Voice for Democracy

Newsletter of Californians for Electoral Reform

Winter 2006

Talking Points: Citizens' Assemblies

“If in a democracy the people have the authority to choose their representatives, then it would seem to follow that they should have the authority to choose the procedures by which they choose their representatives. Yet in nearly all democracies the procedures that govern elections have been established by officials or representatives themselves.”--Dennis F. Thompson, “Who Should Govern Who Governs?  The Role of Citizens in Reforming the Electoral System”, unpublished manuscript, October 1, 2005.

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“But wait a second. Average Joes and Janes making recommendations about our electoral process that will actually be put on the ballot?  Isn’t that what politicians are for?

“‘No,’ say Canciamilla and Richman.

“‘It is designed to bypass the Legislature because we believe that there is an inherent conflict in the Legislature making decisions over how its own members are elected,’ reasons Canciamilla.”--Raheem Hosseini, “Cutting out the middlemen”, Policy Today, March 1, 2006.

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“Frustration with political gridlock in Sacramento has led to an overflow of direct democracy as voters in just the last five years have placed more than 70 propositions on the ballot and have recalled their governor. But incubating ideas in a citizens’ assembly makes a lot more sense than cooking up ballot propositions in some political consultant's kitchen, an approach voters finally rejected in the November special election. ... So perhaps it's time for some of us citizens to roll up our sleeves and invest in democracy in California. Leaving it to the professionals is simply not working.”--David Davenport, “The case for a citizens’ assembly”, San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 2006.

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“What would happen if a panel of executives from Chevron, Exxon-Mobil and British Petroleum got together to reform air-quality regulations in California?

“Chances are pretty good that, despite their best intentions, they couldn't bring themselves to make changes that would hurt the bottom line. Whatever they came up with, the public wouldn't trust it.

“Assemblyman Keith Richman figures the same dynamic applies to political reform: You just can't trust the politicians to do it because they've got too much self-interest at stake. And even if they did come up with a good idea or two, the public wouldn't trust it.”--Tim Herdt, “Gonna have a revolution: Richman seeks citizen panel to reinvent politics”, Ventura County Star, February 1, 2006.

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“One woman showed up for a [British Columbia Citizens’ Assembly] meeting only days after giving birth. Another missed a few sessions because of triple bypass surgery. Only one person dropped out. The assembly opened each gathering by singing the national anthem.

“‘We started to collectively realize that we could change something,’ said Shoni Field, 32, another member, who is a fundraiser for an environmentalist group. ‘This was far more powerful than going to the voting booth, which most people felt was meaningless.’ ...

“Jack Pitney, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, agreed that ‘the more radical the change, the tougher the sell.’ But he said a citizens' assembly ‘might be worth a shot.’

"’They will have studied the issue, which puts them ahead of most politicians,’ Pitney said."--Dan Morain, "Plan would put reform in citizens' hands", Los Angeles Times, December 26, 2005.

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“I have no idea what proposal would emerge from the citizens’ assembly. But I do believe that citizens, educated about alternative electoral systems, are highly unlikely to believe that the status quo should be retained, or that simple tinkering around the edges would deliver the benefits that the vast 'moderate non-partisan section of the electors' wants to see from its government.”--Matthew Soberg Shugart, “Searching for the center: A citizens’ assembly for California?”, Fruits and Votes, February 7, 2006.

Compiled by Bob Richard