A ballot initiative to empower civic assemblies
The goal: in 2028 Coloradans approve a ballot measure establishing annual state-wide civic assemblies.
Civic assemblies are basically just policy juries. Participants are selected by democratic lotteries – everyone has an equal chance to take part. They gather, they learn about issues, they hear testimony from a wide variety of experts, they deliberate, and they work on proposals together. There have been more than a thousand civic assemblies worldwide, and they've proven shockingly good at hashing out in-depth policy ideas together.
The problem? They almost always have no real power.
We want to fix that. We want to give everyday citizens, not politicians, the power to set the agenda, select experts, consult with legal professionals, and craft road-ready policy.
And if the legislature doesn't enact their proposal, everyday people will approve or reject it in an automatic ballot measure.
Help us make it better
It's early yet, and we're still figuring things out together. The plan can evolve, as long as we stick to our core principles:
Everyone gets a voice
Every Coloradan deserves a real path to being heard every day — not just on Election Day.
Representation is not for sale
We need to protect against the corrosive influence of money in politics.
People over parties
The American founders were right: parties divide us and use fear and anger to gain power.
Deliberate, don't dominate
In conventional politics, winning means overpowering. We want listening, learning, and solving problems for Coloradans.
To succeed, we need the help of Coloradans of all shapes and sizes from across the state — and across the political divide: Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
Who's driving this effort?
Everyday Coloradans. So far we're just a group of passionate volunteers testing the waters. We don't yet have a formal organization, and we're a long way from writing legislation.
We're inspired by the civic assemblies around the world and by the SCALE Model, which offers a nice starting template. But for this to work in Colorado, we have to adapt the model to fit our state’s needs. So we’re planning a statewide assembly in September, 2027 to deliberate and produce a Colorado-ready proposal.
Soon we will need a name and a slogan and an organization. Right now we need courageous folks with the vision and energy to help get this effort off the ground.
What might we have
Coloradans might choose a path away from petty politics.
Coloradans might find new solutions to the big problems of our time.
Coloradans might tackle housing or infrastructure or inflation or corruption or other problems that aren’t getting solved.
Coloradans might become leaders in democratic reform.
How? With everyday Coloradans’ might. We’re so much stronger together.
I want to help!
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