Citizens Assembly in Colorado

Partner/s

• Colorado Office of Climate Preparedness (CPO)
• Civic Canopy
• Healthy Democracy

Location

Colorado, USA

Dates

2023

Short description of the project

RadicalxChange, in partnership with The Civic Canopy and Healthy Democracy, developed and piloted a novel citizen engagement methodology called “Community Exchange.” This project convened a demographically representative sample of Colorado residents to deliberate on climate preparedness policy. The assembly used tools like plural voting and Pol.is to facilitate discussion, identify areas of consensus, and establish policy priorities to inform the work of the newly-formed Colorado Office of Climate Preparedness (CPO).

What problem did this project seek to address?

The project aimed to address several challenges in civic engagement:

• The high cost and time commitment of traditional citizens’ assemblies.
• The difficulty of gathering meaningful, nuanced public input on complex policy issues.
• The need for a more efficient way to synthesize diverse viewpoints and identify areas of agreement.
• The desire to provide citizens with a direct and influential role in shaping government policy.

Who were the key audiences or communities of participants?

The primary participants were a “mini-public” of Colorado residents selected through sortition (a random lottery) to be demographically representative of the state’s population. The selection process involved sending invitations to approximately 18,000 random residential addresses across Colorado. The key audiences for the project’s findings were the Colorado Office of Climate Preparedness (CPO) and other state government agencies involved in climate policy.

How does this support more democratic outcomes?

This project supports more democratic outcomes in several ways:

• Inclusivity: By using a lottery-based selection process, the assembly included a diverse cross-section of the population, ensuring that a wide range of voices and perspectives were heard.
• Deliberation: The project facilitated in-depth deliberation on complex issues, allowing participants to learn from one another and develop more informed opinions.
• Direct Influence: The project provided a direct channel for citizens to communicate their priorities to policymakers, giving them a tangible impact on the state’s climate preparedness roadmap.
• Consensus Building: The use of tools like Pol.is and plural voting helped to identify areas of consensus and bridge divides, fostering a more collaborative approach to policymaking.

How did RxC add value/support this experiment?

RxC developed the innovative methodology that combined elements of citizens’ assemblies, Pol.is, and Quadratic Voting and played a central role in implementing and facilitating the project alongside our partners.

What were the outcomes or impacts?

The initial pilot in Colorado demonstrated how the combination of online deliberation tools and Plural Voting is a powerful way of gathering high-quality public input on complex policy issues. The result was a clear set of citizen priorities on climate preparedness, which were communicated to the CPO.

Are there any testimonials, documents, assets, links or other ways we can illustrate this project?

**Community Exchange - RadicalxChange**

**Exploring Plural Voting as a Method for Citizen Engagement - New America**