens,and or residents on their way to ull integration, we need to open the doors to American democracy. Amongour recommendations to Congress and the President:

Authorize voter registration to take place in conjunction with naturalization ceremonies andauthorize the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to provide inormation on voter registrationto newly naturalized citizens.

Endorse Clinton-Honda civic integration bill, enlist supporters or this and other integration,literacy, and naturalization initiatives pending or in development in Congress.

Create a citizenship oundation to acilitate private gits and donations to contribute to the work othe Oce o Citizenship.


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Establish a program that provides Federal unding or naturalization promotion, education, andassistance by community organizations with experience and expertise in working with newcomersServices that could be unded include outreach and education activities, legal services and application

assistance.

Adequately und the 2010 Census to make sure that new residents are counted and their voices areheard in policymaking. Tis can be achieved through appropriation.


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bIblIogRaPHY oF KeY ResoURCes

A Champion or Civic Engagement: White House Oce o Civic Engagement and more

Bualo, NYOce o Citizen Participation and Inormation, http://www.ci.bualo.ny.us/Home/City_Departments/Citizens_Services/Oce_o_Citizen_Participation_and_Inormation

European Commission, Your Voice initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/index_en.htm

European Commissions Interactive Policymaking Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/index_en.htm

UK 2007 Review o the Governments Consultation Policy: http://www.cabinetoce.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2007/070614_consultation.aspx

White House Oce o Faith-Based and Community Initiatives:

General: www.bci.gov

Executive Orders: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/bci/executive-orders.html

United Kingdoms Consultation Policy: http://www.berr.gov.uk/bre/consultation%20guidance/page44420.html

World Bank Institute, Beyond Public Scrutiny: Stocktaking o Social Accountability in OECDCountries, 2007: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/3/38983242.pd

Convening National Discussions: Millions o Voices at the able

Ackerman, Bruce and Jim Fishkin, Deliberation Day. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.

Gastil, John. By Popular Demand: Revitalizing Representative Democracy through DeliberativeElections. Berkeley: University o Caliornia Press, 2000.

Goldman, Joe. Millions o Voices: A Blueprint or Engaging the American Public in National PolicyMaking Washington, D.C., America Speaks, 2004

Leib, Ethan. Deliberative Democracy in America: A Proposal or a Popular Branch o Government.University Park, Penn State University Press, 2004.

Yankelovich, Daniel. Coming to Public Judgment: Making Democracy Work in a Complex

World. Syracuse University Press, 1991


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A Legislative Agenda or democratic engagement reorm

Weiser, Wendy and Renee Paradis, Universal Voter Registration (Drat Summary), Brennan

Center or Justice, 2008. www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/universal_voter_registration_drat_summary/

Voters Win with Election Day Registration, Dmos, 2007. www.demos.org/pub1280.cm

Senate Fair Elections Now Act, Public Campaign website, www.publiccampaign.org/node/38166

FairVote IRV America, www.airvote.org/?page=19

enDnoTes

CBS News/NY Poll, July 9-17, 2007.

March 2007 poll by Te Pew Charitable rusts.

A participant list is attached. Notwithstanding the broad agreement on the recommendations that ollow, not all participants areable to endorse ormally the entire package, because o organizational reasons.

A number o other countries provide strong institutional commitments to civic participation. Te European Union invests nearly100 million a year on such activities. Te United Kingdom has strong citizen-participation requirements when the governmentdevelops new policies. Canada has a robust ramework or engaging its citizens in government.

2008 Civic Health Index: Beyond the Vote, National Conerence on Citizenship, p.12, http://www.ncoc.net/pd/civichealth2008-web.pd.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


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Andrew Grant-Tomas Kirwan InstituteBen Binswanger Case FoundationBen Shute Rockeeller Brothers FundBill Muse National Issues Forums InstituteBill Potapchuk Community Building InstituteCarmen Siriani Brandeis University

Carolyn Lukensmeyer AmericaSpeaksChris Gates PACEChris Kwak W.K. Kellogg FoundationClarissa Martinez de Castro National Council o La RazaCornelia Butler Flora North Central Regional Center or Rural DevelopmentCynthia Gibson Cynthesis ConsultingDavid Davenport Common Sense CaliorniaEddie Hailes Te Advancement ProjectFrances Moore Lappe Small Planet InstituteGeri Mannion Carnegie CorporationGloria Rubio-Cortes National Civic LeagueJared Duval ecoAmericaJoe Brooks PolicyLinkJoe Goldman AmericaSpeaksJohn Dedrick Kettering FoundationJohn Kamensky IBM Center or the Business o Government John Powell Kirwan InstituteJohn Wonderlich Sunlight FoundationJosh Silver Free PressKat Barr Rock the VoteLisa Bingham Indiana University

Marc Caplan Proteus FundMark Schmitt American ProspectMarshall Ganz Harvard University, Kennedy SchoolMartha McCoy Everyday DemocracyMatt Leighninger Deliberative Democracy ConsortiumMaya Enista and Ian Storrar Mobilize.orgMichael Smith Case FoundationMiles Rapoport Dmos: A Network o Ideas and ActionNick Nyhart Public CampaignPatrick Scully Everyday Democracy

Rob Richie FairVoteRobert Sherman Surdna FoundationSheri Brady W.K. Kellogg FoundationSpencer Overton George Washington University School o LawStuart Comstock-Gay Dmos: A Network o Ideas and Actionerry Amsler Institute or Local Governmenterry Ao Asian American Justice Centerova Wang Common CauseWendy Weiser Brennan Center or Justice at NYU Law SchoolWendy Willis Policy Consensus InitiativeWill Friedman Public Agenda Foundation

Xavier de Souza Briggs MI

ConFeRenCe PaRTICIPanTs


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Strengthening Democracy

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Transcript of Strengthening Democracy