What if democracy could be so much more than we think it is?

Welcome to Beyond Elections, a new project for Proximate that explores the state of participatory democracy around the world, and what the future might hold.

We'll take a critical look at democratic innovations – like participatory budgeting, citizens' assemblies and legislative theater – and explore how better citizen engagement can help us solve hard problems, collectively. You can read our full vision here.

In this first newsletter, we zoom in on citizens' assemblies. Why has deliberative democracy not taken off in the US in the same way as participatory budgeting – and could the two approaches be merged? What role could citizen's assemblies play in conflict zones and areas without a working government?

Thanks to People Powered for supporting this project. And reach out to us at hello@proximate.press with any story ideas or updates from the field.

- Pam Bailey, Editor, Beyond Elections

In April, more than 40 democracy innovators gathered at a college campus in downtown DC for a conference called the Citizens’ Assembly School.

The conference came at a moment when the future of deliberative democracy in the US is uncertain. Despite growing popularity in Europe and Canada, the citizens' assembly model is still very rarely used across the more than 90,000 local government bodies in the United States.

But advocates like Marjan Ehsassi believe that tangible citizen engagement is critical to the future of American democracy. As she told me:

"When the National Endowment for Democracy was set up, the focus was on the promotion of the democracy abroad. The assumption has been that we're fine; we’re the model. But it turned out we need a national endowment for our own democracy.” 

I spoke with Ehsassi as well as a number of other citizens' assembly advocates who were in town for the conference. Read the full story below:

When Will the United States Start Taking Citizens’ Assemblies Seriously?

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Most people assume that democracy is synonymous with free elections. We vote for politicians and they, in turn, govern our communities.

But increasingly, we hate how this actually works. We invest so much hope, energy and money in elections, only to end up with politicians beholden to rich donors, polarization, and little power to do anything about it.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Throughout history, humans have practiced democracy in creative and diverse ways, beyond elections: from community councils in ancient Mesopotamia to lotteries at the Athenian agora. And increasingly, millions of people around the world today are helping their governments through participatory, deliberative and direct democracy.

People Powered looks forward to working with Proximate to share stories of how communities are making decisions that matter and moving the needle – beyond elections.

- Josh Lerner

Editor's Note: Why Look Beyond Elections?

A recent visit to a campus protest underscored the need for better public engagement and more participatory democracy. Read.

You Don’t Have to Choose One: Let’s Integrate Participatory Budgeting and Citizens’ Assemblies

The two most important democratic innovations of the last 30 years have developed in parallel but not together. Read.

In Conflict Zones, Could Democracy Work Without Elections?

Iain Walker discusses the role of participatory democracy in areas without a working government – and why attempts to solve conflicts often fail. Read.

Thanks for reading!

Sign up for future Beyond Elections newsletters here. And reach out with ideas for future field notes or stories by emailing hello@proximate.press.