[What will it take for U.S. politicians to provide outlets for a
consequential voice to citizens between elections? ]
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VOTERS DON’T HAVE A VOICE IN GOVERNANCE. CITIZEN ASSEMBLIES COULD
BE THE ANSWER.  
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Marjan H. Ehsassi
August 6, 2023
Truthout
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_ What will it take for U.S. politicians to provide outlets for a
consequential voice to citizens between elections? _

People gather during the G1000 citizen's summit in Brussels where
1000 citizens will discuss social security, immigration and other
subjects concerning democracy and the future of Belgium., AFP /
Stringer / Getty Images

 

Elected representatives from a broad range of Western democracies
beyond the United States are taking bold measures to give real voice
to citizens in decision-making. Confronted with protests, polarization
and pessimism, countries such as Canada, Ireland, France, Germany,
Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands are recognizing the need for a
system of governance that is more inclusive and responsive. They are
introducing innovative deliberative citizens’ assemblies that offer
a consequential voice in policy making.

Our leaders in the U.S. have so far chosen to abstain from this
movement, focusing instead on partisan politicking that sporadically
ignites the base but does nothing to engage citizens in meaningful
dialogue about how to solve our toughest challenges. The results are
uninspiring — 83 percent
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citizens feel there isn’t an adequate system in place for their
voice to be heard.

Based on my work in Europe and Canada over the last two years, our
Western allies no longer look to us as role models of democratic
innovation. During a trip to Brussels and Milan, I sat down with
parliamentarians, political party presidents and city representatives
about the growing role of citizen assemblies.

I first met Magali Plovie, president of the French-speaking Brussels
Parliament, in 2021, when she and parliamentary Democratic Innovation
Advisor Jonathan Moskovic had initiated a pilot program of
deliberative committees in Parliament. That same year, I observed the
Committee on Homelessness and researched the process by which 42
residents and 16 Parliament members learned, deliberated and drafted a
series of policy proposals for government. Deliberative committees are
now embedded in the Brussels Parliament.

Parliament President Plovie told _Truthout _that this model is “the
result of broad and trans-partisan reflection and lessons learned from
other leading deliberative processes.” She has even greater
ambitions: “We would like to move to co-decision[-making] between
citizens and parliamentarians, which the Belgian Constitution
currently prevents us from doing.” She added, “and to introduce a
citizenship leave, like the jury system, to allow all citizens to
participate.”

I also spent two days with the G1000
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_initiative. Their citizens’ panel consists of 60 Belgian residents
selected by democratic lottery to learn, deliberate and provide
recommendations on greater transparency and accountability in
political campaign financing. They will be presenting their proposals
to government later this month.

Several of the panelists asked whether political parties would
consider giving citizens more voice in between elections by investing
in citizens’ assemblies.

In Milan, I joined the Federation for Innovation in Democracy
Europe’s workshop on climate assemblies. This was an enriching
opportunity for government representatives, practitioners and
researchers to discuss current issues in the field of deliberation.
For instance, we learned that despite the political challenges in
Hungary, progressive mayors are implementing municipal climate-related
assemblies. Meanwhile, an impressive national assembly is being
designed in Switzerland for 16- to 24-year-olds, with youth voting to
select the topic. So far, mental health is their top priority.

We discussed the grant-making initiative I co-direct with Peter
MacLeod, founder and principal of MASS LBP, the Democratic Action Fund
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national, statewide and municipal — allocate 5-10 percent of the
amount they spend on elections to set up a fund for deliberative
citizen engagement.

In an environment in which defense and national security budgets are
growing, there are limited funds for meaningful citizen engagement.
DAFs accelerate the number of citizens’ assemblies and create more
opportunities for citizens to engage at every level of government.
Funds also provide a collective space to develop best practices and
lessons learned.

By erecting a national deliberation tent, DAFs strengthen existing
representative structures, enhance knowledge and build cohesion. They
also provide citizens with a meaningful and consequential voice,
create greater buy-in and legitimacy for tackling challenging societal
issues, generate stronger policy outcomes and enhance public trust in
democratic institutions.

From December 2022 to March 2023, I served as guarantor of the French
Citizens’ Convention on the End of Life
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the coming together of a 184-person assembly as they learned,
deliberated, built community and offered their final report to French
President Emmanuel Macron at a reception at the Elysée Palace. With
76 percent of participants broadly in favor of assisted suicide and
euthanasia, President Macron has asked the National Assembly to
introduce a legal framework for change by the end of the summer.

The convention’s policy outcomes have yet to be fully realized, and
there have been mixed reviews of Macron’s participative legacy
(critics have called it a form of “participative
authoritarianism”), especially given recent uprisings over
police-perpetrated killings and rollbacks of pension and retirement
benefits. However, given the success of this experience, the French
president has indicated that other citizens’ assemblies will soon
follow to tackle other complicated and pressing social issues.

Still, as Brussels parliamentary Democratic Innovation Advisor
Moskovic stresses, “The institutionalization at the very heart of
government institutions has allowed us to enter a truly
citizen-centric democracy, inclusive and radical, to respond to the
major challenges of our time.”

Meanwhile, cities across the U.S. are struggling to house those
experiencing homelessness, protect residents from escalating gun
violence and provide adequate medical care and support to those
struggling with opioid addiction. What will it take for our
politicians to show some democratic vision, expand their definition of
citizen engagement and learn from these models that provide
consequential voice to citizens in between elections?

Dr. Marjan H. Ehsassi is a Berggruen Future of Democracy fellow
(nonresident) and strategic director of the Democratic Action Fund. A
former litigator and governance practitioner, she is an expert in
citizen participation, democratic innovations and deliberation.

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